SPRING'26 AGENDA

CV TRANSFORUM SPRING'26 AGENDA

Last updated April 30, 2026. Please check back for updates, including full session descriptions, locations, CME credits, and fields of study. All times in Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Wednesday, April 29

TIME	SESSION
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.	Registration & Early Exhibitor Set-Up Masters Ballroom Foyer & Champions Ballroom Foyer Beat the lines and pick up your attendee or exhibitor badge early! Exhibitors may also begin setting up their booth during this time.

TIME

SESSION

2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Registration & Early Exhibitor Set-Up

Masters Ballroom Foyer & Champions Ballroom Foyer

Beat the lines and pick up your attendee or exhibitor badge early! Exhibitors may also begin setting up their booth during this time.

Thursday, April 30

TIME	SESSION
6:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.	Registration Desk Open (In-Person Only) Masters Ballroom Foyer Pick up your attendee or exhibitor badge early! Exhibitors may also begin setting up their booth during this time.
7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.	Breakfast for Pre-Conference Sessions Attendees (In-Person Only) Champions Ballroom A-C Foyer Pre-Conference session attendees are invited to join for breakfast. Grab a plate and join us early in your pre-conference session for networking before we start.
7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.	Breakfast for Partner Pulse Participants (In-Person Only) Lower Lobby Partner Pulse participants are invited to join us for breakfast prior to the kick-off of the event.
7:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.	PARTNER PULSE: A MEMBER & PARTNER SPEED-NETWORKING EVENT (In-Person Only)
	Lower Lobby Join us for a lively and thought-provoking speed-networking event between MedAxiom Members and Industry Partners to explore cutting-edge technology and emerging solutions – and help shape the future of how industry engages with providers. Member Benefits: Engage With Innovative Solutions: Meet leading Industry Partners and learn about the technologies and services they offer. Influence How Industry Connects With the Market: Share your insights on gaps in the marketplace and collaborate on solutions to advance the quintuple aim. Hear directly from industry about the latest advancements in technology, implementation models and more. Enjoy Complimentary Participation: This event is free for members and includes breakfast and lunch. Receive a Token of Appreciation: Based on your registration type, you’ll receive either a gift card or a discount on your event registration. Attend an Exclusive Networking Reception: Join us the evening before Partner Pulse for a private reception with the MedAxiom Advisory Council – an esteemed group of leaders and innovators shaping the future of cardiovascular care. This is a unique opportunity to build meaningful connections in a relaxed setting. Please Note: Participation in this event requires arrival on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. To confirm your spot, a MedAxiom team member will reach out with a participation survey.
8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.	PRE-CONFERENCE SESSION (In-Person Only)
	The True Value of Virtual Care: Expanding CV Access & Reducing Costs  Champions Ballroom A-B Cardiovascular programs are under pressure to meet growing patient needs while holding down costs. At the same time, virtual care provides the opportunity for reshaping how cardiovascular teams deliver timely, effective care. This pre-conference session outlines how virtual care can serve as a powerful cost-avoidance strategy by expanding patient visits without additional burden on physical plant and support staff. Expert speakers will highlight different strategies for deploying virtual care, beyond the often challenging home to office. Additionally, strategic use of the patient portal messenger to reduce low-value visits that often strain access will be explored. Speakers will also examine how care management programs can generate new revenue streams for necessary work often already being performed. Participants will leave with actionable tactics and implementation pathways to drive both economic and clinical value. Ideal for administrators and lead physicians, beginners or experts, this presentation offers a roadmap for integrating virtual care into modern cardiovascular operations. *Please register for this session during the registration process for $299. Breakfast is included.* Speakers: Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, Executive Vice President, Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom Joel Sauer, MBA, Executive Vice President, Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom Jacob Corbell, MBA, CEO, Midwest Cardiovascular Institute CME Credits: 3.5
1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.	GENERAL SESSIONS
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.	Welcome and Opening Remarks (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H Join us as we kick-off the conference with opening remarks and a welcome from MedAxiom leaders. Speakers: Lori Walsh, MHSA, Executive Vice President, Member Services and Operations, MedAxiom Jerry Blackwell, MD, MBA, FACC, President and CEO, MedAxiom Joseph Marine, Vice-Director for Operations, Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins Hospital Roxana Mehran, MD, FACC, FACP, FCCP, FESC, Director, The Women’s Heart and Vascular Center, Director, Center for Interventional Cardiovascular, Mount Sinai Fuster Heart
