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Judi Lund Person, MPH, CHC
Regulatory Counsel | California Hospice and Palliative Care Association
Bio:
Judi Lund Person is the principal of the newly established LundPerson & Associates, LLC, hospice consulting. For 21 years, she served as the Vice President, Regulatory and Compliance at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, where she served as a key contact with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, other federal agencies, helping to ensure that NHPCO’s voice was heard with policymakers. She also represents NHPCO with each of the Medicare Administrative Contractors and established a monthly NHPCO/MAC Collaborative meeting with all three MACs.
Over her 21-year tenure with NHPCO, Judi has developed and updated countless tools and resources for hospice providers, including compliance guides for Medicare hospice Conditions of Participation, toolkits for traveling patients, survey preparedness, live discharges and the admission process, as well as state/county rate charts for Medicare rates each year. She has spoken at state hospice meetings throughout the country and is known for turning regulations into “plain English” so that providers will understand how a change will impact their program.
Prior to joining NHPCO, Judi served for 22 years as the President and CEO of The Carolinas Center for Hospice and End of Life Care, where she provided support and resources for hospice providers and end of life care coalitions in the Carolinas. Early in her career, Judi was a part of a small group of advocates that worked for the passage of the Medicare Hospice Benefit in Congress. That advocacy work resulted in the addition of hospice to Medicare in 1982, with the original Medicare hospice conditions of participation published in 1983.
Dennis McIntee
Executive Coach, Leadership Consultant, Speaker, Author, Podcaster
Bio:
Dennis McIntee, a business consultant, gifted keynote speaker, executive coach and author, travels across the world speaking at leadership summits, management training events and healthcare conferences, to name a few. His three-decade career included stints in Africa, Poland, Germany, and throughout greater Europe where he coached and consulted with growing leaders. Through his experience, Dennis developed a systematic approach to helping his clients reach their goals through coaching, speaking, courses, and teaching techniques that enact transformational change.
Ultimately, Dennis is passionate about helping leaders create high-trust, high-performance cultures while becoming the best version of themselves they can be.
Dennis is also the author of The 8 Qualities of Drama Free Teams, The Power of Pursuit, and Drama Free Teams in Healthcare. He has been married to his wife, Lisa, for over 30 years and together they have four children. Dennis is an avid runner and enjoys training for races.
Bob Tavares
Chief Commercial Officer, HealthPivots
Bio:
As the Chief Commercial Officer for HealthPivots, Bob oversees product strategy and client success. Bob is guided by his passion for analyzing Medicare claims data and in helping clients improve their quality and financial performance while preparing for value-based care. Prior to HealthPivots, Bob was the Chief Strategy Officer at Cyft, an artificial intelligence platform focused on improving care for seniors with advanced illness. Bob also led the digital health strategy at UnitedHealthcare and held senior roles at Emmi (patient engagement platform acquired by Wolters Kluwer) and HealthShare (data analytics provider acquired by WebMD). During his career, Bob has helped over 100 health plans and Accountable Care Organizations implement technology enabled population heath programs. Bob received a BS in Marketing from the University of Connecticut and lives in the Boston area with his wife and two daughters.
Julie McFadden, RN
Bio:
I'm a RN/BSN nurse with a passion for education. I educate people on the death and dying process and help them through it. I believe that people should know about the dying process BEFORE they're actually going through it with a loved one or themselves.
I was an ICU nurse for about 8 years and saw a lot of death. As healthcare workers, we would talk amongst ourselves about the likelihood of our patients dying, but we wouldn’t be talking with the patients or families. This lead me to want to speak up and advocate for my patients and their families and start having family meetings.
I saw the result that my words and actions had on these families.
This transitioned me into hospice nursing. I saw the power each body has to die naturally and how beautiful it really was. My passion grew for what dying actually looked like and from there I wanted to educate on how we die and how it's a natural process.
Bio:
Sonny Vukic, MBA, PT
Sonny, is the Chief Operating Officer of Redwood Hospice in San Francisco, California, and a Board Member of the American Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in Dying. With over 20 years of leadership experience in hospice and palliative care, Sonny has driven significant growth and operational excellence across multiple healthcare sectors. His expertise includes strategy development, team engagement, and client relationship management. Sonny's commitment to compassionate care and ethical practices in end-of-life services positions him as a leading voice in the discussion on hospices and aid in dying. His guiding principle is consistent: make the healthcare experience exceptional for every patient, every day.
