HCPF Hospital Transformation Program Learning Symposium

Richard Bottner, DHA, PA-C, CPHQ, FACHE is the Vice President of Clinical Excellence at the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) and exceptionally passionate about effective, efficient, and interprofessional acute care in hospitals nationwide. In his current role, Dr. Bottner supports strategy and implementation related to population health and quality improvement and also focuses on substance use disorders, maternal health, rural and critical access hospitals, and social determinants of health. Prior to his role with CHA, Dr. Bottner was an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin where he led quality improvement programs around readmission prevention, medication safety, and patient experience. Most recently, he was the Director of the Buprenorphine Team, a full-service consultation team that provides hospitalized patients who have opioid use disorder with access to treatment and linkage to appropriate outpatient care.

Moksha Patel is an Assistant Professor in the Division 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 Safety and Assistant Director of Faculty Mentorship. Today, he will use his clinical experiences to discuss the power of small data and how to better incorporate clinical teams into quality improvement and data initiatives.

Agile servant leader with 10+ years of experience which includes driving, monitoring, and leading strategic initiatives worth $120 million+ of at-risk revenue critical to organizational vision within value-based care. Influential decision-maker that consistently motives direct reports and matrixed teams to deliver solutions which includes policy creation and operations, payment reform implementation, and change management for a large federal agency.

Alexandra Mannerings earned her PhD in Veterinary Science from the University of Cambridge, UK. She founded her analytic education and consulting company, Merakinos, to help community organizations and non-profits harness the power of data. Her work as a research scientist across three continents has helped her learn how to ask impactful questions 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 misused statistics. Among other previous roles, she worked for the Colorado Hospital Association as their Director of Analytics, where she also helped designed the hospital analytics portal ODHIN. If she's not data wrangling or teaching, you can find her feeding the chickens, chasing loose pigs, or playing in the creek with her two small children. 

Dr. Stephanie Phibbs is grateful to express her love for people through her work at Denver Health where she is an Associate Research Scientist, coordinating both Community Benefits and Hospital Transformation Programs.  She has an MPH from the University of Nottingham, England where she was a Rotary Scholar.  Her PhD in Health and Behavioral Sciences from UCD included the deeply transformative work of community-based participatory research.  She has worked for 25 years in health services evaluation, research and quality improvement in Denver, starting at Children’s Hospital, moving to UC Health and then to Denver Health where she has worked the last 13 years. 

Outside work, Stephanie enjoys time with her husband and wonderfully-energetic 10 year old, helping with her church’s Venezuelan support group, biking, camping, and getting in good trouble.

Melanie Baker, MBA, LCSW, ACM-SW, is a leader of UCHealth’s SDOH assessment and referral initiatives. With a recent transition from a hospital-based care management manager role, Melanie currently excels as a dedicated project manager. In addition to holding a Master's in Social Work, Melanie possesses an MBA in Project Management, leveraging her skills to lead impactful process improvement projects for UCHealth. Her commitment to community leadership is evident through her participation in the Colorado Springs Mayor's Civic Leaders program and recognition as a 2023 Colorado Springs Mayor's Young Leaders Awards finalist. Melanie has also been honored with the 2022 Transformational Leadership Magnet Excellence Award. In her free time, Melanie enjoys practicing her beginner skills at pottery, reading, and hiking with friends.

Dr. Leah Warner

Read Pierce, MD, serves as Denver Health’s Chief Quality, Safety and Transformation Officer and oversees the health system’s clinical quality and patient safety programs. He is passionate about improving systems in ways that enhance clinical outcomes, value-based care, experience, equity, and workforce well-being. Dr. Pierce previously worked at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin (Dell Med) and at University of Colorado (CU). At Dell Med, he served in many roles including co-chair of the Joint Practice Council for Quality, Chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine, and Associate Chair of faculty development and well-being in the Department of Internal Medicine. At CU’s Anschutz Medical Campus, he spent nearly a decade leading clinical transformation efforts as Director of Quality Improvement and Clinical Innovation within the Division of Hospital Medicine as a co-founder and Associate Director of the Institute for Healthcare Quality, Safety and Efficiency. From 2017-2020, he was part of the National Taskforce for Humanity in Medicine and helped to lead a national pilot program blending efforts to improve quality and patient experience with interventions to reduce clinician burnout. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and history from Southern Methodist University and attended medical school at University of California, San Francisco, where he completed an area of concentration in health systems/health leadership. He completed his internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston before returning to San Francisco for his residency and chief residency in internal medicine. His personal interests include history, spending time outdoors, and anything that allows quality time with his wife, Vanessa, and their two boys.

