HCPF Hospital Transformation Program Learning Symposium 2023 Bios

Dr. Elizabeth Harry is the Senior Medical Director of Well-being for UCHealth, Assistant Dean of Faculty Well-being for the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado Hospital School of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine. She has practiced internal medicine for 10 years, both inpatient and outpatient. In addition to the University of Colorado, Dr. Harry practiced at Brigham and Women’s Hospital for four years where she was the Assistant Medical Director: Director of Faculty Development and Well-being for the Brigham and Women’s Physicians Organization as well as the faculty liaison for graduate medical education well-being for Partners Healthcare GME programs. Personally, she has three children ages five, eight, and ten and her husband is a clinical pathologist at the University of Colorado Hospital.

Alex Barrera is a healthcare consultant with a deep passion for continuous improvement. Alex is a graduate of Arizona State University where he received a degree in Psychology. Throughout his academic studies, Alex was very involved and passionate with music and as a result co-founded his own non-profit, Flux Percussion Organization Inc., alongside his friend Dakota McConnell, to show others the impact of music.

Alex’s healthcare passion has been driven by his experience working in behavioral health and supporting families throughout challenging circumstances. With a strong interest in social determinants of health, Alex believes using a whole-body approach to healthcare is critical for achieving the best possible health outcomes.

Currently, Alex serves as the Program Manager for HTP across all 5 Banner hospitals. Alex prides himself in his ability to drive change by implementing creative, yet simple solutions, to solve complex problems and organize large cross-functional teams.

As a panelist in the upcoming HTP symposium, Alex is excited to discuss his strategy for driving sustainable change in this program.

Kellee Beckworth is a Sr. Project Manager who leads the vision to expand Medicaid clinical quality interventions through the Hospital Transformation Program (HTP) at UCHealth. She enjoys building relationships among our community partners while supporting the people who directly impact our patients’ lives. 

Previously, she was a Clinical Project Manager at Colorado Access supporting the Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC) Program in Aurora, CO. Originally she was a native Texan, prior to her time in Colorado, who worked at UT Southwestern Medical Center as a Project Manager for the 1115 Waiver better known as Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program in Dallas, TX. Prior to her time dedicated to the Medicaid population, she was a Manager of Clinic Operations, Divisions of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care at Baylor Scott & White Health in Temple, TX. Moreover, Kellee holds a Masters’ in Business Administration from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, TX. She has achieved several certifications consisting of the following:

•Project Management Professional (PMP) through Project Management Institute (PMI)

•Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) through American Society for Quality (ASQ)

•Fellowship of Academic Medical Practice Executive (FACMPE) through Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)

Furthermore, Kellee enjoys listening to live music and two stepping with her husband anytime she has the chance. She is delighted to volunteer on the planning committee at her church for the various local women’s events. Ultimately, running, hiking, and exploring the outdoors with her husband and two daughters is pure bliss.

Sherri Corey is the Director of Community Relations at Quality Health Network (QHN). Sherri joined QHN in March of 2009, and she has over 25 years of progressive experience in the healthcare industry and practice management. Her current role primarily focuses on supporting relationships with prospective and current QHN participants to leverage the utilization of QHN systems to improve care coordination and patient outcomes. She also leads a team of Community Advisors who keep QHN and CRN participants connected to the latest solutions QHN has to offer the western slope. During her tenure at QHN, Sherri worked as an advisor with the Office of the National Coordinators for Health Information Technology (ONC) on a variety of projects and was part of the Regional Extension Center (REC) project, which served to support and assisting practices with Meaningful Use. She has also worked as an advisor with the Office of Behavioral Health on projects around Health Information Exchange in the justice system. Sherri currently serves on many clinical advisory committee workgroups; she is a member of the Garfield County Human Services Commissions and vice-chairs the board at West Mountain Regional Health Alliance. She enjoys camping, hiking, boating, and everything about the great outdoors. She also enjoys spending time with her 6, soon to be 7, grandchildren.

