Future of Health Care Conference Agenda

7:30-7:45 a.m.

Rob Vischer
President, University of St. Thomas

Laura Dunham
Dean, Opus College of Business

7:45-9 a.m

It has been another challenging year for health care providers. In this roundtable, industry leaders discuss the threats and opportunities facing our regional health care systems while exploring emerging strategies as health care leaders navigate an uncertain future.

Andrea Walsh
President and CEO
HealthPartners

Dr. Luis Garcia
President
Sanford Clinic and Sanford World Clinic

Mike Phelps
President and CEO
Ridgeview Medical Center

Barbara Joers
President and CEO
Gillette Children's Specialty Health Care

Moderated by Joe White, Clinical Faculty at the University of St. Thomas.

9:15-10:45 a.m. (two-part session)

• Today's health care industry stakeholders are trying to position themselves to thrive in the future health care environment. 3M has long provided the digital framework for much of today's national health policy. How will Solventum, 3M's new health care spinoff launching this year, fulfill its promise of “enabling better, smarter, safer health care to improve lives”?

Megan Carr
VP Regulatory and Payer Solutions
3M Health Information Systems

Moderated by Jennifer Boese, Director of Health Care Policy & Innovation at CliftonLarsonAllen LLP.

• The state faces a continuing series of challenges for its health care system and the Minnesota Department of Health is leading many of the strategies to successfully meet them. Some of these include: increasing health care costs, rural access to health care, continuing the state's successful response to COVID-19, and the growing challenge of maintaining an adequate health care workforce. How will MDH help Minnesota maintain its leadership as one of the healthiest states in the country?

Dr. Brooke Cunningham
Commissioner
Minnesota Department of Health

Moderated by Thomas Patnoe MD, MBA Executive Fellow at the University of St. Thomas.

11:15-12:15 p.m.

Hospitals are experiencing significant delays in discharges due to a shortage of openings in post-acute care facilities, leading to financial strain on patients and their families. How can the health care system adapt to address this challenge?

Dean Eide
Vice Chair Administration
Mayo Clinic Health System

Mindy Stewart-Coffee
NVP
Palliative Care at Optum

Joel Theisen
CEO/Founder
Lifespark

Moderated by April O'Brien, Director of Operations, Center for Well-Being at the University of St. Thomas.

1:15-2:15 p.m.

Our health care industry seems ripe for disruption, especially in the wake of Covid 19. But who will be able to play the role of the disruptor? Will they be able to overcome the challenges of disrupting established markets and bring their innovative ideas to fruition? Will AI live up to its potential as a disruptor's tool to revolutionize patient care delivery?

Rich Birhanzel
Senior Managing Director
Accenture

Matthew Versaggi
Senior leader in the Artificial Intelligence health care space
Former Optum Technology /UnitedHealthcare

Cory Shannon
Senior Director of Product Offering and Strategy
Best Buy Health

Karen Scott
Health Plan Partnerships
Google

Moderated by Ryan Johnson, Shareholder at Fredrikson.

2:15-3:15 p.m.

The Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission has been a national model for managing health care costs and Medicare has recently added this model as an option for utilization by other states. The potential for Minnesota participation will be a key question for the future of health care in this state.

Receive an overview of the Maryland Cost Review Commission and learn about the challenges and opportunities of working in this environment.

Tom Kleinhanzel
Chair of the Maryland Hospital Association
CEO of Fredrick Health

Moderated by Daniel McLaughlin, Senior Executive Fellow at the University of St. Thomas. 

Rob Vischer, former dean of the School of Law, began his tenure as the 16th President of the University of St. Thomas in 2023. He is the second layperson to assume the role, after rising through the ranks in the university's law school beginning as an associate professor of law in 2005.

As President of Minnesota's largest private university, President Rob Vischer is responsible for the direction of the University of St. Thomas, a mission-driven institution for students, staff, and faculty to think, act, and work to advance the common good.

Laura Dunham, PhD., was appointed dean of the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas in 2022. An entrepreneurial thought leader, she has spent the last 20 years of her career at St. Thomas and served most recently as the associate dean of Opus' Schulze School of Entrepreneurship. During her tenure, the Schulze School went from unranked to No. 18 on the Princeton Review's list of undergraduate entrepreneurship programs, becoming the top Catholic undergraduate program in the nation and Minnesota's No. 1 undergraduate program. Dunham, who earned an MBA and a doctorate in entrepreneurship and ethics from the University of Virginia, joined St. Thomas in 2003.

Session One: Health Care Leaders of Today and Tomorrow

As president and chief executive officer of Minnesota-based HealthPartners since 2017, Andrea Walsh leads a team of more than 27,000 colleagues dedicated to a vision of health as it could be, affordability as it must be, through relationships built on trust. Walsh's strategic vision has focused on building healthy and high-performing teams and forging partnerships to improve health equity, children’s health, mental health, and other important areas of community health and well-being.