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.

Ryan Eck has been a key part of Quality Health Network (QHN) since 2010, currently serving as the Manager of Data Strategy. 
In this role, he focuses on connecting various facilities and systems, validating data, and ensuring compliance with different standards. He also conducts data analysis and quality reviews to meet data standards. 
Ryan supports multiple projects and initiatives and has knowledge of workflow processes across departments. Prior to his current position, he held roles such as Project Manager, Technical Support, Application Support, and Interface Support/Implementation. 
Ryan graduated from Mesa State College with a degree in Computer Information Systems and is originally from the southeastern plains of Colorado.

Wayne Watkins is the Chief Information Officer for Northeast Health Partners, RAE 2.  
Wayne is from Colorado Springs and has been working in the IT healthcare system for 26 years.  His career started in Voice and Data Communications, Network Security and then moved into managing IT teams.  He currently oversees all IT infrastructure for Northeast Health Partners, to include Network Security, Security Training, data and reporting, Data Governance and Privacy, IT Policy and Procedures, and IT system implementations.  

Wayne’s passion is to utilize data and systems to improve operations that contribute to enhancing the health and wellbeing of members.  

Wayne likes to spend time with family.  He also enjoys being outdoors walking, hiking, Functional Strength Training and Krav Maga.  
 

Violet Willett is the Director of Care Management for Rocky Mountain Health Plans.  Violet has been with RMHP/United Healthcare for over 17 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 a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.  She has worked in the Medicaid/Medicare programs in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.   Violet has over 28 years of experience in Care Coordination, Case Management and Utilization Review.  In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking and live music.

Jen is a Provider Support Consultant representing RAE 4 for the Hospital Transformation Program. As a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt, Jen has a passion for supporting member outcomes through creating responsible, accountable health systems. Her background in lifestyle medicine and health coaching in physical, behavioral, and maternal health lends unique perspective and insight into building a cohesive, collaborative Health Neighborhood that values Member voice, autonomy, and improved health through personal growth and supported care.

Saphia has over 10 years of experience in partnership and capacity building, with a focus on increasing access to healthcare for underserved communities in a variety of capacities. This included implementing the Affordable Care Act at the local level by engaging the community to help build and inform the work of a county level- assistance site, working with community partners to lead the policy agenda for the state-based health insurance Exchange, and leading system-level, cross collaboration efforts within the community at one of the regional accountable entities (RAEs) in Colorado.

In her role as Community Health Strategist at Colorado Community Health Alliance, Saphia supports strategic partnership relationships within the health neighborhood and community, with the lens of increasing healthcare outcomes for Medicaid members. She is currently helping lead the Hospital Transformation Program (HTP) implementation at the RAE level.

Saphia received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Colorado Denver.

As the lead for OeHI's Social Health Information (SHIE) program, Gabby's work is focused on technology-driven care coordination. She is passionate about all things interoperability and leveraging data and technology to make high quality healthcare more affordable, accessible, and equitable. Gabby has over a decade of public sector experience at the state and local levels, and has spent much of her career managing analytics and evaluation projects in public health and human services. She holds a Master of Public Affairs and a BA in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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. Prior to joining OeHI as the State Health IT Coordinator in 2020, Stephanie served as an Operations Advisor for the Governor's Office, where she led the training and implementation efforts for the state in Agile methodology. Previously, Stephanie was a Public Health Investigator for the City and County of Denver, where she led inspections and compliance for food safety. She holds a Master of Public Health from CSU and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Hanover College.

Risa provides training, coaching, and strategy facilitation to change leaders, advocates, community coalitions, non-profit and community-based organizations in numerous sectors from healthcare to food access, quality improvement, and local and national government.  She has been leading coalition building programs and leadership development at Telligen for over ten years.  She has provided leadership coaching, team effectiveness and community organizing training here in the U.S. and internationally.  Risa is trained in Human Centered Design, Motivational Interviewing, the Care Transitions Intervention (CTITM), holds two certifications in professional coaching, a certification in Appreciative Inquiry, and has a Six Sigma Black Belt, and Silver Level Lean certification. Risa has employed a tailored mix of these strategies to empower healthcare providers, patients, leaders, and communities to build capacity for change and transformation for more than twenty-five years.

