2024 Conference Schedule - Detailed
Monday, April 29th, 2024
8:30-9:45a Registration/Check In
9:45-10:00a Welcome
10:00-11:00a
A Not So Distant Future (and how do we get there)
This session will focus on future developments in the behavioral health field and the necessary approach to create the future we want. We will explore keys to success and power of partnerships in the community to meet future goals.
Wayne Young, MBA, LPC, FACHE
CEO, The Harris Center
Wayne Young is the Chief Executive Officer of The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, the state-designated Local Mental Health Authority and Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority for Harris County, Texas. As the CEO of one of the largest behavioral health organizations in the nation, Wayne is passionate about the planning and delivery of large-scale behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities services to a population who rely upon safety net systems of care. Wayne previously served as the chair of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Behavioral Health Advisory Council and was recently appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas and Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas to the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health. Wayne was honored to have received the Charley H. Shannon Advocate for Justice Award from NAMI Texas in 2019, as well as to have been named by Modern Healthcare as one of the “Top 25 Innovators” in 2019 and 2021 for his work providing a healthcare-centered approach to law enforcement calls associated with mental health concerns.
11:00-11:15a BREAK
Sponsored by:
11:15a-12:15p
PHP/IOP Contracts-Essentials and Best Practices
The presentation provides a comprehensive guide for healthcare managers to navigate the complexities of the insurance contract for PHP/IOP services.
Peter Thomas, PhD
Vice President, Outpatient Services, Penn Medicine | Princeton House Behavioral Health
Peter Thomas, PhD, is vice-president of outpatient services for Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health. A member of the Princeton House senior leadership team since 2000, Dr. Thomas has executive responsibility for five outpatient centers providing up to 100,000 PHP and IOP visits annually. His responsibilities include strategic planning, analytics and forecasting, clinical and business process improvement, regulatory compliance and fiscal accountability.
12:15-1:30 LUNCH
1:30-2:30p
Leveraging Measurement-Based Care and Electronic Health Record Data to Examine Patient Characteristics and Symptom Change in an Adolescent Partial Hospital Program
A growing number of adolescents are presenting to emergency departments in mental health crises (Plemmons, 2018), and often require higher-level psychiatric care, such as inpatient hospitalization or partial hospital program (PHP) care. Adolescents in PHPs are understudied yet at high risk for negative mental health outcomes in the short and long term (Wolff et al., 2018). The present study assesses anxiety and depression symptom reduction across PHP completion, and if clinical history or high-risk behaviors (e.g., self-injurious thoughts and behaviors) affect symptom change. The Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital Adolescent PHP implemented a measurement-based care system where patients complete measures of anxiety (GAD-7; Spitzer et al., 2006) and depression (PHQ-9; Kroenke et al., 2001) at intake, mid-treatment, and program discharge. Participants included adolescents (ages 13-18) enrolled in PHP between 2019 and 2023. The current presentation will include an overview of the rationale and impact of measurement based care in acute care settings. Descriptive statistics for demographic and clinical variables based on documentation from electronic health records and use of a multilevel modeling (MLM) approach to assess anxiety and depression symptoms over treatment and potential moderators of symptom change will also be presented as an illustrative example of utilizing measurement-based care in a large academic medical center PHP. These data present an important opportunity to address a gap in our understanding of symptom trajectories in acute clinical care.
Rachel Siciliano, PhD
Medical University of South Carolina
Dr. Rachel Siciliano received her graduate degree in Clinical Psychology from Vanderbilt University and completed her doctoral internship at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her research is focused on identifying and understanding biological and social processes contributing to youth mental health, and translating these findings prevent psychopathology in at-risk populations, particularly youth and families exposed to adversity and trauma, and to improve psychological interventions for children and families. She has clinical expertise in working with youth and families with internalizing psychopathology, post-traumatic stress and related disorders, and suicide and self-harm risks across a range of settings. Dr. Siciliano is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Medical University of South Carolina, supported by their T32 grant entitled: "Basic & Translational Research Training in Traumatic Stress Across the Lifespan."