Bio:
Kevin Malone is a partner in the national law firm Epstein Becker Green. Kevin draws on more than fourteen years of experience working at the highest levels of health care financing policy and law to help managed care organizations, providers, and value-based entities navigate the web of federal and state regulations and program policies governing the health care financing system. He joined Epstein Becker Green in 2016 after six years in healthcare financing policy roles at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, most recently with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Bio:
Thalia DeWolf, RN, BSN, CHPN, PHN
Thalia, is a dedicated healthcare professional with over 15 years of experience in hospice and palliative care. As a Director of Nursing Education at The American Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in Dying, she focuses on developing and implementing educational programs for interdisciplinary teams supporting patients considering or utilizing medical aid in dying. She is committed to improving patient care through evidence-based practices and innovative teaching methods. With a background in public health nursing and certifications in hospice and palliative care, Thalia brings a deep passion for education and patient advocacy to enhance the quality of care in all end-of-life settings. She is devoted to advocating for attentive care for the terminally ill patient through to their last breath, no matter how or where they die.
Bio:
Heid Wall BSN, RN, CPHQ
Senior Director of Hospice Consulting Services HealthCare ConsultLink
Heidi started her nursing career in pediatric oncology working at Boston Children’s Hospital and later recruited to assist in the development and implementation of the bone marrow transplant unit while serving in the United States Air Force. She made the transition to a career focusing on end-of-life care in 2002 and gained over 20 years of hospice clinical, regulatory and operations experience working as a field nurse, director of quality, compliance, and nursing and, more recently as an administrator gaining both non-profit and for-profit corporate hospice operations experience. Her passion for hospice, knowledge of the industry and desire to aid others in providing quality and compliant end-of-life care has led to her current role as the Senior Director of Consulting Services for HealthCare ConsultLink (HCL). She provides oversight for the development and sales/distribution of HCL online policy manual content, hospice consulting services and a regular contributor of the education services.
 Bio:
Stacey Smith | Vice President, Public Affairs
Stacey brings over 25 years of expertise in public affairs and government relations to her role at AccentCare. In her current position, she manages state and federal government relations and develops the organization’s public policy positions across various community-based healthcare sectors, including Medicare home health, Medicaid home and community-based services, and hospice.
Before joining AccentCare, Stacey was a Principal/Partner at several consulting firms in Washington, DC, where she spent thirteen years advocating for healthcare providers. Her extensive background includes nearly a decade on Capitol Hill, where she served as Senior Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and as Professional Staff to U.S. Senator Connie Mack (R-FL). Stacey holds dual degrees in Finance and Economics from the University of Central Florida, graduating with honors.
Bio:
Armine Khudanyan, RN, MSN, CPHQ, Chief Executive Officer at QAPIplus
Armine is the CEO and Co-founder of QAPIplus, Inc. Armine has a BS in Pharmacology and a Master’s in Nursing Education and Staff Development. She is also a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) from NAHQ (National Association for Healthcare Quality), with over 20 years of experience in quality assurance and compliance. QAPIplus is a healthcare quality management software designed specifically for home health and hospice. It automates quality programs, including QAPI, infection control, and emergency management.
Bio:
Ronny Kimelman, Chief Executive Officer at Select Pharmacy
Ronny Kimelman serves as Chief Executive Officer at Select Pharmacy. Ronny is responsible for leading Select LTC Pharmacy growth and operations. Under Ronny’s leadership, Select Pharmacy has grown to become one of the largest hospice pharmacy providers in Southern California. The Select Pharmacy team is committed to treating each patient as if they were a member of their own family, prioritizing quality, urgency and respect in every aspect of care.
Bio:
Raffi Hodikian, M.D. Medical Director at Bristol Hospice
Dr Raffi Hodikian is born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He completed his undergraduate studies at UCLA majoring in neuroscience and minoring in philosophy. He attended ChicagoMedical School, followed by residency in Manhattan at St. Vincent‘s Hospital Greenwich Village. Upon returning to Los Angeles, he has been Associate Medical Director of Southern California Hospitalist Network for the past 15 years. In line with his focus on geriatric care, he has had the honor of being Medical Director of Bristol Hospice Northern LA for the last 9 years. His wife as well as his three young daughters are a source of gratitude daily. He is humbled to be a part of each and every one of his patients lives every day, every moment.
