2024 Speakers | Kisaco Research

2024 Speakers

Medical Cost Containment Summit
5-7 February, 2025
  • Author:

    Bruce Lim

    Deputy Director, Audits and Investigations
    California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)

    Bruce Lim serves as the Deputy Director, Audits and Investigations, for the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and is the designated Program Integrity Director for Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. Mr. Lim is a certified public accountant (CPA) with over 32 years of audit and financial management experience in both the private and public sectors. Past employers include Kenneth Leventhal and Company, CPAs (Ernst & Young Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group), Packard Bell NEC, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

    Bruce Lim

    Deputy Director, Audits and Investigations
    California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)

    Bruce Lim serves as the Deputy Director, Audits and Investigations, for the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and is the designated Program Integrity Director for Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. Mr. Lim is a certified public accountant (CPA) with over 32 years of audit and financial management experience in both the private and public sectors. Past employers include Kenneth Leventhal and Company, CPAs (Ernst & Young Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group), Packard Bell NEC, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

  • Author:

    Christopher Draven

    Senior Director of Payment Integrity Analytics & AI
    HCSC

    Christopher Draven is Senior Director of Payment Integrity Analytics & AI at HCSC where he leads a cross-functional team focused on delivering actionable insights and savings. He has over 25 years experience in healthcare, starting in direct patient care.

    Christopher Draven

    Senior Director of Payment Integrity Analytics & AI
    HCSC

    Christopher Draven is Senior Director of Payment Integrity Analytics & AI at HCSC where he leads a cross-functional team focused on delivering actionable insights and savings. He has over 25 years experience in healthcare, starting in direct patient care.

  • Author:

    Crystal Son

    Executive Director of Enterprise Data Analytics Solutions
    HCSC

    Crystal Son is an Executive Director of Enterprise Data Analytics Solutions at Healthcare Service Corporation (HCSC). She has 19 years of experience in deriving intelligence from data. 

    At HCSC, she leads the Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships team, a department that focuses on cross-functional, collaborative analytics delivery on key programs such as Payment Integrity and Stakeholder Engagement, enterprise data and analytics strategy and planning, as well as design and execution of HCSC’s Responsible AI program. She is passionate about real-world applications of data-driven insights, storytelling through data, and building high-performance teams.

    Crystal Son

    Executive Director of Enterprise Data Analytics Solutions
    HCSC

    Crystal Son is an Executive Director of Enterprise Data Analytics Solutions at Healthcare Service Corporation (HCSC). She has 19 years of experience in deriving intelligence from data. 

    At HCSC, she leads the Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships team, a department that focuses on cross-functional, collaborative analytics delivery on key programs such as Payment Integrity and Stakeholder Engagement, enterprise data and analytics strategy and planning, as well as design and execution of HCSC’s Responsible AI program. She is passionate about real-world applications of data-driven insights, storytelling through data, and building high-performance teams.

  • Author:

    Helen Liu, Pharm.D.

    Health Plan Leader
    Independent

    Dr. Liu is the Vice President of Pharmacy Operations for the ATRIO Health Plans, where she manages and oversees all Part D-related operations. Dr Liu has an extensive background in clinical pharmacy, medication safety, managed care, and data outcome analysis. Before this role, she developed and implemented the inpatient Drug Use Management program at Kaiser Permanente.

    Helen Liu, Pharm.D.

    Health Plan Leader
    Independent

    Dr. Liu is the Vice President of Pharmacy Operations for the ATRIO Health Plans, where she manages and oversees all Part D-related operations. Dr Liu has an extensive background in clinical pharmacy, medication safety, managed care, and data outcome analysis. Before this role, she developed and implemented the inpatient Drug Use Management program at Kaiser Permanente.

  • Author:

    Kelly Bennett, JD, CFE, AHFI

    Medicaid Program Integrity Chief
    Agency for Health Care Administration

    Kelly Bennett graduated from the University of Tampa and Florida State University College of Law.  She has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1997 and is a Certified Fraud Examiner and an Accredited Health Care Fraud Investigator.  She has worked at the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration since 2001 and has served in several roles, including as a Senior Attorney within the Medicaid Division of the Office of the General Counsel, the Assistant Bureau Chief for the Bureau of Medicaid Program Integrity, the Agency’s Medicaid
    Fraud Liaison, and is currently the Chief of Medicaid Program Integrity, where she has served since July of 2014.  She is currently the President for the National Association for Medicaid Program Integrity and is an active participant in training and collaboration initiatives with the National Health Care Antifraud Association.