Before serving as CEO, Walsh was executive vice president and chief marketing officer at HealthPartners for nearly 15 years, and before that, as corporate counsel leading legal, compliance, and public affairs. She began her career as a lawyer in private practice. In the early 90s, she was appointed assistant commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Health, leading health reform efforts to increase access to affordable health care coverage, known today as MinnesotaCare. 

She's active in the community and is currently on the Y of the North board as the immediate past chair. She was named Executive of the Year by the Minnesota Business Journal and has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Health Care by Modern Healthcare for the past four years.

Session One: Health Care Leaders of Today and Tomorrow

Luis Garcia, MD, FACS, MBA, FACHE serves as the President of Sanford Health’s Clinic division and Sanford World Clinics. He oversees governance, recruitment and retention, well-being and development, and overall clinic integration for Physicians and Advanced Practice Providers, as well as operations and global expansion of Sanford's mission through the World Clinics.

Dr. Garcia is a board-certified surgeon specializing in laparoscopic and bariatric surgeries. He was born and raised in Mexico City, where he also attended medical school at LaSalle University. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences and a mini fellowship in bariatric surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He also holds a Health Care Master of Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas. Garcia has been with Sanford Health since 2002 and serves on various national and international governing boards.

Session One: Health Care Leaders of Today and Tomorrow

Employed by Ridgeview for 20 years, Michael Phelps was named Ridgeview's president and chief operating officer in 2017. He formerly served Ridgeview as its Chief Operating Officer, accountable for the multi-hospital inpatient and outpatient specialty operations, as well as their 14 primary and specialty clinic locations. Phelps also serves as CEO of Ridgeview's Accountable Care Organization, chairs the Policy & Advocacy Committee, and holds a position on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Hospital Association, among other leadership roles.

As an advocate for change in health care, Phelps confronts consumer and business challenges with innovative solutions through strategic partnerships and stakeholder engagement. He emphasizes the importance of a mission-oriented culture, agility, and focus as key organizational traits for mid-sized health systems to succeed in times of changing external forces. Phelps holds an associate degree in physical therapy, a bachelor’s degree in business management, and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.

Session One: Health Care Leaders of Today and Tomorrow

Barbara (Walczyk) Joers has served as President and Chief Executive Officer at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare in Minnesota since 2013. As the nation’s first state-supported hospital dedicated to serving children with physical disabilities, Gillette Children’s provides subspecialized care to children who have complex, rare, or traumatic conditions affecting the performance of an individual's musculoskeletal and neurological systems.

With more than 30 years of experience in health care, Joers focuses on strategic performance, organizational change management, health policy, and advocacy. She has served in leadership roles in various pediatric and adult health care settings, including academic health care centers, community health systems, and independent children's hospitals. She chairs the Board of Trustees at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and holds active roles in other organizations. She holds a master’s degree in Health Services Management and Policy from George Washington University.

Session Two: Health Policy and the Future

Megan Ivory Carr joined 3M Health Information Systems (HIS) in 2017. She leads the Regulatory and Payer Solutions team, focused on expanding HIS’ engagement with commercial and government payers to establish effective pathways toward payment transformation and value-based, person-centered care. With over 20 years of public policy and legislative experience, Carr also directs public policy development and regulatory efforts at the federal and state levels.

She joined HIS after nine years of leading the Federal lobbying team for 3M Government Affairs in Washington D.C. Before joining 3M, Carr was the Executive Vice President for Government Affairs at the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed). She got her start in Washington, D.C., focusing on health, trade, and tax issues as a senior advisor to Congressman Jim Ramstad (MN-03), a member of the Ways and Means Committee and the Health and Trade Subcommittees. Carr also was the lead staffer for the bipartisan House Medical Technology Caucus and House Republican Caucus on Disabilities.

A native Minnesotan, Carr graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of St. Thomas with degrees in Political Science, Business, and Russian. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Public Health.

Session Two: Health Policy and the Future

Dr. Brooke Cunningham was appointed as commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Health in January 2023, directing the work of the state's lead public health agency. Prior to being appointed commissioner, Dr. Cunningham served as assistant commissioner for the Health Equity Bureau in 2022, overseeing the Center for Health Equity, the Office of American Indian Health, the COVID-19 Health Equity Team, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She also worked closely with leaders and staff in MDH’s other bureaus to advance health equity in their work.

Dr. Cunningham is a general internist, sociologist, and assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on developing strategies to reduce racial disparities in health and address the adverse impacts of exposure to racism. She also co-directed the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Thread in medical education. In 2021, she was selected as one of four inaugural recipients of the University of Minnesota’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Award. Additionally, she is a primary care provider at the Community-University Health Care Clinic (CUHCC), a federally qualified health clinic in Minneapolis that serves a diverse patient population.