Bio:
Gasia Majarian, MHA, RCFE, Executive Director at Bristol Hospice
Gasia Majarian was born and raised in Lebanon. She attended boarding school in Cyprus and at the age of eighteen moved to Los Angeles to pursue her higher education. She graduated from California State University, Northridge and earned her undergraduate degree in Biology. Gasia continued her graduate studies at University of Southern California, Sol Price School of Public Policy in Master of Health Administration.
After the start of her career with 24 Hour Home Care, her interest in geriatric and post-acute care guided her to become a board member to one of San Fernando Valley’s unique non-profit
organizations, ONE Generation where she has been serving for the past seven years and start her career in end-of-life care. Gasia has been in hospice care for six years and is the Executive Director at Bristol Hospice Northern Los Angeles.
Bio:
David Chulpaeff, PharmD, Chief Operating Officer at Select Pharmacy
David Chulpaeff grew up in Los Angeles, California. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from California State University, Northridge, and his Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from West Coast University. David's pharmacy experience spans retail pharmacy, long-term care pharmacy, and hospice pharmacy. As the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Select LTC Pharmacy, he leads a team of over 100 employees, managing operations across multiple locations.
Bio:
Raianne Melton, RN, BSN, CHPN
Raianne Melton is Director of Clinical Services of Professional Services for Axxess, the fastest-growing home healthcare technology company. In this role, she serves as a hospice and palliative care content expert and assists in the creation of palliative care training and certification courses.
Raianne has 20 years of hospice experience with various companies. In one of her recent roles, she served as the Director of Clinical Strategy for Banner Health where she was responsible for developing strategic education to support current and future business opportunities and redefining the delivery model for palliative care programing to improve patient outcomes.
Raianne earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Phoenix and is certified by the Hospice and Palliative Care Association as Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse (CHPN).
Bio:
Kimberly Skehan, RN, MSN, HCS-D, COS-C Vice President, Accreditation CHAP
Kimberly has over 30 years of clinical, management and consulting experience in home health and hospice clinical operations, regulatory compliance, risk management and survey readiness. Kim has extensive experience assisting clients with federal and state government audits, appeals and Office of Inspector General (OIG) Independent Review Organization activities as well as providing overall compliance and regulatory consulting services. Kim has worked with provider agencies over many years to provide CMS state survey and deemed status accreditation survey readiness support, education and plan of correction follow up. Kim has served as a state survey agency and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Independent Consultant to monitor regulatory compliance activities for home health and hospice providers under CMS and state survey agency Consent Orders. Kim is nationally recognized and highly respected by state, federal and industry leaders and has served as a liaison to state and federal regulatory agencies and legislators to facilitate collaboration regarding issues affecting the home care and hospice industry. In her role as Vice President of Accreditation for Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP), Kimberly oversees the Accreditation Organization survey team. Her vast experience enables her to effectively guide and support providers in the home health and hospice industry as they navigate the complex accreditation process. She serves as a valuable liaison for providers, fostering collaboration and communication with federal and state regulatory agencies to address industry challenges. Kim currently serves as a member of the Regulatory Committee of the National Hospice &Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and the Hospice Quality Committee for the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC). She is also a member of the Connecticut Association for Healthcare at Home, where she previously served as the VP for Clinical & Regulatory Services. Kim earned her B.S. degree in nursing from Southern Connecticut State University, and her M.S. degree in nursing administration from the University of Connecticut (UCONN), where she has also served as adjunct faculty for the School of Nursing.
 Bio:
Beth Noyce, RN, BSJMC, HCS-C, BCHH-C, COQS
Beth is a CHAP-certified Home Health and Hospice Consultant, mentor, educator and regulatory master who helps agencies know when they are at risk. Job description? Keeping agencies out of trouble since 1997. Beth is former Executive Director of Utah Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and Utah Association for Home Care and Medicare Administrative Contractor medical reviewer. She serves on NAHC’s Hospice Quality Subcommittee and has served on NACH’s Hospice Advisory and Hospice Advocacy Boards. Beth has consulted for GLG, Kenyon Home Care Consulting, The Lighten Group, The Corridor Group, Pinnacle Enterprise Risk Consulting Services, and many individual agencies nationwide. She has audited and performed appeals for SimiTree and has edited and written study guides and questions for industry coding and compliance certification exams, has published in Diagnosis Coding Pro, and edited a Diagnosis Coding Manual. But her favorite role is Grandma.
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