Session Sponsored by:
2:30-2:45p BREAK
Sponsored by:
2:45-4:00p
Nine to Kind: The Benefits of Taking a Burnout Management Approach
It's easy to get lost in the pursuit of "having it all." Many of us are working in the midst of burnout and are considering the sustainability of our lives. Our ability to do it all is wearing off and we need better systems for balancing the plates we balance in life. We need a clear understanding of burnout, its role in our successes, and how we can begin building a kinder life for ourselves.
Lauren Ruth Martin, LPC MHSP
Founder, Nine to Kind
Lauren is a recovering perfectionist who is on a mission to help overthinkers and overdoers pursue possibilities over perfection. She is the creator of the Nine to Kind Possibility Planner, an undated planner designed with perfectionists and people pleasers in mind. She took her lived experience along with her knowledge as a licensed therapist to create a tool that helps people implement the self-care strategies they learn about. Her message goes beyond the therapy room through her podcast. The Nine to Kind Podcast and talks she's delivered nationally. She has partnered with companies and organizations of all sizes include Axios, News Channel 5 Nashville, Dell, and IDR, Inc. Her favorite not-boring self-care includes Barre3 classes, Bravo shows, and Thai food.
4:15-6:00p AABH Welcome Reception
Tuesday, April 30th, 2024
9:00-9:45a Coffee Clutch
9:45-10:00a Welcome
10:00-11:00a
Technology in PHP and IOP care: How digital health can improve quality
Provide an overview on how technology can improve the delivery of intensive ambulatory services, including but not limited to: remote patient monitoring, in-home care delivery, AI and novel care model design. This talk will highlight examples of each, and how to approach incorporating technology into your own institution's care program.
Sofia Noori, MD MPH
Co-founder & CEO, NEMA Health
Dr. Sofia Noori is the co-founder of Nema Health, a virtual clinic focused on high-quality care for trauma survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She is also a staff psychiatrist at Cornell Scott Hill Health Center, where she focuses on immigrant and women's mental health. Dr. Noori serves as a perinatal psychiatrist for the state of Connecticut's ACCESS hotline, which provides perinatal psychiatric input to healthcare providers caring for pregnant patients across the state.
Dr. Noori is a Clinical Instructor at Yale Department of Psychiatry and a graduate of the department's Adult Psychiatry Residency Program. While a resident, she served as the department's first Chief Resident of Digital Psychiatry and co-developed the nation's first digital psychiatry residency curriculum, which educates trainees on digital health and app prescribing. At Yale she served as the curriculum lead for Innovation to Impact, a NIDA-funded substance use entrepreneurship program that helps addiction researchers and clinicians commercialize their insights for the public good. She was a founding member of the Center for Digital Psychiatry at the Connecticut Mental Health Center, which aims to integrate digital health in the care of patients with serious mental illness.
Aside from her endeavors in digital health, she is the co-founder of the Women’s Mental Health Conference at Yale, which increases awareness and education of important topics in women’s mental health. She is also the co-founder of the Yale Women's Housestaff Organization, an organization dedicated to improving the well-being and advancement of self-identified women at Yale.
Dr. Noori's clinical focus lies in trauma, PTSD and women's mental health. She speaks both English and Spanish.
She is an MD graduate of the PRIME program at UCSF School of Medicine, a dual-degree program that trains emerging physician-leaders to transform care for underserved populations. Dr. Noori received her MPH in health policy and management at UC Berkeley.
11:00-11:15a BREAK
Sponsored by:
11:15a-12:15p
Implementation and Compliance with TJC Standard to Reduce Healthcare Disparities
January 1, 2023 TJC implemented a new standard to reduce health care disparities. Health care disparities must be examined, the root causes understood, and the causes addressed with targeted interventions. This presentation will go over these new standards and provide means for achieving and maintaining compliance with this standard.
Stephanie Weatherly, DNP, PMH RN-BC, FACHE
Chief Clinical Officer, Psychiatric Medical Care
Stephanie Weatherly joined PMC in 2015 and is responsible for clinical oversight of all PMC divisions.
Stephanie’s career in healthcare began with laboring mothers and quickly evolved into clinical leadership in various settings, including care for the adult and geriatric psychiatric populations. After years of directing clinical care in individual care settings, Stephanie branched out into the oversight of multiple healthcare facilities. She has an extensive background in regulatory and quality management.