1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.	Keynote Session: What I’m Seeing: Lessons From the Frontline on Resilience, Workforce and Healthcare Education (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H In an era of relentless change in healthcare, the most valuable insights often come from those closest to the work. In this compelling keynote, Alan Levine, MHA, MBA, chairman, president and CEO at Ballad Health, will provide a frontline perspective about what’s happening across healthcare from workforce strain and evolving team dynamics to the urgent need for resilience and new approaches to education. This session will connect real-world observations with strategic implications, offering a candid look at today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities. Attendees will leave with a sharper understanding of how to support and retain their workforce, strengthen resilience at every level, and rethink education and training to meet the demands of diverse patient populations. Speaker: Alan Levine, MHA, MBA, Chairman, President and CEO, Ballad Health
2:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.	AI is the Easy Part: The Hard Work of Transforming CV Care (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to transform both clinical and administrative aspects of the cardiovascular service line, but the technology itself is the easy part. AI is a general-purpose innovation; the real challenge is the “complementary innovation” required to make it matter – redesigning workflows, integrating data, aligning teams, and embedding new capabilities into everyday clinical and operational practice. As new entrants reshape the front door of healthcare and begin to influence patient flow and referrals, cardiovascular leaders who fail to operationalize AI risk losing strategic ground. When done well, this transformation offers more than efficiency. It can reduce administrative burden, enhance clinical decision-making, and restore joy in practice, strengthening the trust that remains at the core of cardiovascular care. Speaker: R. Kannan Mutharasan, MD, MBA, FACC, FAHA, Cardiologist, Northwestern Medical Group
3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.	Cardiology at a Crossroads: Workforce Reality, Subspecialty Strategy and the First Look at 2025 MedAxcess Data (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H The cardiovascular workforce is under pressure. Physician shortages, unfilled fellowships, subspecialization growth, and increasing reliance on advanced practice providers (APPs) are reshaping access, productivity and financial sustainability. This session presents a first look at 2025 MedAxcess data, highlighting trends in physician subspecialty mix, APP deployment, patient panel management and evolving production patterns. Speakers will also debut newly segmented benchmarking data for academic programs, offering clear insights into differences in compensation and work relative value unit (wRVU) production. Speakers: Karen Wilson, MHA, Vice President, Member Services, MedAxiom Joel Sauer, MBA, Executive Vice President, Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom
3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.	Break With Industry Partners & Exhibitors (In-Person Only) *Sponsored by Accucode* Champions Ballroom Foyer Join us for a break with industry partners and exhibitors. Light snacks and beverages will be served.
4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.	High-Impact Payer Partnerships: Governance and Integration Strategies for CV Leaders (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H Cardiovascular leaders are under increasing pressure to deliver high-quality outcomes while navigating cost constraints and administrative complexity. This session explores how governance structures and clinical standardization can drive stronger alignment with payer partners, how co-location and integrated workflows enhance access, risk stratification and longitudinal management, and how thoughtful partnership models can reduce prior authorization burden while preserving cost discipline. Attendees will learn actionable approaches to strengthen payer collaboration and position their cardiovascular service lines for sustainable success. Speaker: Rima Shah, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Ambulatory Care and Population Health, Corewell Health West
4:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.	The Generational Shift: Current Gaps in Training and Fellowship Trends (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H Cardiovascular medicine is undergoing a profound generational transformation driven by rapid technological advances, diverse patient needs and shifting trainee expectations. This session will explore the evolution of cardiovascular career pathways, reviewing traditional training paradigms and where they may fall short in 2026. The speakers will also examine emerging approaches to address current educational gaps while developing the next generation of leaders in cardiovascular care. They will also highlight how the integration of AI into clinical practice is shaping training today and redefining the future of cardiology education. Speakers: Doreen DeFaria Yeh, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Co-Director, MGH Cardiovascular Disease and Pregnancy Program Ana Mercurio-Pinto, MHA, Vice President, Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.	Networking Reception With Industry Partners & Exhibitors (In-Person Only) *Sponsored by Octagos* Champions Ballroom Foyer Join us for a networking reception with industry partners and exhibitors.
6:30 p.m.	Group Dinner for All Attendees & Exhibitors (In-Person Only) *Sponsored by MDabstract* Spa Lawn, Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa All attendees are invited to join us outside for a group dinner to celebrate the kick-off of the conference.