With doctorate degrees in medicine and sociology from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Cunningham completed her residency in internal medicine at Duke University and fellowships in health services research, health policy, and bioethics at Johns Hopkins University. She also completed an AcademyHealth Delivery System Science Fellowship at the Medica Research Institute. She received her bachelor’s degree in history and African American studies from the University of Virginia.

Session Three: Transformation of Post-Acute Care

As vice chair of administration for Mayo Clinic Health System, Dean B. Eide, Ed.D., MBA, has more than 25 years of experience in operations, administration, and management in a variety of health care facilities. Eide provides administrative leadership for hospital operations at seven hospitals in Wisconsin, which includes support for Advanced Care at Home (home hospital), Hospice, Home Health, Palliative Care, Emergency Services, Urgent Care, and Trauma Services.

Session Three: Transformation of Post-Acute Care

Mindy Stewart-Coffee serves as the National Vice President of Palliative Care at Optum Home & Community. She studied Public Health at the University of Minnesota, focusing on care delivery models for people living in rural areas with frailty and serious illness. Stewart-Coffee has served as an operations and strategy executive for the last 15 years in home and community-based home care, hospice, care management, and palliative care organizations. She is passionate about seeking ways to bring together perspectives of care providers, technology, people living with serious illness, and their caregivers to overcome barriers to care delivery and improve the experience and outcomes of the seriously ill population.

Session Three: Transformation of Post-Acute Care

Joel Theisen has over 30 years of experience in the health care industry with specific expertise in community-based and in-home elder care. His entrepreneurial story began as a front-line nurse, where he witnessed seniors navigate what he felt was a ‘sick care' system that depleted their financial resources, decreased their well-being, and increased health care costs overall.  

He started Lifespark, a complete senior health company with a mission to spark lives, connecting seniors to whole-person senior services that help them age magnificently. Under his leadership, Lifespark has seen year-over-year double-digit growth, closing 2023 with a revenue of over $70 million, and more than 2,800 employees. Strategic partnerships and investments have expanded the company's reach, including working alongside Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to drive senior health forward.

Known as a business innovator, Theisen has earned numerous accolades, including being named a finalist for Leaders in Health Care by Minnesota Business Magazine and Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award®. Prior to Lifespark, he served as CEO of AdvoLife, Inc., a venture-backed company in San Jose, CA. Theisen trained as a critical-care nurse at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Viterbo College in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Session Four: Disruptors of Health Care & How AI Could Change the Industry

As Senior Managing Director, Richard Birhanzel leads Accenture's North America Payer Practice, which delivers consulting, technology, and outsourcing services to a wide range of health insurers. Birhanzel specializes in helping payers reshape existing businesses and enter new markets. 

He is also responsible for Accenture’s thought leadership in health insurance, most recently authoring an “Intelligent Payer Survival Guide” focused on artificial intelligence in health insurance. Birhanzel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Valley City State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.

Session Four: Disruptors of Health Care & How AI Could Change the Industry

Matthew Versaggi, a senior leader in the artificial intelligence space with Fortune 5 health care experience, has seen hundreds of use cases in his career. At Optum Technology/UnitedHealthcare, he established the organization's "College of Artificial Intelligence" and introduced and matured Cognitive AI Technology and Quantum Computing. His expertise includes chairing multiple Patent Review Boards and awarding numerous patents. Versaggi is a seasoned public speaker, strategist, and mentor with international business experience.

Session Four: Disruptors of Health Care & How AI Could Change the Industry

Cory Shannon is the Senior Director of Product Offering and Strategy at Best Buy Health. He specializes in creating and launching new businesses and partnerships with the ability to play in both strategy and execution functions. "I always love a new challenge and working with great people."

Session Four: Disruptors of Health Care & How AI Could Change the Industry

Karen Scott is a creative and pragmatic changemaker with over 20 years of success in health care innovation. She thrives on collaborative partnerships that spark bold health care initiatives. She loves to noodle on new concepts and then bring those concepts to fruition to deliver measurable results that transform health care.

At Google, Scott builds strategic health partnerships that harness Fitbit and Google technologies, empowering health payers and providers to leverage wearables, mobile devices, and data integration to optimize client growth, enhance consumer health insights, and reduce costs. Before joining Google, she led product development efforts for 15 years at payer organizations, including UnitedHealth Group and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. Notably, Scott pioneered UnitedHealthcare's inaugural virtual visits model, expanding care access and coverage while enhancing patient satisfaction and reducing costs. She champions virtual care as a means to expand health care access and affordability. Additionally, Scott supports entrepreneurship as a Limited Partner (LP) with Groove Capital and How Women Invest, focusing on women-led startups and those founded by underrepresented groups.