Stephanie has a passion for individualized, patient-centered care and has been instrumental in moving numerous medical model facilities to a more patient-centered approach. She teaches individuals, families, care providers, and clinicians about mental illness and how to care for those living with mental illness. She has dedicated her life to advocating for vulnerable populations such as individuals experiencing mental illness and dementia.
Stephanie holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Walden University. She has been the secretary, incoming president, president, and currently is acting as the past president for the Tennessee chapter of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.
12:15-1:30 LUNCH
1:30-2:30p
Breathing into Wellbeing
Description of breathwork, and how to breathe optimally to achieve a state of health. Including breathwork protocols to enhance awareness of the autonomic nervous system and psychological regulation.
James Scallon- Wim Hof Method Instructor, Peak Flow Breath Coach, CYC-A
CEO, Organism Holistic Health
James Scallon is a breathworker and holistic health coach. After his own battles with mental illness, out of happenstance and desperation found the embodied approaches to health through breathwork, yoga, and environmental management that saved his life. Since then he has refined his practice to suit the needs of those suffering from depression, dissociation, anxiety, and other mental ailments focussing on a “biology first” approach to deal with the maladies of the mind. James is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and recently returned from Spain where he was a trainer for the Wim Hof Method at the Mallorca BJJ and Yoga Retreat.
2:30-2:45p BREAK
Sponsored by:
2:45-4:00p
Leveraging AI-Powered Simulation Training in Behavioral
Attendees will learn about strategies Centerstone is leveraging to provide high-quality, simulation-based learning opportunities for clinical staff, including what the organization has learned along the way, and how their partnership with Lyssn uses artificial intelligence to scale up support and accelerate the adoption of evidence-based practices in behavioral healthcare.
Ashley Newton, MPS, CPHQ, CPPS, PMP
CEO, Centerstone’s Institute
Ashley Newton -
Ashley Newton is the Chief Executive Officer of Centerstone’s Institute and the Executive Director of Centerstone’s federally-certified Patient Safety Organization, which exists for the sole purpose of conducting activities to improve patient safety and quality of care. She directs all clinical research, program evaluation, and clinical education activities, as well as quality and patient safety programming. Newton has more than 17 years’ experience in behavioral health service delivery and healthcare leadership, and more than 8 years’ experience in healthcare research leadership and clinical transformation efforts.
In her previous roles at Centerstone, Newton developed and implemented standards of care intended to improve access for those with complex needs, implemented standardized quality improvement methodologies that align with best practice, introduced technology-based solutions to manage key quality and risk processes, and led efforts for the Centerstone PSO to become federally certified through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Other clinical transformation efforts include integration of research and technology into clinical operations, implementation of clinical and quality metrics to drive value-based care readiness, implementation of change management and continuous quality improvement methodologies, new service line development and growth, and implementation of design thinking methodologies in community behavioral health settings. She also sponsors the Centerstone Women’s Network, an employee resource group that seeks to address the unique challenges women experience in the workplace.
Newton is a member of the Project Management Institute, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, National Alliance for Healthcare Quality, and other various professional organizations.
Newton holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in strategic leadership from Middle Tennessee State University. She is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS), Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), certified ACRA-ACC clinical supervisor, Project Management Professional (PMP), Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and has a Design Thinking Certification from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
David Atkins, PhD
CEO & Co-Founder, Lyssn
Dave Atkins, PhD is the CEO of Lyssn, a technology company that develops AI software solutions to support training, quality assurance, and documentation needs for behavioral health and human service providers. Prior to Lyssn Dave was a Research Professor in the University of Washington Psychiatry Department and Founding Director of the Behavioral Research in Technology and Engineering (BRiTE) Center at UW. Developed from NIH-funded research, Lyssn’s AI software provides gold-standard, performance-based feedback on therapy, health coaching, crisis counseling, and child welfare interventions. Generative AI provides draft documentation on sessions and appointments, and AI training tools track skill development and proficiency in real time. Lyssn’s software is used by public and private behavioral health providers, state and county child welfare jurisdictions, 988 providers, and digital health coaching providers.