Friday, May 1

TIME	SESSION
6:15 a.m. - 6:25 p.m.	Registration Desk Open (In-Person Only) Masters Ballroom Foyer Pick up your badge at the registration desk. The MedAxiom team is also available to answer any questions throughout the conference.
6:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.	Breakfast for All Attendees (In-Person Only) Breakfast buffets will be located near each meeting room. All attendees and exhibitors are welcome to join us for breakfast.
6:45 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.	Physician-Only Breakfast Session (In-Person Only) Champions Ballroom F Physicians are welcome to join us for this roundtable discussion of hot topics in cardiovascular care
7:15 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.	EDUCATIONAL SPOTLIGHT BREAKFAST (In-Person & Virtual)
	Operationalizing CCTA + Heartflow Plaque Analysis to Enhance Your CV Service Line (In-Person & Virtual) This is a non-accredited session *Sponsored by Heartflow* Champions Ballroom A-B Coronary artery disease remains a leading driver of cardiovascular utilization, cost and patient morbidity. Advances in noninvasive imaging and AI-enabled analysis are reshaping how cardiovascular programs diagnose, risk-stratify, and manage patients. This session will explore how cardiovascular administrators and service line leaders are incorporating Heartflow Plaque Analysis into clinical workflows and strategic planning. Panelists will share insights on operational implementation, physician alignment, financial considerations and the impact on patient pathways. Attendees will gain practical perspectives on expanding your cardiovascular service line to include Heartflow Plaque Analysis while supporting clinical quality and program growth. Speakers: April M. Hill, RT(R)(CT)(VI), BSMI, MHA, Director of Invasive Cardiology and Advanced Cardiac Imaging Heart and Vascular Services WellSpan Health York Hospital and Heart and Vascular Center Sheryl G. Booth, RT(R), MHA Executive Director, Heart and Vascular Services, Acute Care Cone Health System
8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.	POD SESSIONS (In-Person Only)
	Exclusive to MedAxiom Members, Pod sessions will allow you to participate in detailed discussions about current industry trends and issues. Guided by Pod leaders, this option provides a mix of presentations from non-competing organizations and open discussions about the specific challenges your organizations are facing. You will receive your pod assignment from MedAxiom the week of the conference. POD A Champions Ballroom F POD B Heritage Ballroom B POD C Heritage Ballroom C POD D Masters Ballroom A-D POD E Masters Ballroom E POD PED Heritage Ballroom A POD HCA Heritage Ballroom D POD Academic Champions Ballroom C
9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.	Break With Industry Partners & Exhibitors (In-Person Only) Champions Ballroom Foyer Join us for a break with industry partners and exhibitors.
12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.	EDUCATIONAL SPOTLIGHT LUNCHES (In-Person & Virtual)
	From Clinic to the Home: How HealthSnap’s Remote Care Management Solution Improved Cardiovascular Outcomes at Baptist Health South Florida *Sponsored by HealthSnap* This is a non-accredited session. Champions Ballroom A-B Remote patient monitoring (RPM) and chronic care management (CCM) are Medicare remote care management programs that enable proactive care between office visits, improve access to personalized care, and reduce utilization. In this session, hear how HealthSnap has partnered with Baptist Health South Florida (BHSF) to develop an integrated RPM and CCM offering that has transformed cardiovascular outcomes across an integrated delivery network. Dr. Fialkow will share: Why BHSF implemented an RPM and CCM strategy and BHSF’s long-term vision. Clinical outcomes achieved to date. Their experience working with HealthSnap and lessons learned from an enterprise deployment. Why electronic health record integration and clinical integration was key to their strategy. Future plans to adopt digital health technologies. Speakers: Jonathan Fialkow, MD, FACC, FAHA; Chief Medical Executive Integrated Services and Precision Care, Baptist Health South Florida Samson Magid, Co-Founder & CEO, HealthSnap
	Leveraging AI to Drive Meaningful Efficiency and Adoption in Cardiology This is a non-accredited session. *Sponsored by NextGen* Masters Ballroom A-D AI adoption among physicians is accelerating rapidly, jumping from 38% in 2023 to 81% in 2026. So what’s actually driving impact today? What is AI truly capable of in 2026 – and what does that mean for cardiology and the patients they serve? Real impact happens when technology is applied in ways that truly support clinicians and workflows. Hear firsthand how Southwest Cardiovascular Associates is actively using AI and automation in practice today to improve accuracy, reduce administrative burden, and free clinicians to focus on patient care. Learn how mobile-enabled AI tools extend these capabilities beyond the desktop, helping providers stay connected, efficient and informed wherever care happens. Through real-world examples and lived experience, see what it’s like to adopt and scale AI in practice – from documentation improvements to mobile accessibility – and the measurable impact it’s had on their team and operations. Speakers: Kelli DuCray, ACNP-BC, Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Southwest Cardiovascular Associates Paula Furcron, Specialty Product Advisor, NextGen Healthcare