 
Jennifer Dori is the Director of Integration for Contexture’s Colorado market. She oversees a team of engineers and solutions managers responsible for onboarding new inbound HL7 and CCD interfaces, integrating with downstream participants to route results and Notifications, and implementing the custom developed products and platforms. She joined CORHIO as a Project Manager in 2013 where she quickly learned the value in exchange of electronic health data after a prior role implementing hospital HIM modules as an EHR vendor. Early in her CORHIO tenure, she was on the project team responsible for implementing a significant platform upgrade that gave her considerable exposure to HL7 and the technical details specific to each hospital’s build. From there, she migrated to CORHIO’s Quality Assurance team helping to implement ITIL-based Change Management and grow the structure around repeatable testing. In 2019, she officially joined the Integration department where she has had the joy of working, in some capacity, with many clients and nearly every product in the Colorado suite of services. Her special interests include data quality, implementation repeatability, change management and system reliability.

Matt Haynes joins us from the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing where he works as the Special Finance Projects Manager. In his role at HCPF, Matt leads efforts to bring value-based purchasing principles to supplemental reimbursement. His work is focused on tying payments to quality and performance and improving processes of care and outcomes for Health First Colorado members. He is the Department's subject matter expert overseeing the Hospital Transformation Program, the Hospital Quality Incentive Payment program, and the Nursing Home Pay for Performance (P4P) program. Matt facilitates hospital workgroups for HTP, the HQIP subcommittee, and the Pay for Performance (P4P) committee and is also a member of the Nursing Facility Provider Fee Advisory Board.

Matt has robust experience conducting and facilitating community engagement meetings, trainings, and presentations. He has presented nationally to audiences on Colorado's innovation and quality initiatives including presentations and panel discussions at the Vizient Connections Summit, The NHCA/NCAL National Quality Summit, and general sessions at the Colorado Hospital Association Annual Meeting on “Using Analytics to Create Success in the Hospital Transformation Program” and the Colorado Health Care Association Fall Conventions to present on maximizing performance in the Nursing Home P4P program.

An employee of the Department since 2007, he has served as a subject matter expert in Provider Fee programs and supplemental financing.  Matt holds master’s degrees in Public Policy and Conflict Resolution from the University of Denver as well as a joint BS/BA in Economics and Business from Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina.  Matt is also a certified Eden Associate.

Samuel Herbert is a driven individual with a diverse background and a passion for learning. Born in Chesapeake, Virginia and raised in Upstate New York and Ingleside, Texas, Samuel learned to adapt to new environments early on in life. After completing high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps and achieved the rank of Sergeant, where he specialized as an Intermediate Avionics Technician for the EA-6B Prowler. During his time in service, Samuel received two Meritorious Masts, two Certificates of Commendation, and several medals, including the National Defense, Global War Against Terrorism, and Good Conduct.

After completing his military service, Samuel transitioned into the healthcare industry and oversaw and aided the Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium's Quality Directors in preparing for Colorado's Hospital Transformation Program. He demonstrated a strong work ethic and dedication to ensuring the success of the program, which consisted of 10 frontier hospitals.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Samuel also enjoys pursuing various hobbies and interests, such as woodworking, miniature figurine painting, and table-top role-playing games. He is a well-rounded individual with a passion for creativity and strategic thinking.

Looking ahead, Samuel has set his sights on completing his bachelor’s degree in Data Management/Data Analyst at Western Governor's University and then immediately moving into a master’s degree in Population Health Management. His ultimate goal is to become a Chief Executive Officer for a Rural Hospital, where he can combine his healthcare expertise and leadership skills to make a positive impact in his community.

Jon Lowe, MS, RN-BC has served as a Clinical Informaticist at Centura Health since 2015. He is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in Nursing Informatics and maintains multiple EHR vendor certifications in support of this role. With over a decade of direct care experience, Jon’s approach to informatics and technology is steadfastly human-centered.

In 2022, Jon joined the Colorado HIMSS Board of Directors as the Informatics Chair and was delighted to support the CU Anschutz College of Nursing (his clinical alma mater) as an adjunct informatics instructor. He is also a regular member of the HIMSS Informatics Networking and Education Task Force, where he enjoys collaborating with nurse informaticists across the globe. His B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Tennessee is a foundation for his curious approach to the sociotechnical landscape.

Alexandra Mannerings founded her analytic education and consulting company, Merakinos, to help non-profits and community organizations harness the power of data. Her work as a research scientist across three continents has helped her learn how to ask questions of data that can drive change, even with limited resources. She is also deeply passionate about helping each of us learn the data conversancy skills we need to be comfortable navigating a world dominated by flying numbers and poorly explained statistics. Dr. Mannerings earned a BSc in Biology from Emory University and her PhD in epidemiology from the University of Cambridge, UK. Among other previous roles, she worked for the Colorado Hospital Association as their Director of Analytics, where she helped designed the hospital analytics portal ODHIN. Her two small children keep her very busy with Legos and pillow forts when she's not wrangling data or teaching.