    Kelly Bennett, JD, CFE, AHFI

    Medicaid Program Integrity Chief
    Agency for Health Care Administration

    Kelly Bennett graduated from the University of Tampa and Florida State University College of Law.  She has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1997 and is a Certified Fraud Examiner and an Accredited Health Care Fraud Investigator.  She has worked at the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration since 2001 and has served in several roles, including as a Senior Attorney within the Medicaid Division of the Office of the General Counsel, the Assistant Bureau Chief for the Bureau of Medicaid Program Integrity, the Agency’s Medicaid
    Fraud Liaison, and is currently the Chief of Medicaid Program Integrity, where she has served since July of 2014.  She is currently the President for the National Association for Medicaid Program Integrity and is an active participant in training and collaboration initiatives with the National Health Care Antifraud Association.

  • Author:

    Cynthia Johnson

    (fomer) Senior Director, Referral & Claims Administration
    Kaiser Permanente

    Cynthia Johnson

    (fomer) Senior Director, Referral & Claims Administration
    Kaiser Permanente
  • Author:

    Andrew Zurick

    Medical Director Cardiac CT & MRI, Staff Cardiologist
    Ascension, St Thomas Heart

    Andrew Zurick

    Medical Director Cardiac CT & MRI, Staff Cardiologist
    Ascension, St Thomas Heart
  • Author:

    Becky Peters

    Executive Director of Patient Access Services
    Banner Health

    Becky Peters

    Executive Director of Patient Access Services
    Banner Health
  • Author:

    Betye Ochoa

    Director, Revenue Cycle Redesign
    NorthShore University HealthSystem

    Betye Ochoa

    Director, Revenue Cycle Redesign
    NorthShore University HealthSystem
  • Author:

    Ebrahim Barkoudah

    System Chief & Regional Chief Medical & Quality Officer
    Baystate Health

    Ebrahim Barkoudah

    System Chief & Regional Chief Medical & Quality Officer
    Baystate Health
  • Author:

    Jordan Limperis

    Data Scientist
    LA Care

    Highly motivated Data Scientist with a strong background in healthcare data and systems. Experienced in Inpatient Hospital and Laboratory Epic Systems, where I applied data-driven insights to improve clinical and operational efficiency. Currently, I am pursuing my career at L.A. Care, focusing leveraging advanced machine learning techniques to analyze noisy data, ensuring accuracy and efficiency in healthcare operations, particularly in payment integrity.

    Jordan Limperis

    Data Scientist
    LA Care

    Highly motivated Data Scientist with a strong background in healthcare data and systems. Experienced in Inpatient Hospital and Laboratory Epic Systems, where I applied data-driven insights to improve clinical and operational efficiency. Currently, I am pursuing my career at L.A. Care, focusing leveraging advanced machine learning techniques to analyze noisy data, ensuring accuracy and efficiency in healthcare operations, particularly in payment integrity.

  • Author:

    Monique Pierce

    Payment Solutions & Operations
    Cohere Health

    Monique is a Strategic Executive Healthcare Leader with proven ability to develop solutions and maximize the benefits of Payment Integrity programs.  She is known for having excellent domain knowledge and being driven, high performing, and having a deep dedication to recruiting and developing top talent.

     

    Monique started her Payment Integrity career at Oxford HealthPlans in the COB and Subrogation Department after spending time in Payment Policy.  When United Healthcare acquired many health plans in the early 2000s like Oxford, Monique was tagged as part of the Optum team to integrate the processes and people into the COB systems that she had built at Oxford.  She led systems development, quality, reporting, operations, vendor management and was responsible for creating innovative proactive programs that more than doubled savings to $1.4B in three years.

     

    Monique developed a successful program that reduced interest expense on late claims for UHC, assisted a communication company to develop COB tools and assisted in strategic system projects before joining SCIO Health Analytics in 2014 to develop new products - specifically prepayment programs.

    In 2015 she became the product owner of SCIOMine, the company’s internal audit application and managed the roadmap.  Monique also owned

    strategic direction for operational metrics and reporting including executive scorecards. Monique was promoted to VP of Business Opportunities and Client Engagement where she improved Audit Recovery TAT by 39% and reduced client implementations TAT by 11% and the Level of Effort by 18% while increasing the count of implementation projects by 126%.

     

    In 2020 Monique joined Devoted Health, a startup company with the goal of building the first ever integrated Payment Integrity Program.  The company has one system, great data, and a great mission; to change health care by treating every member as if they are family.

     

    In her spare time, Monique volunteers her time in the community on the Board of Directors of SCARE NH and works in her family business LARP Portal with her husband Rick.

    Monique Pierce

    Payment Solutions & Operations
    Cohere Health

    Monique is a Strategic Executive Healthcare Leader with proven ability to develop solutions and maximize the benefits of Payment Integrity programs.  She is known for having excellent domain knowledge and being driven, high performing, and having a deep dedication to recruiting and developing top talent.