	From Overwhelmed to Optimized: How Two High-Performing CV Programs Are Scaling Without Adding Staff This is a non-accredited session. *Sponsored by Octagos* Masters Ballroom E Remote cardiac device monitoring is one of the fastest-growing operational responsibilities in cardiovascular care, and most programs are managing it with infrastructure that wasn't built for this volume. This session will explore how cardiovascular administrators are transforming device clinic operations, from fragmented workflows and alert fatigue to scalable, standardized remote monitoring programs. Panelists will share firsthand perspectives on implementation, staff efficiency, patient compliance, and the billing gaps most programs don't know they have. Attendees will gain practical strategies for expanding remote monitoring capacity, reducing administrative burden, and driving measurable revenue growth without adding headcount. Speakers: Carol Ann Tolbert, Practice Administrator, Aurora Denver Cardiology Associates Christina Ray, MBA, Associate Vice President, McLeod Health
1:00 - 1:25 p.m.	BREAKOUT SESSIONS
	Innovating Practice Models to Extend Careers (In-Person & Virtual) Champion Ballrooms A-B This session explores innovative practice models designed to extend cardiology careers while balancing workforce demands, professional fulfillment and personal priorities. Participants will review current and projected U.S. cardiology workforce needs and consider how these trends influence career planning. The session will also prompt reflection on individual goals for life after full-time employment (LAFTE) and the impact of these decisions on family and lifestyle, while outlining practical LAFTE options such as phased retirement, part-time clinical roles, and alternative career pathways. Speaker: Jeff Carstens, MD, Cardiologist, UnityPoint Health
	The Impact of 2026 CV Procedure Coding Changes: What They Mean for Professional Reimbursement and ASCs (In-Person & Virtual) Masters Ballroom A-D MedAxiom coding experts will provide an update on the 2026 cardiovascular procedure coding changes and how they affect physician reimbursement and ambulatory surgery center (ASC) services. This session will highlight key coding shifts, documentation requirements and payment implications, with guidance on protecting revenue, reducing denials and aligning across professional and ASC settings. Speakers: Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, Executive Vice President, Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom. Jammie Quimby, CPC, CCC, CEMC, CCS-P, CPMA, CRC, CDEO, CPCO, Director, Coding, Revenue Cycle Solutions, MedAxiom Joline Bruder, CPC, CPMA, CCVTC, CGSC, CCC, Manager, Surgery Coding, Revenue Cycle Solutions, MedAxiom
	Bridging the Gap: Building a Rural CCTA Program Through Strategic Partnerships (In-Person & Virtual) Masters Ballroom E Rural and community hospitals encounter barriers to launching and sustaining a coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) program, including limited staffing, access to specialized expertise, volume uncertainty and competing priorities. This session examines how strategic partnerships can help bridge those gaps. Speakers will walk through practical models for collaboration across health systems, imaging vendors, cardiology and radiology teams, and external clinical partners can help overcome these challenges by supporting program development, training, workflow design and long-term sustainability. Through practical, real-world examples rather than theory, this breakout will focus on building a rural CCTA program that works within existing constraints, aligns stakeholders, and delivers value to both patients and providers. Speaker: Thomas Helton, DO, President and CEO, Ballad Health CVA Heart Institute
	MedAxcess Deep Dive: New Features, Better-Informed Decisions (In-Person In-Person Only) Champions Ballroom C This session highlights what’s new in MedAxcess and how these enhancements can support more informed decision-making. Attendees will see demonstrations of new features – including My Program in Enterprise view, shared measure sets and enhanced dashboards – and learn how to use these tools to evaluate performance, compare across programs and locations, and guide strategic discussions within their organizations. Speakers: Karen Wilson, MHA, Vice President, Member Services, MedAxiom Shawn Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, MedAxiom
1:30 - 1:55 p.m.	BREAKOUT SESSIONS
