2026 Convention Agenda
Day 1
7:00 a.m. (ET)
Registration Opens
Breakfast Available (7:30 – 8:00 AM)
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Chuck Blahous
Join former public trustee Charles Blahous as he shares the financial challenges facing Social Security and Medicare, and the necessity of legislated reforms to ensure that they continue to serve future Americans.
9:00 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.
Break
9:20 a.m. – 10:20 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions
KHA
AI-Driven Leadership: Moving from Friction to Flow in Health Care
Daniel Montgomery
Chief Executive Officer
Leadership Reality
Corenza Townsend
Chief Administrative Officer
Norton West Louisville Hospital
Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering healthcare organizations, but many leaders are encountering more friction than flow. In this session, explore how healthcare leaders can move beyond surface-level AI adoption toward meaningful, human-centered transformation. Drawing on real-world healthcare examples, the session will examine common obstacles leaders face when introducing AI, including trust, culture, workflow disruption, and decision overload. Participants will learn how to frame AI not simply as a technology initiative, but as a leadership capability that can strengthen workforce engagement, operational clarity, and patient experience. Attendees will leave with practical leadership lenses for navigating AI-driven change, understanding where friction is likely to emerge, and how to intentionally design for flow, aligning people, processes, and technology in service of better outcomes.
KHA
David Marx, JD
President
Just Culture Company
David Marx will introduce the concept of Just Culture and its application within the unique challenges of behavioral health. How can behavioral health administrators, providers, and patients be held accountable in a manner that maximizes both provider and patient safety? From being overly punitive toward mistakes, to turning a blind eye to dangerous systems or risky behaviors, you will learn how to build a high-performing culture.
KONL
Ena Williams, PhD, MBA, RN, CENP, FAAN, FADLN, FSIEN
Senior VP and Chief Nurse Executive
Yale New Haven Health
President of American Organization of Nurse Leadership
Explore the current nursing and environmental climate and how these challenges shape leadership in uncertain times. It reflects on how nurses have historically responded during periods of turbulence and highlights practical opportunities for nurses to amplify their voices to drive change, advocate for patients, and lead with impact today.
KAHA
Benny Epling, Esq.
Partner
Epling Law Office
This practical session focuses on preparing witnesses and counsel for depositions in medical negligence litigation. Attendees will walk away with strategies to tighten testimony, avoid common missteps, and reduce exposure across high-stakes disputes, with strategies for outside counsel and ways for in-house counsel and risk professionals to support the deposition process.
10:20 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Break
10:20 a.m. – 10:50 p.m.
KONL
Adam Booth, PhD, RN, NPD-BC
Nurse Researcher
UofL Health
The study, “Exploring Healthcare Professional Wellness: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Approach,” presents the findings from mixed-methods research using the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) at UofL Health. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore overall levels of well-being among healthcare professionals in a multi-site healthcare system, to determine if there were any associations with demographic characteristics and qualitatively explore nurses’ perceptions and experiences of interventions that would impact well-being, burnout, and resilience in their professional work environment. Findings demonstrated that formal leadership, nurses, and technicians and technologists had the lowest well-being scores. Interviews revealed factors impacting well-being were more than just taking care of oneself but a result of experiences that prevented nurses from providing quality patient care.
Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Define well-being.
- Discuss the explanatory sequential mixed methods design linking quantitative and qualitative findings.
- Present next steps in a well-being research trajectory.
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions
KHA
Craig Deao
Managing Director
Huron Consulting Group
Healthcare leaders are navigating unprecedented financial pressure while patients continue to expect care that is more compassionate, safer, and easier to access. It can feel like an impossible paradox. This session bridges that gap, sharing practical, leadership-level strategies for improving financial performance and patient experience by reframing both as outcomes of process, system design, and disciplined decision-making, not expensive initiatives or superficial training.
KHA
Travis Gentry
Chief Executive Officer
Hyve Health
Hospital Member Panel to Be Announced
For the past three years, Kentucky Hospital Association has partnered with Hyve Health on a state and national initiative to gather data from hospitals to hold payers accountable for denials, delays, and downcoding of claims. This session will provide an overview of Kentucky’s data along with a panel discussion from users across the state.
KHA
DJ Sullivan
Chief Growth & Delivery Officer
HSG
This session will explore dual pressures facing health systems today – rising patient demand for timely, convenient care and the persistent shortage of healthcare providers. It will explore both operational and strategic dimensions including digital transformation in access, data-driven planning, and workforce optimization.
KAHA
James C. Musser, Esq.
Senior Vice President, Policy and Government Relations
Kentucky Hospital Association
This presentation will provide a summary of notable legislation from the past year that is relevant to attorneys who represent hospitals. Attendees will be able to identify the applicable legislation and make applications to their own daily practices.
10:50 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.