     

    Monique started her Payment Integrity career at Oxford HealthPlans in the COB and Subrogation Department after spending time in Payment Policy.  When United Healthcare acquired many health plans in the early 2000s like Oxford, Monique was tagged as part of the Optum team to integrate the processes and people into the COB systems that she had built at Oxford.  She led systems development, quality, reporting, operations, vendor management and was responsible for creating innovative proactive programs that more than doubled savings to $1.4B in three years.

     

    Monique developed a successful program that reduced interest expense on late claims for UHC, assisted a communication company to develop COB tools and assisted in strategic system projects before joining SCIO Health Analytics in 2014 to develop new products - specifically prepayment programs.

    In 2015 she became the product owner of SCIOMine, the company’s internal audit application and managed the roadmap.  Monique also owned

    strategic direction for operational metrics and reporting including executive scorecards. Monique was promoted to VP of Business Opportunities and Client Engagement where she improved Audit Recovery TAT by 39% and reduced client implementations TAT by 11% and the Level of Effort by 18% while increasing the count of implementation projects by 126%.

     

    In 2020 Monique joined Devoted Health, a startup company with the goal of building the first ever integrated Payment Integrity Program.  The company has one system, great data, and a great mission; to change health care by treating every member as if they are family.

     

    In her spare time, Monique volunteers her time in the community on the Board of Directors of SCARE NH and works in her family business LARP Portal with her husband Rick.

  • Author:

    Dr Priscilla Alfaro, MD, FAAP, CPC, CPMA, COC, CIC, CFE

    VP Payment Integrity
    Blue Cross NC

    Dr. Priscilla Alfaro is a seasoned healthcare professional with extensive experience in executive medical management, fraud prevention, and healthcare analytics. A certified medical coder, fraud examiner, and auditor, she has a proven track record of improving healthcare efficiency and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse across various roles and affiliations, including the Texas HHS and Anthem.

    Dr Priscilla Alfaro, MD, FAAP, CPC, CPMA, COC, CIC, CFE

    VP Payment Integrity
    Blue Cross NC

    Dr. Priscilla Alfaro is a seasoned healthcare professional with extensive experience in executive medical management, fraud prevention, and healthcare analytics. A certified medical coder, fraud examiner, and auditor, she has a proven track record of improving healthcare efficiency and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse across various roles and affiliations, including the Texas HHS and Anthem.

  • Author:

    Simi Binning

    Responsible AI Lead
    HCSC

    Simi Binning is an accomplished healthcare professional with over a decade of experience in developing and executing successful strategies that drive business growth. Currently serving as a Responsible AI lead at HCSC, her focus is on AI governance and innovative problem solving.

    Simi Binning

    Responsible AI Lead
    HCSC

    Simi Binning is an accomplished healthcare professional with over a decade of experience in developing and executing successful strategies that drive business growth. Currently serving as a Responsible AI lead at HCSC, her focus is on AI governance and innovative problem solving.

  • Author:

    Edward Thomas

    Director, Enterprise Revenue Cycle Training and Deployment
    Trinity Health (HQ Michigan)

    Edward Thomas

    Director, Enterprise Revenue Cycle Training and Deployment
    Trinity Health (HQ Michigan)
  • Author:

    Frank Shipp

    Executive Director
    Johns Hopkins CIN

    Frank E. Shipp currently serves as Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins Clinical Alliance, the clinically integrated network of Johns Hopkins Medicine. The network includes over 3,000 providers, consisting of both employed and independent practices.

    Frank transitioned to value-based care after 25 years of hospital-based operations experience in both community and academic health systems. During the past nine years, Frank has held executive positions in a Payor-Provider Organization in NYC and has built a highly successful CIN over a five-year period in Northern New Jersey. Frank speaks regular at national healthcare conferences regarding value-based care strategies and tactics.

    Frank completed his MBA at Fairleigh Dickinson University, is a certified Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a trained Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma from Villanova University.

    Frank Shipp

    Executive Director
    Johns Hopkins CIN

    Frank E. Shipp currently serves as Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins Clinical Alliance, the clinically integrated network of Johns Hopkins Medicine. The network includes over 3,000 providers, consisting of both employed and independent practices.

    Frank transitioned to value-based care after 25 years of hospital-based operations experience in both community and academic health systems. During the past nine years, Frank has held executive positions in a Payor-Provider Organization in NYC and has built a highly successful CIN over a five-year period in Northern New Jersey. Frank speaks regular at national healthcare conferences regarding value-based care strategies and tactics.

    Frank completed his MBA at Fairleigh Dickinson University, is a certified Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a trained Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma from Villanova University.