4:15-5:30p The Wim Hof Experience (Optional)
Wednesday, May 1st, 2024
9:00-9:45a Coffee Clutch
9:45-10:00a Welcome
10:00-11:00a
Deep Dive into Health Equity with the Newly Released 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention
This presentation will review National Strategy’s new direction on health equity. The discussion will center on embedding health equity in all comprehensive suicide prevention strategies and activities with a focus on populations disproportionately affected by suicide, historically marginalized communities, youth, and persons with suicide-centered lived experience.
Alex Karydi PhD, PhD, LMFT, CASAC II
Project Director, Education Development Center
Alex Karydi serves as the Project Lead for the National Strategy 2024 rewrite project and the Project Director for the States and Territorial Initiatives team at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, the sole national technical assistance center for suicide prevention. With over two decades of experience in substance misuse treatment and suicide prevention, she brings expertise in communications planning, sustainability planning, strategic planning, product development, project management, behavioral health treatment, and facilitating distance-learning events. Alex is deeply committed to empowering clinicians and community leaders with strengths-based tools, resources, and support systems to enhance services and foster growth.
Before joining SPRC, Alex directed Project 2025 at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing the U.S.'s annual suicide rate by 20 percent by 2025. She also held a leadership position at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, a global leader in LGBTQ healthcare in New York.
A certified addiction counselor and licensed marriage and family therapist, Alex is fluent in French and English. She holds a Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy from Northcentral University and a Ph.D. in clinical sexology from the American Academy of Clinical Sexology.
11:00-11:15a BREAK
11:15a-12:15p
Enhancing Cultural Humility through the DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Interview
Culture shapes every aspect of patient care, influencing how patients verbalize their experiences of illness and distress, and what treatments and coping mechanisms work for the individual. Integration of cultural humility in nursing curricula encourages a patient-centered approach and promotes respect and empowerment. In this presentation, you will be introduced to the cultural formulation interview and discuss how to use it in patient care.
LeTizia Smith DNP, MSN, PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, EmbraceU
LeTizia Smith is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) who attended Vanderbilt School of Nursing (VUSN) for her Master Science in Nursing (MSN) degree and completed her Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) at Emory. She is an active member in several state and national nursing and educational organizations. In 2021, she was appointed as an advisory board member in DNPs of Color. She also received a grant in 2022 to develop strategies to improve the recruitment and retainment of faculty of color at Vanderbilt School of Nursing. As a SAMHSA Minority Fellow, she mentors minority, SAMHSA PMHNP students. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at VUSN where she was the chair of the diversity and inclusion committee and manages community relationships for clinical placements. She also practices as a PMHNP at Embrace U in Franklin, TN.
12:15-1:45p AABH Awards Luncheon
Sponsored by:
1:45p CONFERENCE ENDS
POST-CONFERENCE ADDITIONAL TRAINING EVENT
2:00-5:00p
AABH CORE Training I-II
The CORE I-II Training is an intensive comprehensive overview of the technical requirements for operating and PHP and/or IOP. The training will focus on the requirements established by CMS-Medicare, as most other payers also follow those requirements. The training will also highlight technical requirements from The Joint Commission that are directly related to the patient experience in a PHP and/or IOP.
The training has been modified to include all the new technical requirements that were implemented in 2024 by CMS for Medicare that include the new definition for an Intensive Outpatient Program and the technical requirements for that new level of care in their manuals.
The training will focus on the difference between PHP, IOP and the intensified outpatient services that are covered by the Hospital Outpatient Psychiatric Services regulations.
Larry Meikel, MBA
Larry Meikel, MBA has been providing support services for PHP and IOP to clients for over 20 years. He has been an active member of the AABH board since 2004. He has served as the Board President three times during his tenure. Larry has served as the AABH Treasurer since 2004.
Larry is the primary trainer for the CORE Training Series that focuses on the technical requirements for PHP/IOP. He has leveraged his experience as a consultant and payer liaison to develop specific training components that outline the requirements being set by payers and accreditation bodies.
Larry also serves as the AABH liaison to CMS and is actively involved each year in the review of PHP/IOP rules and reimbursements. He most recently was instrumental in making sure CMS remembered to focus on PHP/IOP adjustments for services and regulations during the pandemic. He is the primary author of the recent CMS Billing Guide available to members of AABH.
Larry actively provides members with consultation and education through one-on-ones and through conference presentations and webinars. He always makes time to be sure members get information needed related to CMS regulations.