Keynote: Is the Maryland Model Minnesota's Future?

Since December 2004, Tom Kleinhanzel has led Frederick Health as President and CEO, leveraging more than 34 years of hospital administration experience. Before his current role, he served in various senior-level health care leadership positions in Massachusetts, South Carolina, and New Hampshire. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

An active community leader, Kleinhanzel has served on boards for the American Heart Association, United Way, and Hospice of Frederick County. He has chaired the Frederick County Business Development Advisory Committee and the Frederick Chamber of Commerce. Kleinhanzel has contributed to state and national health care policy discussions as a delegate to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Policy Board of the American Hospital Association and as a board member of the Maryland Healthcare Education Institute. He has also taught health policy at Mount Saint Mary’s University.

Currently, Kleinhanzel serves on the Hood College Board of Trustees, the Board of Frederick Mutual Insurance Company, and chairs the Board of the Maryland Hospital Association. His leadership has earned him several recognitions, including the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Frederick Citizen of the Year, the American Hospital Association Grassroots Champion, Maryland Daily Record Most Admired CEO, and the Frederick Office of Economic Development Top 50 CEO. Kleinhanzel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from The Ohio State University and a master's degree in Health Administration with a concentration in Operations Management.

Session One: Health Care Leaders of Today and Tomorrow 

With a record of strategic and financial leadership spanning decades throughout his career, Joe White brings a wealth of expertise. While a Partner at CliftonLarsonAllen, a top eight nationally certified public accounting and consulting firm, he helped steer organizations with insightful and financial direction. His consulting experience extended to feasibility studies, performance improvements, and orchestrating mergers and acquisitions for health care providers.

A Clinical Faculty member at the University of St. Thomas since 2016, White has facilitated learning experiences focused on financial innovation and capstone projects for mid and upper-level management professionals. A trailblazer in health care innovation, he has led international trips and organized conferences discussing the future of health care. He holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas and a bachelor’s in accounting from the University of Minnesota.

Session Two: Health Policy and the Future 

Jennifer Boese, Director of Health Care Policy & Innovation at CLA, is a highly successful public policy, legislative, and advocacy leader with extensive experience in the government and the private sector. With over half of her career dedicated to health care policy, she possesses a deep understanding of the health care market, organizations, and stakeholders.

At CLA, Boese provides thought leadership, policy analysis, and strategic insights to health care providers, focusing on market innovations and emerging payment models. Her advocacy efforts at state and federal levels have spanned various policy areas, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and 340B. Boese thrives in creating innovative programs and structures to align with organizational goals, leveraging her persuasive communication skills and passion for empowering others to work towards a common mission.

Session Two: Health Policy and the Future 

Thomas G. Patnoe, MD, MBA practiced orthopedic surgery in Duluth MN for 37 years, also serving in various leadership roles in what is now Essentia Health. A 2011 graduate of the St. Thomas Health Care MBA program, Patnoe has been adjunct faculty since 2013, teaching courses in health care policy, health care law and bioethics, and the U.S. health care system at the Opus College of Business. Currently, he serves as an Executive Fellow at the University of St. Thomas.

Session Three: Transformation of Post-Acute Care 

April O'Brien is the Director of Operations at the Center for Well-Being at the University of St. Thomas. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota (Morris) and her master’s degree in Communication Disorders at the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities). After working for 13 years as a Speech-Language Pathologist in inpatient hospital care for HealthEast, she earned her MBA in Health Care Administration at the University of St. Thomas. She spent the following years working for the newly combined HealthEast/MHealth Fairview in administrative roles, then three years as a Rehab Director at Walker Methodist in Minneapolis before her current role at St. Thomas.

Session Four: Disruptors of Health Care & How AI Could Change the Industry

Ryan Johnson, a shareholder at Fredrikson and adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas, is a corporate health care attorney with over twenty years of experience representing health care companies in a wide variety of transactional and regulatory matters. He serves as outside general counsel for many of his clients, co-chairs Fredrikson’s Life Sciences Group and teaches law and policy in the Health Care MBA program at the Opus College of Business.

Keynote: Is the Maryland Model Minnesota's Future? 

Daniel McLaughlin, MHA, is the Senior Executive Fellow at the University of St. Thomas' Opus College of Business, focusing on teaching, research, and speaking engagements in health care operations and policy. He is an author of textbooks and management guides published by the American College of Healthcare Executives and provides consulting services to health care and governmental organizations.

With degrees in electrical engineering and health care administration from the University of Minnesota, McLaughlin previously served as the administrator and CEO of Hennepin County Medical Center from 1984 to 1992. During this time, he chaired the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems and consulted for President Clinton's Task Force on Health Care Reform in 1993. He later joined St. Thomas in 2000 to help establish the National Institute of Health Policy.