Dr. Moksha Patel is an Assistant Professor of Hospital Medicine at the University of Colorado. He is also the Lead Physician Informaticist for the Institute for Healthcare Quality, Safety, and Efficiency and pursuing an MBA. 

Bradley Siebenaller is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Addictions Specialist who is the Operational Lead for HTP Measure SW-BH1 for Centura Health.  Bradley has worked in behavioral health and substance use treatment fields for the last 18 years and has worked in multiple treatment settings and across the lifespan.  He currently provides much of the quality improvement data and metrics for behavioral health services across the Centura Health system.

Serving as Enterprise Director of Community Health Improvement at Centura Health, Bryan Trujillo leads various system transformation strategies in Colorado and western Kansas, including the Social Determinants of Health strategy, and the scaling of evidence-based prevention programs in ambulatory settings.

Bryan is an inspirational leader who values action by collaborating with community members, organizations, and agencies to promote a shared governance structure that advances community health improvement activities.

Violet Willett is the Director of Care Management for Rocky Mountain Health Plans.  Violet has been with RMHP/United Healthcare for over 16 years in various Care Management and Utilization Management roles.  Violet is a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt.  She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration and is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Business Administration.  She has worked in the Medicaid/Medicare programs in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.   Violet has over 27 years of experience in Care Coordination, Case Management and Utilization Review.  In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking and live music. 

Essey is the Senior Director of Data Analytics and Health Equity at Colorado Hospital Association. She received her master’s degree from Colorado School of Public Health in 2015 in Health Systems, Management and Policy. Before coming to work at Colorado Hospital Association, Essey worked for over six years at the University of Colorado where she served in several capacities in the Department of Medicine, from program manager to division administrator – most recently working as program manager for the School of Medicine. Essey is most passionate about using data to help health care providers improve patient outcomes in an equitable, quality driven manner.

Maria Milagros Kneusel (she/her/hers) is a Registered Nurse and holds a masters in nursing education, a masters in health care ethics, and a Doctorate in Nursing Practice with an emphasis in quality improvement. Her doctoral work involved training Promotoras (Spanish-speaking community health workers) to help monolingual Latinos with heart failure manage their illness more effectively. She is also board-certified in Case Management.

Maria has worked in various clinical settings from acute care to public health. Currently she is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant at Centura Health. She has been a health equity champion for over 10 years, supporting and advocating for the Latino community in the Denver Metro area. Her professional interests focus on the dignified care of underserved populations, and the use of Promotoras to improve care access for Latino communities.
 
Maria serves in various DEI advisory groups and is the president elect of the Denver chapter of the National Association of Hispanic nurses. She received the National Hispanic Nurse of the Year award in 2021 for her efforts to vaccinate and educate the Latino community during the Covid pandemic. In 2022 Maria received the prestigious Nightingale Award for her efforts to advance equity for Latino populations during the Covid pandemic.

 
Chief Medical Officer: Sterling Regional MedCenter, East Morgan County Hospital, Ogallala Community Hospital

Divisional Medical Director, Banner Medical Group: Sterling, Brush, Ogallala, Torrington, Wheatland

Dr. Jeffrey Bacon grew up in rural Kansas and Nebraska where he attended a rural Liberal Arts College, Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas.   He attended medical school at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and residency in Family Medicine was at Park Lane Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri.   After residency, Dr. Bacon practiced full scope rural family medicine for 3 years in rural Iowa and for the last 21 years in Sterling, Colorado.  Dr. Bacon is presently a Chief Medical Officer/ Divisional Medical Director for Banner Health in some of the rural hospitals in Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming. 

In leadership, he has served as President of the Colorado Society of Osteopathic Medicine, the Colorado Academy of Osteopathic Family Physicians, and Northeast Colorado Medical Society and received his fellowship from the National Rural Health Association in 2019. At Banner Health, Dr. Bacon is a part of the Cultivating Happiness in Medicine Team, the Hospital Transformation team, the Advancing the Journey to Zero Harm team and the Senior Medical Leader teams.  He is a graduate of Advanced Leadership for Physicians, Cohort 4, and the Rural Colorado Leader Program at the Center for Creative Leadership.  Dr. Bacon’s passions lie in rural recruitment and retention, provider burnout, and a variety of rural health care topics.

