Midwest Regional Conference on Palliative & End of Life Care Sessions

Dr. Gaines is the Director of Hospice and Palliative Care and medical director for the General Inpatient Hospice program for the CoxHealth system. She is an instructor regarding palliative care and geriatrics as Volunteer Faculty with the Springfield Clinical Campus School of Medicine University of Missouri and with the CoxHealth Family Medicine Residency. She enjoys traveling, spending time with family, exercising and reading.

Jamey Boudreaux has led the Louisiana Mississippi Hospice & Palliative Care Organization since its founding in 2001. He is trained as a hospice social worker and bereavement coordinator with an undergraduate degree in political science and graduated degrees in theology and social work. He advocates not only for better end of life care within corrections, but for greater patient safety with state and local Emergency Managers and Responders.

Stephanie has a Masters degree in Social Work and currently is an inpatient palliative care social worker at Barnes Jewish Hospital. She supervises MSW practicum students and co-leads the BJH palliative care fellowship wellness program. In addition, she has served pediatric and adult oncology populations. She has completed a certificate program in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction from the University of Denver.

Angela has spent nearly 20 years, of her 30-year career as a registered nurse, in executive leadership positions in home health and hospice operations as well as software development in the post-acute space. She has global experience in the UK, Finland, Canada and Australia in community care. She performs operations improvement assessments and compliance-focused reviews of home health and hospice documentation, including audits and appeals related to the OIG and program integrity as well as compliance risk assessments related to mergers and acquisitions.

Michelle has experience in medication therapy, interdisciplinary teamwork and organizational management. She has a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and is working on her master’s degree in Public Health. Currently, she oversees clinical operations of Delta Care and is an information resource for pharmacists at both Delta Care and client hospices. She is also adjunct faculty at Duquesne University allowing her students to focus their learning on opioids and palliative care.

Michael has been a nurse for over 30 years working and has served as a consultant for a large healthcare corporation regarding workflow, regulatory compliance, and quality improvement. Since 2010 he has been a regulator with the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services with a focus on Bureau of Home Care and Rehabilitative Standards.

Dr. Martin has her doctor of Pharmacy degree, is board certified in geriatric pharmacy and has completed an executive residency with the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists. She has worked in nonconventional clinical roles, including pharmacy association management, senior care, pharmacy benefits management, ambulatory care, value-based care and hospice. She currently serves as Senior Clinical Manager at Enclara Pharmacia and has authored hundreds of articles for national pharmacy publications

Debra’s work in the fields of end-of-life, hospice and palliative care has earned national recognition. Her research which promotes shared decision-making for families and caregivers has been awarded funding from the National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institute on Aging and National Cancer Institute and the NIH.

Shelley is the Owner and President of The Amity Group, an innovative staffing firm dedicated exclusively to serving the hospice sector. She has authored two seminal works on hospice documentation and pioneered the groundbreaking Hospice Nurse Your Opinion Matters Survey, an initiative aimed at amplifying the voices of hospice nurses and driving positive change within the industry.

Ariel has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and an Associates Degree in Medical Billing & Coding. She is the HH&H Senior Provider Relations Representative for CGS Administrators. Her role is to educate the aid HH&H providers and partners with their billing and technical needs. She has a background in Medicare with her most recent role as Home Health and Hospice Insurance Services Specialist working directly with providers to ensure compliance with federal regulations, working aged accounts and maximizing provider reimbursement.

Nykesha is the Provider Outreach and Education Manager for CSG J15 and has worked with the Medicare Program for over 20 years. She holds a MBA as well as a Bachelor’s degree in business management with concentrations in Organizational Communication and Human Resources.

Julie has been a Certified Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse for 30 years and has practiced in acute care, skilled nursing facilities and home health and hospice. She is the founder and president of Twin City Wound & Ostomy Associates, a private practice in Minneapolis until she joined the Wound Company Provider Group . She was recently published in STAT and McKnight’s Home Care highlighting a growing problem of wounds for hospice patients and urging a change in the payment structure for agencies providing wound and ostomy care.

Katie is a Board certified palliative care chaplain at Barne Jewish Hospital. She is currently a doctoral student at Eden Theological Seminary and has a background in pastoral studies and social work.

Angela has spent nearly 20 years, of her 30-year career as a registered nurse, in executive leadership positions in home health and hospice operations as well as software development in the post-acute space. She has global experience in the UK, Finland, Canada and Australia in community care. She performs operations improvement assessments and compliance-focused reviews of home health and hospice documentation, including audits and appeals related to the OIG and program integrity as well as compliance risk assessments related to mergers and acquisitions

Dianne is a lead consultant at Hospice Support Specialists bringing 30 years of operations leadership experience consistently demonstrating a pursuit of high-level patient care services, patient experience and operational efficiency. Her areas of expertise include strategic planning and execution, program/project management, continuous process improvement, profit/revenue generation, business optimization, regulator compliance, budget management, team building and leadership, cross-functional collaboration, risk assessment and mitigation, and multi-directional communication.

Jen is a dynamic healthcare clinical, operations, quality and compliance expert. She is owner, CEO and managing consultant at Hospice Support Specialists where she shares her 20 year’s experience in hospice, home health and palliative care working with non-profit, for-profit and national-level organizations. Her experience with various organizations structures and cultures has allowed her to adapt her management style to different situations ensuring her methodology remains effective and relevant.

Cindy is a recognized thought-leader and management consultant to the continuum of healthcare at home. She holds a Master of Health Administration with specialty in Healthcare Informatics and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Cindy has served as a Board member of the National Association for Homecare & Hospice, Chair of the Pediatric Homecare & Hospice Association of America and a member of the Executive Committee of the American Telemedicine Association’s Homecare and Remote Monitoring Special Interest Group.

Katherine is the Director of Hospice Consulting Operations for WellSky. She is registered nurse and holds a Master of Science in Nursing with a major in Nursing Informatics. She has a certificate in hospice compliance from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and is a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse and an End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium trainer. She serves on the National Association for Home Care and Hospice Advisory Council and Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Council. She has been in hospice leadership roles with expertise in regulator, compliance and operational issues.

Dr. White is the Stokes Family Endowed Chair in Palliative and Supportive Care and chief of the division of Palliative Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine and Chief Medical Officer of BJC Home Care and Hospice. He also has a PhD in comparative effectiveness research and cost effectiveness. He provides clinical oversight and oversees education for physicians, nurse practitioners, therapists, nurses and supporting staff at BJC hospitals.

Jake is the President and CEO of PRIDE Philanthropy and is an educator, performer and wellness enthusiast. His educational background is in Communications & Public Speaking and is a Certified Fundraising Executive and Certified Nonprofit Professional. He works full-time as a philanthropy professional and educator creating and engaging in education content for the PRIDE Development Institute, offering seminars, workshops and academy programs.

Patty has been a hospice nurse for over 25 years and is the Director of Clinical Service for a large hospice & palliative care agency. She is a leader on the DEI/ERG task group for her agency.

Tammi has 24 years experience in hospice and palliative care. She is on the DEI/ERG task group of her agency and is currently on a national task force with Hospice & Palliative Credentialing Center.