LOS ANGELES—Nineteen of America’s most respected healthcare thought leaders have been named to the faculty of MDS Consulting’s 8th annual Healthcare Leadership and Executive Conference Sept. 22-24 in Las Vegas. Widely recognized as one of the industry’s premier gatherings, the conference will convene healthcare executives from hospitals, health plans, medical groups and other organizations to explore the changing healthcare landscape, including “the new era of healthcare partnerships.”

“Each member of our faculty brings to attendees years of experience and broad perspective as they look for new strategies and approaches that will help drive higher quality and greater value in healthcare,” said Phil Dalton, president and CEO of MDS. “This intensive two-day conference provides a wonderful opportunity for attendees to interact with this faculty and their colleagues from across the country to share best practices and establish ongoing connections.”

Faculty members will include:

Doug Allen, vice president - integration, DaVita Healthcare Partners

Craig Beam, managing director, CBRE Healthcare Services

Diwen Chen, director of strategic network development, St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, Dignity Health Nevada

Phil Dalton, president and CEO, MDS Consulting

Bill Gil, vice president and CEO, Providence Southern California Medical Foundation

Jonathan Gluck, senior executive & corporate counsel, Heritage Provider Network

Michael Hunn, senior vice president & regional chief executive, Providence Health and Services, California Region

Brian Jeffrey, president (west region), UnitedHealth Networks, United Healthcare

Joseph Jordan, MD, chief medical officer, Intercede Health

Eric Klein, partner, Sheppard Mullin

Steve Larson, MD, chairman of the board, California Medical Association and CEO & chairman of the board, Riverside Medical Clinic

Chuck Lehn, CEO, Banner Health Network

Gray Miller, president and CEO, Intercede Health

Mark Morgan, COO (California business), Anthem Blue Cross

John Orsini, executive vice president and CFO, Cadence Health

Lex Reddy, president and CEO, Alecto Healthcare Services

Andrew Robertson, regional medical director, Blue Shield of California

Rebecca Steinfort, COO, Paladina Health/DaVita

Paul Viviano, CEO, UC San Diego Health System and associate vice chancellor, UC San Diego Health Sciences

Among the topics to be discussed at the conference are clinical integration and the movement to population health management; successful models of care delivery for high-risk and hard-to-manage patient populations; keys to aligning with the right strategic partners; and options for sustainability through affiliations, partnerships and mergers. The conference will also provide updates on Pioneer ACO models, health insurance exchanges, and the status of Medicare fee-for-service and Medicare Advantage plans.

The conference, to be held at the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas, is expected to attract hospital executives; physician leaders; healthcare attorneys; and industry executives from finance, nursing and business development. Further information, including registration and sponsorship opportunities, may be obtained at www.mdsconsulting.com.

MDS Consulting is a national healthcare consulting firm that helps hospitals, medical groups, health systems and other healthcare organizations achieve their goals for development, growth and profitability. The MDS team of executive-level professionals provides individualized solutions and creative insights in such areas as physician/hospital alignment, medical group management, health reform/accountable care, financial assessments, hospital/healthcare strategic planning and implementation, and regulatory compliance. Further information may be obtained at www.mdsconsulting.com.