	Continuity Across the Lifespan: The Transition From Pediatric to ACHD Care (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom A-B Despite major advances in survival for patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), gaps in continuity of care, particularly during the transition from pediatric to adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) services, remain a significant challenge, with many adolescents lost to follow-up and limited workforce capacity to meet growing needs. This session will examine the current state of CHD care in the U.S. across the age spectrum, including trends in loss to follow-up, and review existing ACHD workforce gaps. Speakers will also highlight best practices for building successful transition programs that promote continuity and lifelong cardiovascular health, while addressing common challenges and barriers to implementing and sustaining these programs. Speakers: Callie L. Rzasa, MD, Medical Director, Kentucky Children’s Congenital Heart Clinic Doreen DeFaria Yeh, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Director, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship, Co-Director, Cardiovascular Disease and Pregnancy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Moderator: Ana Mercurio-Pinto, Vice President, Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom
	The Power of One: Strategies for a Successful Concomitant AF Ablation and LAAC Program (In-Person & Virtual) Masters Ballroom A-D This session will highlight the power of integrating concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation and left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) procedures into your program. The speaker will review the clinical rationale and patient benefits of concomitant therapy, along with practical implementation strategies that drive safety, efficiency and program growth. Discussion will address real-world workflow considerations, service line alignment, referral messaging, shared decision-making, and the financial realities impacting hospitals and physicians. Attendees will leave with actionable insights to build and sustain a high-performing concomitant program that maximizes clinical impact, operational capacity and institutional value. Speaker: Sanjaya Gupta, MD, MBA, FACC, FHRS, Cardiac Electrophysiologist, Saint Luke’s Mid-America Heart Institute; Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City Moderator: Denise Busman, MSN, RN, CPHQ, FACC, Vice President, Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom
	Operational Planning and Ramp-up of CV ASCs (In-Person & Virtual) Masters Ballroom E Designed for cardiovascular leaders responsible for planning, launching or expanding cardiovascular ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), this session will focus on the operational planning and ramp-up stages, with an emphasis on the practical considerations required to successfully build and scale these programs. Participants will explore key operational components, including staffing models, case mix development, scheduling workflows, physician engagement, capital planning and governance structures. The discussion will highlight common challenges encountered during early implementation and growth phases, along with approaches used by established cardiovascular ASCs to support sustainable operations. Speakers: Krista Olsen, Director of Operations, Colorado Springs Cardiology Mark Baker, Ambulatory Surgery Center Administrator, Colorado Springs Cardiology
	Master MedAxcess: Bring Your Questions, Work With the Experts (In-Person Only) Champions Ballroom C Bring your questions and your laptop for a hands-on MedAxcess working session with experts from Member Services and Data Services Teams. This is an open, “office hours” style session where you can explore the platform, get personalized guidance, and work through real questions using your own data. Whether you want to build reports, review benchmarks, or troubleshoot challenges, our team will be available to help you get what you need from MedAxcess. Speakers: Karen Wilson, MHA, Vice President, Member Services, MedAxiom Shawn Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Office, MedAxiom
2:00 p.m. - 2:25 p.m.	BREAKOUT SESSIONS
	APP Education: Confidence and Competence Through ACC and MedAxiom Educational Pathways (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom A-B This session examines how targeted education can transform advanced practice provider (APP) readiness, confidence and long-term impact within cardiovascular care. Participants will uncover common misconceptions about APP preparedness, examine how structured learning pathways shape confidence over time, and understand how programs like MedAxiom's newly redesigned Cardiovascular Essentials for APPs and the ACC Certified Cardiovascular Knowledge Examination (CCKE) work together to support professional growth. The speakers will also highlight the clinical and operational benefits of investing in APP education, while emphasizing the critical roles of leadership, mentorship and fellowship programs in building a sustainable, high-performing workforce. Speakers: Nicole Lohr, MD, Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Disease and Co-Director of the UAB Medicine CVI, University of Alabama – Birmingham Lisa Findley, CRNP, DNP, Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, UAB Medicine CVI, University of Alabama - Birmingham