KONL
Tonya Anthony, PhD, MSN, RN, GB (NHC)
Assistant Profession, DNP Program
University of Kentucky College of Nursing
Traditional second year nursing students are often unprepared to manage their emotions during clinical experiences, in volatile care settings. EI is an essential ability to foster effective interpersonal and interprofessional communication within the stressful confines of patient care setting. Furthermore, research shows that universities need to invest in the emotional development of students during the first few years of college to facilitate healthy psychosocial identifies. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of single EI intervention on second-year students, in a baccalaureate nursing program.
Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Define emotional intelligence and its relevance to leadership development in nursing.
- Examine the impact of brief emotional intelligence intervention on a second-year nursing students’ readiness of leadership roles.
- Discuss the implications of early emotional intelligence development for leadership capacity, resilience, and professional identity formation in nursing students.
- Identify strategies for integrating emotional intelligence-focused leadership development in prelicensure nursing curricula.
11:20 a.m. – 11:45 p.m.
KONL
Sally Davenport, DNP, RN, NEA-BC
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
KHA Solutions Group Expo & Networking Break
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
KHA Awards Luncheon
Gerard Colman, Ph.D.
KHA Board Chair
System CEO of Baptist Health System
Our annual awards luncheon honoring the leaders in Kentucky’s hospital community.
1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
KHA
Federal Legislative Update
James C. Musser, Esq.
Senior Vice President, Policy and Government Relations
Kentucky Hospital Association
Stay informed on the federal policy changes shaping healthcare today. This session reviews notable legislation and explores what it means for hospitals, leaders, and healthcare teams.
KAHA
Kristen Fowler, Esq.
Associate General Counsel/Associate Vice President
Kentucky Hospital Association
This presentation will provide a summary of notable medical negligence and healthcare appellate decisions in Kentucky in the last year and any relevant pending cases before Kentucky’s Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Attendees will be able to identify important appellate decisions that may impact current or future litigation involving healthcare providers and healthcare corporations.
2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
KHA Solutions Group Expo & Networking Break
2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
KAHA
Catherine Lynn Allison, Esq.
Assistant General Counsel
University of Kentucky, Office of Legal Counsel
Jennifer Henry Jackson, Esq.
Member
Stites & Harbison
Stacy Shea Luna, Esq.
Attorney
Stites & Harbison
Noelle Holladay True, Esq.
Assistant Chief Compliance Officer
Office of Corporate Compliance
UK Healthcare
This continuing education presentation explores EMTALA beyond the statute and regulations, focusing on how the law is interpreted, enforced, and litigated in real-world clinical settings. Using recent enforcement actions, case law trends, and practical hypotheticals, the session examines common compliance pitfalls involving medical screening exams, stabilization, transfers, and on-call coverage, with particular attention to emergency department operations and hospital policies. Attendees will gain practical insights into risk areas regulators scrutinize most, how EMTALA obligations intersect with evolving care models and state laws, and strategies for advising providers and health systems on defensible compliance in high-pressure clinical environments.
2:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
ACHE
Genfluence: How to Lead a Multigenerational Workforce
Katherine Meese, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
HuMargin Group
With four generations in the workforce, leaders are expected to navigate intergenerational dynamics to build successful and high-performing teams. As the population ages, healthcare must become an attractive destination, particularly for younger generations, to meet the growing demand for care. This interactive and science-backed session will explore a variety of thought-provoking topics including myths about generational differences that haven’t made the headlines, and how generational differences inform the new rules of trust, hope, transparency and mattering. Gain practical, evidence-based guidance on how to navigate generational differences specifically within healthcare to create a more impactful, and harmonious, future.
This session is eligible for 3.0 hours of In-Person Education credits.
2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
KONL
Moderator: Shelby Pollert
Director, Mixed Acuity
UofL Health – UofL Hospital
Panelists: Deanna Parker, MBA, MHA, BSN, RN
VP, Chief Nurse Executive
UofL Health – UofL & Jewish Hospital
Greg Moran, MBA, RN, NEA-BC
Clinical Executive
Teletracking
Dr. Mary Nan Mallory, MD, MBA
Attending Physician, Emergency Department
Medical Director, UofL Health Transfer Center
UofL Health
Karen Herron, BSN, RN
System Director, Transfer Center
UofL Health
Effective patient flow and capacity management are vital to both operational success and exceptional patient care. This panel brings together distinguished clinical leaders to discuss how visionary leadership can shape organizational culture, align teams with strategic goals, and drive sustainable growth.
Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Discuss how AI can optimize patient flow, capacity management challenges, and integrate innovation and technology.
- Discuss the role of clinical leadership in transforming capacity management from a daily operational task into a strategic advantage for long-term organizational success.
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
KAHA
Christopher Melton, Esq.