  • Author:

    Garland Goins Jr

    VP, Revenue Cycle Management
    Avance Care

    Garland Goins Jr

    VP, Revenue Cycle Management
    Avance Care
  • Author:

    Jill Sell-Kruse

    Director, Compliance Risk & Oversight Ethics & Compliance
    ScionHealth

    Jill Sell-Kruse

    Director, Compliance Risk & Oversight Ethics & Compliance
    ScionHealth
  • Author:

    Corella Lumpkins

    Manager of Coding, Compliance and Provider Education
    Loudoun Medical Group P.C.

    Corella Lumpkins is the Manager of Coding, Compliance & Provider Education at Loudoun Medical Group (LMG) - one of the largest and most diverse physician-owned, multi-specialty Accountable Care Organizations in Northern Virginia/DC suburbs. As a subject matter expert, Corella has over 35 years of experience working in every area of the healthcare revenue cycle. Corella holds a bachelor’s degree and eleven certifications with an extensive background in auditing, billing, coding, implementing corporate compliance programs, CDI, education, denial and practice management. Prior to joining LMG, Corella has held leadership roles at Lifebridge, Medstar, Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland health systems.

    Corella is an author, adjunct faculty member and national speaker currently serving on both the AAPC National Advisory Board and Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS) Leadership Council. Corella works closely with providers in navigating patient-centric value-based care. 

    Corella Lumpkins

    Manager of Coding, Compliance and Provider Education
    Loudoun Medical Group P.C.

    Corella Lumpkins is the Manager of Coding, Compliance & Provider Education at Loudoun Medical Group (LMG) - one of the largest and most diverse physician-owned, multi-specialty Accountable Care Organizations in Northern Virginia/DC suburbs. As a subject matter expert, Corella has over 35 years of experience working in every area of the healthcare revenue cycle. Corella holds a bachelor’s degree and eleven certifications with an extensive background in auditing, billing, coding, implementing corporate compliance programs, CDI, education, denial and practice management. Prior to joining LMG, Corella has held leadership roles at Lifebridge, Medstar, Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland health systems.

    Corella is an author, adjunct faculty member and national speaker currently serving on both the AAPC National Advisory Board and Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS) Leadership Council. Corella works closely with providers in navigating patient-centric value-based care. 

  • Author:

    Ankur Verma

    Vice President
    Everest Group

    Ankur Verma is a member of the Business Process Services team and assists clients on topics related to optimizing business process service delivery models, with an emphasis on Healthcare (payers and providers) and Life Sciences. Ankur’s responsibilities include assisting in managing Everest Group’s Healthcare and Life Sciences Outsourcing subscription offerings and providing outsourcing advisory services to clients on an ad hoc basis.

    Prior to joining Everest Group, Ankur was a Senior Analyst with The Smartcube. He holds a bachelor’s degree in technology from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Delhi.

    Ankur Verma

    Vice President
    Everest Group

    Ankur Verma is a member of the Business Process Services team and assists clients on topics related to optimizing business process service delivery models, with an emphasis on Healthcare (payers and providers) and Life Sciences. Ankur’s responsibilities include assisting in managing Everest Group’s Healthcare and Life Sciences Outsourcing subscription offerings and providing outsourcing advisory services to clients on an ad hoc basis.

    Prior to joining Everest Group, Ankur was a Senior Analyst with The Smartcube. He holds a bachelor’s degree in technology from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Delhi.

  • Author:

    Lisa Meredith

    AVP, Revenue Cycle Management
    LifePoint Health

    Lisa Meredith

    AVP, Revenue Cycle Management
    LifePoint Health
  • Author:

    Paul LePage

    Executive Director, Revenue Cycle Operations
    Banner Health

    Paul LePage

    Executive Director, Revenue Cycle Operations
    Banner Health
  • Author:

    Paul Schmitz

    Executive Director, Patient Access
    AdventHealth

    Paul Schmitz

    Executive Director, Patient Access
    AdventHealth
  • Author:

    Richelle Marting, JD, MHSA,RHIA,CPC,CEMC,CPMA

    Director of Managed Care
    North Kansas City Hospital

    Richelle Marting, JD, MHSA,RHIA,CPC,CEMC,CPMA

    Director of Managed Care
    North Kansas City Hospital
  • Author:

    Sandy Giangreco Brown

    VP, Revenue Integrity & Education
    Spire Orthopedic Partners

    Sandy Giangreco Brown

    VP, Revenue Integrity & Education
    Spire Orthopedic Partners
  • Author:

    Willie Brown

    VP, Revenue Cycle
    Sentara Healthcare

    Willie Brown

    VP, Revenue Cycle
    Sentara Healthcare