Kellee Beckworth is a Sr. Project Manager who leads the vision to expand Medicaid clinical quality interventions through the Hospital Transformation Program (HTP) at UCHealth. She enjoys building relationships among our community partners while supporting the people who directly impact our patients’ lives. 

Previously, she was a Clinical Project Manager at Colorado Access supporting the Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC) Program in Aurora, CO. Originally she was a native Texan, prior to her time in Colorado, who worked at UT Southwestern Medical Center as a Project Manager for the 1115 Waiver better known as Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program in Dallas, TX. Prior to her time dedicated to the Medicaid population, she was a Manager of Clinic Operations, Divisions of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care at Baylor Scott & White Health in Temple, TX. Moreover, Kellee holds a Masters’ in Business Administration from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, TX. She has achieved several certifications consisting of the following:

•Project Management Professional (PMP) through Project Management Institute (PMI)

•Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) through American Society for Quality (ASQ)

•Fellowship of Academic Medical Practice Executive (FACMPE) through Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)

Furthermore, Kellee enjoys listening to live music and two stepping with her husband anytime she has the chance. She is delighted to volunteer on the planning committee at her church for the various local women’s events. Ultimately, running, hiking, and exploring the outdoors with her husband and two daughters is pure bliss.

My name is Katy Frazier and I am the current Vice President of Human Resources and Quality at Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center.  I have been a nurse for 19 years.   I am married to my husband Brian and have amazing daughters, Hailey (13) and Lindy (9).  My passion is caring for patients and staff alike.  One of the positions that I held was Stroke Care Coordinator and I participated heavily with the Stroke Survivors group.  I was awarded in 2007 as The Stroke Caregiver of the year.  Community outreach, education and interaction is a passion of mine. One fun fact about me is that I was the kicker for my high school football team and the homecoming queen too. 

Gillian Grant works with the Regional Health Connectors (RHC) and Community Research Liaisons (CRL) programs at Trailhead. Collaborating with a variety of partners across public health, she contributes to the implementation, coordination, evaluation, and sustainability of these workforces. She has held a variety of roles throughout her career at nonprofits and the state health department. She values the building of connections and relationships across organizations and individuals for social and systems change. In 2022, Gillian won the CPHA Public Health Champ Award. From her nominators: “Gillian brings her whole, authentic self to everything she does – which inspires her colleagues alike to do the same. Anyone who crosses paths with Gillian will remark on her generous, kind spirit and vision for a world where every person can be who they are in any space. This includes modeling and encouraging rest, joy, and community. It is an honor to work with a gem like Gillian - we are all better for it.". Other places you can find Gillian are in nature enjoying the 300+ days of Colorado sunshine, hiking with her golden retriever, or crafting with friends. She also loves hugs, her family, coffee, French fries, and texting with emojis and gifs. 

In her dual role, Hannah supports the overall implementation of Trailhead’s Regional Health Connector (RHC) program as well as supporting strategic communications for the organization. During her time at Trailhead, Hannah has led a storytelling initiative both identifying and producing stories of impact highlighting RHCs’ work across Colorado and is supporting storytelling across Trailhead’s projects, programs, and initiatives. Prior to joining Trailhead, Hannah worked in public health in Montana as both a Registered Sanitarian (health inspector) and in community health improvement. In her free time, Hannah can be found adventuring outside with friends, playing volleyball, immersed in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, or attempting to find the best brunch spot.

Matt Haynes joins us from the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing where he works as the Special Finance Projects Manager. In his role at HCPF, Matt leads efforts to bring value-based purchasing principles to supplemental reimbursement. His work is focused on tying payments to quality and performance and improving processes of care and outcomes for Health First Colorado members. He is the Department's subject matter expert overseeing the Hospital Transformation Program, the Hospital Quality Incentive Payment program, and the Nursing Home Pay for Performance (P4P) program. Matt facilitates hospital workgroups for HTP, the HQIP subcommittee, and the Pay for Performance (P4P) committee and is also a member of the Nursing Facility Provider Fee Advisory Board.