Bricker Graydon Wyatt LLP
Multiple events can trigger the need to respond to either active or anticipated government intervention into a medical practice. Lawyers can be made aware of likely government action either through complaints, whistleblowers, subpoenas, or even execution of search warrants. Each of these scenarios requires a different response; and each response triggers ethical responsibilities that lawyers need to be aware of. This presentation examines these scenarios and provides a discussion of the ethical rules implicated in our responsive actions of representing highly-regulated medical providers and provides practical insights into how lawyers can respond to investigations. Attendees will have a greater understanding of the ethical rules as they apply to government investigations. This includes the ethical and professional responsibility impacts of responding to government action, including internal investigations, and formation of defense strategies.
3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
KONL
Erin Morris, MSN, RN, CEN
Director, Behavioral Health Services
UK Healthcare
Marc Woods, DNP, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Chief Nursing Officer
UK Healthcare-Eastern State Hospital
This presentation highlights the first-year impact of the EmPATH model, focusing on improvements in patient flow, reduced sitter use, shorter stays, fewer inpatient admissions, and stronger community follow-up. It also reviews key operational lessons learned, including effective staffing approaches, therapeutic environment design, patient-centered autonomy, and collaboration with community partners – along with the model’s positive effects on ED and inpatient capacity. This session further explores EmPATH’s growing influence in statewide behavioral health planning, particularly its role in expanding crisis stabilization options. Finally, it shares practical insights from adapting the EmPATH model to rural and frontier settings, using the real-word example implementation work in Kotzebue, Alaska.
Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Summarize first-year outcomes of the EmPATH model, including patient volume, sitter usage, length of stay, inpatient admission reduction, and community follow-up engagement.
- Analyze operational lessons learned during the first year of EmPATH implementation, including staffing models, environment design, patient autonomy, community partnerships, and impact on emergency department and inpatient capacity.
- Evaluate the evolving role of EmPATH in statewide behavioral health conversations for system-level planning for expanded crisis stabilization access.
- Apply key lessons from adapting the EmPATH model to rural and frontier settings, drawing from real-world experience supporting EmPATH planning and implementation in Kotzebue, Alaska, above the Arctic Circle.
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Day 2
7:00 a.m.
(ET)
Breakfast Available (7:30 – 8:00 AM)
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
(ET)
Amer Kaissi
In today’s dynamic business landscape, improving employee engagement and sparking their innovation and creativity is an uphill battle for most leaders.
Amer Kaissi will show that leaders who have the confidence to make hard decisions in uncertain environments and the humility to admit mistakes, can better connect with their team members.
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Author of, Humbitious Leadership in Times of Change: How to Connect with Humility & Elevate with Ambition
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Sara Johnson, FACHE
Leadership Advisor and Executive Coach
Karen Johnson, MSL
Leadership Advisor and Executive Coach
This interactive session explores how trust, self-awareness and sensemaking are essential tools for leading effectively in complex and changing environments. Participants will assess their personal values, reflect on how they respond to uncertainty and consider how their own reactions shape the experience of those they lead. Explore practical strategies for building and sustaining trust during uncertainty and how leaders can create clarity, even when they don’t have all the answers.
This session is eligible for 3.0 hours of In-Person Education credits.
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions
KHA
Daniel C. Soldato, Esq.
Bricker Graydon Wyatt LLP
This presentation will provide a summary of notable state and federal regulatory updates from the past year that are relevant to attorneys who represent hospitals. Attendees will be able to identify the applicable regulations and make applications to their own daily practices.
KHA
Laurel Cornell
Regional Managing Partner
Fisher Phillips
KHA Solutions Group Expo & Networking Break
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
KHA
Larry Gray, MHA
Chief Strategy Officer
Physician Care Coordination Consultants (PC3)
The balance of Margin and Mission has long been a favorite topic of discussion in health ethics. Historically, it has framed questions about how much margin was appropriate and how much investment in community was adequate to demonstrate “benefit” for not-for-profit hospitals. Today, with thin to non-existent margins, exponentially rising costs, the human and financial impact of health disparities and downward pressures on revenues by payers, ethical choices are about survivability, sustainability and the realities of limited access to care and availability of limited services in many markets. We will discuss how we can frame the ethical choices in these growing pressures and map a way forward with ethical decision-making processes.
KHA
Amer Kaissi
In today’s dynamic healthcare landscape, partnering with physicians is the foundation for high performance for healthcare leaders, teams, and organizations. In this session, Amer shows that leaders that assume positive intent towards their physician partners can build strong and long-lasting relationships with them through consistent shadowing, perspective-taking and realistic optimism. Building on the latest research evidence as presented in his new book “The Positive Intent Mindset” and his experience as an executive coach, Amer shows that accountable positivity (positive intent coupled with accountability), can lead to cultures of trust & collaboration where administrators and physicians work together to serve their patients, communities and stakeholders. He shares case studies and specific take-home behaviors that apply accountable positivity to improve relations with physicians at all levels.
12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.