Richard Bottner, DHA, PA-C, CPHQ, FACHE is the Vice President of Clinical Excellence at the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) and exceptionally passionate about effective, efficient, and interprofessional acute care in hospitals nationwide. In his current role, Dr. Bottner supports strategy and implementation related to population health and quality improvement and also focuses on substance use disorders, maternal health, rural and critical access hospitals, and social determinants of health. Prior to his role with CHA, Dr. Bottner was an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin where he led quality improvement programs around readmission prevention, medication safety, and patient experience. Most recently, he was the Director of the Buprenorphine Team, a full-service consultation team that provides hospitalized patients who have opioid use disorder with access to treatment and linkage to appropriate outpatient care.
 

Katie Breen, MPH, is the Vice President of Programs for the Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative (CPCQC). For the past four years at CPCQC, she has led clinical, community, and public health partners across Colorado in implementation of programs to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. In her previous roles with organizations such as CDC, Ariadne Labs, March for Moms, and Planned Parenthood, Katie has implemented hospital-based maternal quality improvement initiatives in several states, as well as national public awareness campaigns, health policy, and research translation to improve reproductive and maternal-child health outcomes. Katie earned her Master of Public Health at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health with a concentration in Maternal-Child Health.

Alex Barreras currently serves as the Senior Manager of Government Programs and HTP System-Lead for Banner Health. 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 through challenging life experiences. Alex always likes to drive change by implementing creative, yet simple solutions, to solve complex problems and organize large cross-functional teams.

Sara Briggs is the Director of Quality, Risk and Patient Experience at Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center in Walsenburg, CO.  Sara works with a dedicated team in southern Colorado to improve healthcare through programs such as HTP. Sara has been in her role for a year and a half and has uncovered a passion for rural healthcare and ensuring its long term success.  In her time away from the office she enjoys the outdoors, hiking, skiing and golfing.

Agile servant leader with 10+ years of experience which includes driving, monitoring, and leading strategic initiatives worth $120 million+ of at-risk revenue critical to organizational vision within value-based care. Influential decision-maker that consistently motives direct reports and matrixed teams to deliver solutions which includes policy creation and operations, payment reform implementation, and change management for a large federal agency.

Meredith Koob is a Program Specialist at Telligen. She assists states, communities, and organizations to mobilize interventions designed to gain collective capacity towards a more hopeful and healthy future. She holds a Leadership, Organizing, and Action (LOA): Leading Change Certification from the Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Education. This is the foundation from which she trains, models, and coaches LEAD! LOA community organizing and coalition building with Telligen. She also holds an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) as a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA); is trained in Human-Centered Design; is a CircleTalk™ by Telligen Trainer and Leader; and has held certifications as both a Chronic Disease and Diabetes Self-Management Program Facilitator and Master Trainer. She began her healthcare journey in long-term care and medical home health where she started as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and PTA, and ended as the Administrator before transitioning to healthcare quality innovation and improvement.

I am an RN Data Analyst at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, CO. I have my undergrad BSN degree from Indiana University and my Masters in Healthcare Administration from Indiana University – Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI). I have project management experience working at a pharmaceutical research company offering at-home visits, and nursing experience at a SNF in Chicago and the GI clinic here at Valley View. I am excited to merge my experiences in my current role and future administrative or analytic positions while keeping patient care as the focus of all programs and initiatives.

Dr. Carrie Horn

Amber Rider is the Director of Quality and Patient Safety at Prowers Medical Center and oversees everything from quality improvement activities to regulatory compliance and patient safety programs, ensuring that we are always striving for excellence and driving initiatives to advance health equity. Amber’s simple yet effective approach to healthcare quality orchestrates impactful programs, reshaping healthcare delivery to dismantle barriers to care and elevates outcomes for all individuals. Amber works alongside the Cultural Competency Committee to instill purpose in each Prowers Medical Center team member, guiding us to prioritize marginalized communities and foster inclusivity. Together, we are driving measurable improvements in health equity, shaping the future of healthcare at Prowers Medical Center.

Kristie Robson