Matt has robust experience conducting and facilitating community engagement meetings, trainings, and presentations. He has presented nationally to audiences on Colorado's innovation and quality initiatives including presentations and panel discussions at the Vizient Connections Summit, The NHCA/NCAL National Quality Summit, and general sessions at the Colorado Hospital Association Annual Meeting on “Using Analytics to Create Success in the Hospital Transformation Program” and the Colorado Health Care Association Fall Conventions to present on maximizing performance in the Nursing Home P4P program.

An employee of the Department since 2007, he has served as a subject matter expert in Provider Fee programs and supplemental financing.  Matt holds master’s degrees in Public Policy and Conflict Resolution from the University of Denver as well as a joint BS/BA in Economics and Business from Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina.  Matt is also a certified Eden Associate.

Matt Jackson is the Senior Public Health Systems and Liaison Professional at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment(CDPHE). His current duties include working on Public Health Transformation and improving the Public Health System in Colorado. Prior to working at CDPHE he worked in local public health agencies for 15 years. This included working on planning and assessment, and policy initiatives with a variety of sectors, including healthcare partners.

Dr. Ro Pereira is Director of the Office of Health Equity, Chief of Endocrinology, Co-chair for the Diabetes Quality Improvement Committee, and a practicing physician at Denver Health. She has been on staff at Denver Health for 17 years. 

As the Director of OeHI, Stephanie leads the strategic planning, partnerships, and funding for the Office in collaboration with the eHealth commission. She is passionate about leveraging data and technological capabilities to improve individual and public health. She holds a Master of Public Health from CSU and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Hanover College.

As OeHI’s Deputy Director, Karen provides strategic management and alignment across Colorado’s Health IT Roadmap projects, operations and initiatives as well as managing support on OeHI contracts and budgeting pieces. Karen is passionate about health equity, especially increasing access to healthcare and health outcomes for all Coloradoans. Prior to joining OeHI, Karen spent a decade at CU Boulder in the student success and social justice spaces and then 5 years in the telemedicine space at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, developing and managing public health and clinical learning opportunities for healthcare professionals across the state. She holds a Master of Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Judith Tieku, A35 Community Engagement, and Inclusion Manager. CDPHE

I grew up in Ghana and moved to the United States in 2009.

I have been part of the State Tobacco Control Program for close to 7 years and recently moved into this new role as the Community Engagement and Inclusion Manager.

I support both the Tobacco; and Cancer, Cardiovascular, and Chronic Pulmonary Disease (CCPD) teams in developing initiatives that align with our health equity goals. Our vision is to create and implement a sustainable plan for community outreach and engagement, forge partnership pathways for organizations we haven’t historically funded, and implement the best and most promising practices in our field.

When I’m not working; volunteering; or enjoying the company of my loving family and friends; you’ll find me listening to audiobooks and podcasts (a lot), watching football (aka, soccer), discovering new adventures and places across the great outdoors of Colorado or traveling somewhere….. far.

Serving as Enterprise Director of Community Health Improvement at Centura Health, Bryan Trujillo leads various system transformation strategies in Colorado and western Kansas, including the Social Determinants of Health strategy, and the scaling of evidence-based prevention programs in ambulatory settings.

Bryan is an inspirational leader who values action by collaborating with community members, organizations, and agencies to promote a shared governance structure that advances community health improvement activities.

Southeast Colorado Hospital is in the far southeast corner of Colorado in a town called Springfield.  Just imagine where Pueblo Co. is and where Amarillo Tx. is.  Draw a line between them and in the middle of that line is Springfield Co.

I have been working at the same hospital for over 25 years.  As a new registered nurse, I began as a charge nurse on the evening shift.  Over time, I moved into infection control, and started to do some quality improvement, and did a stint as case manager.  In 2013, I received my masters in Informatic Nursing and moved more into working on the computer side while working with the nurses and providers. In November of 2020, I hung up my infection control hat and started focusing more on HTP and other quality projects.  HTP has allowed me to see gaps we have in our care and communications with other organizations. 

Essey is the Senior Director of Data Analytics and Health Equity at Colorado Hospital Association. She received her master’s degree from Colorado School of Public Health in 2015 in Health Systems, Management and Policy. Before coming to work at Colorado Hospital Association, Essey worked for over six years at the University of Colorado where she served in several capacities in the Department of Medicine, from program manager to division administrator – most recently working as program manager for the School of Medicine. Essey is most passionate about using data to help health care providers improve patient outcomes in an equitable, quality driven manner.