President, Classic Behavioral Healthcare
AABH CMS Liaison/Board Member/Treasurer
Allison Kidder, MBA LCSW-BACS
Co-CEO, Compass Health
Allison Kidder currently serves as Co-CEO of Compass Health, a Louisiana-based behavioral health system. Comprised of free-standing inpatient and outpatient behavioral health programs as well as partnerships with local hospital systems, Compass Health serves over 500 patients each day and employes over 700 personnel at its various locations.
A licensed clinical social worker, Allison began her career with Compass Health as a therapist in a hospital outpatient department, providing PHP and IOP services. Before long, she was promoted to a PHP/IOP program director position; over the next 7 years, Allison worked in operations serving as an outpatient program director, regional manager, and hospital CEO. Having served on Compass’s EHR implementation team in 2014, in 2017, she moved into the role of Director of Information Systems, where she helped to finalize implementation and optimize Compass’s EHR and leverage other information systems to gain business efficiencies.
Allison has worked in healthcare for 20 years, with 16 years of experience in behavioral health and 13 years in leadership. Passionate about getting things right, Allison uses her experience in operations oversight, regulatory compliance, utilization review, performance improvement, and policy & procedure development to streamline both clinical and administrative processes.
Allison served on the AABH Board of Directors from 2014 to 2017.
Thursday, May 2nd, 2024
8:30a-2:30p
AABH CORE Training I-II (Continued)
The CORE I-II Training is an intensive comprehensive overview of the technical requirements for operating and PHP and/or IOP. The training will focus on the requirements established by CMS-Medicare, as most other payers also follow those requirements. The training will also highlight technical requirements from The Joint Commission that are directly related to the patient experience in a PHP and/or IOP.
The training has been modified to include all the new technical requirements that were implemented in 2024 by CMS for Medicare that include the new definition for an Intensive Outpatient Program and the technical requirements for that new level of care in their manuals.
The training will focus on the difference between PHP, IOP and the intensified outpatient services that are covered by the Hospital Outpatient Psychiatric Services regulations.
Larry Meikel, MBA
President, Classic Behavioral Healthcare
AABH CMS Liaison/Board Member/Treasurer
Larry Meikel, MBA has been providing support services for PHP and IOP to clients for over 20 years. He has been an active member of the AABH board since 2004. He has served as the Board President three times during his tenure. Larry has served as the AABH Treasurer since 2004.
Larry is the primary trainer for the CORE Training Series that focuses on the technical requirements for PHP/IOP. He has leveraged his experience as a consultant and payer liaison to develop specific training components that outline the requirements being set by payers and accreditation bodies.
Larry also serves as the AABH liaison to CMS and is actively involved each year in the review of PHP/IOP rules and reimbursements. He most recently was instrumental in making sure CMS remembered to focus on PHP/IOP adjustments for services and regulations during the pandemic. He is the primary author of the recent CMS Billing Guide available to members of AABH.
Larry actively provides members with consultation and education through one-on-ones and through conference presentations and webinars. He always makes time to be sure members get information needed related to CMS regulations.
Allison Kidder, MBA LCSW-BACS
Co-CEO, Compass Health
Allison Kidder currently serves as Co-CEO of Compass Health, a Louisiana-based behavioral health system. Comprised of free-standing inpatient and outpatient behavioral health programs as well as partnerships with local hospital systems, Compass Health serves over 500 patients each day and employes over 700 personnel at its various locations.
A licensed clinical social worker, Allison began her career with Compass Health as a therapist in a hospital outpatient department, providing PHP and IOP services. Before long, she was promoted to a PHP/IOP program director position; over the next 7 years, Allison worked in operations serving as an outpatient program director, regional manager, and hospital CEO. Having served on Compass’s EHR implementation team in 2014, in 2017, she moved into the role of Director of Information Systems, where she helped to finalize implementation and optimize Compass’s EHR and leverage other information systems to gain business efficiencies.
Allison has worked in healthcare for 20 years, with 16 years of experience in behavioral health and 13 years in leadership. Passionate about getting things right, Allison uses her experience in operations oversight, regulatory compliance, utilization review, performance improvement, and policy & procedure development to streamline both clinical and administrative processes.
Allison served on the AABH Board of Directors from 2014 to 2017.