	Optimizing Amyloidosis Care: Coordinated Pathways, Patient Identification and Care Delivery (In-Person & Virtual) Masters Ballroom A-D This session will explore practical strategies to streamline care delivery for patients with amyloidosis by focusing on collaboration between service lines and pharmacy. Participants will learn how to identify patients at different stages of disease progression to enable timely intervention, while also gaining insight into the financial and operational dynamics of amyloidosis therapies, including the “buy and bill” model and its implications for providers and health systems. The session will also outline the structure of an effective care team and the clinical pathways required to administer therapy in a provider setting. Speaker: A. Latif Bikak, MD, FACC, Medical Director, AHF/LVAD Program, Wellstar Health System
	The Skill That Matters Most: Change Management (In-Person & Virtual) Masters Ballroom E Change is constant in cardiovascular care, but successfully leading transformation across complex systems remains a critical and often underdeveloped skill. This session will explore a real-world change initiative within a cardiovascular service line, highlighting the conditions that prompted the need for transformation and the challenges encountered along the way. Attendees will learn practical change management strategies used to engage multidisciplinary stakeholders, navigate resistance, and drive meaningful improvement. Drawing on peer-led experiences, the session will provide actionable insights and lessons learned that participants can apply to their own cardiovascular service line initiatives. Speaker: Corrin McCloskey, MPH, FACHE, FACC, Vice President, Heart & Vascular and Oncology Services, Tanner Health
	Ask the Experts: MedAxcess, Care Transformation & Member Resources (In-Person Only) Champions Ballroom C Speakers: Bring your questions and join an open Q&A with experts from Member Services, Data Services and Care Transformation Services. This interactive session is designed to address what matters most to you – whether that’s MedAxcess functionality, data interpretation, care transformation strategies, or how to best leverage MedAxiom resources. Come ready to ask questions, explore ideas, and learn from both experts and peers. Karen Wilson, MHA, Vice President, Member Services, MedAxiom Shawn Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, MedAxiom
2:30 - 2:55 p.m.	BREAKOUT SESSIONS
	Strategies for Retaining Hospital-Employed Physicians and Partnering Effectively if They Leave for Private Practice (In-Person & Virtual) This is a non-accredited session. Champions Ballroom C Statistics show that around 80% of cardiovascular physicians are employed by or under comprehensive professional services agreements (PSAs) with hospitals, but 40% of them report dissatisfaction for various reasons, and 25% are exploring separating from their hospital arrangements. This session will examine several potential strategies hospitals can utilize to retain physicians, including joint ventures for ASCs and enhancing their role in managing the cardiovascular service line. The speakers will discuss the variety of options for physicians electing to leave hospital employment and PSAs to support the transition back into private practice, including “pure” management contracts with experienced cardiovascular practice management companies, partnering with private equity platforms focused on cardiovascular practices, or joining an existing physician group in the region. Further, they will discuss how physicians can stay closely aligned with the hospital if a hospital’s cardiovascular physicians separate and go back to private practice. Approaches include various contractual arrangements and joint ventures (regardless of whether the physicians are supported by a pure master services organization or partner with a private equity platform). Speakers: John R. Mehall, MD, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Development, Heart and Vascular Partners Jasen Gundersen, MD, MBA, CEO & Co-founder, CardioOne Moderator: Gary Herschman, JD, Shareholder, Baker Donelson
	Decisions in Action, Delivery in Practice: Adding Flurpiridaz F-18 to Cardiac PET Programs (In-Person & Virtual) Masters Ballroom E While Cardiac PET continues to expand, adding a new isotope requires complex operational and financial decisions beyond image quality. In this session, a cardiovascular imaging leader will share their end-to-end approach to implementing Flurpiridaz F-18, from building business cards to adjusting workflows, staffing, scheduling and prior authorization. Attendees will receive a practical, high-level overview of best practices for evaluating and scaling a cardiac PET program. Speakers: Jaime Warren, Ed.D., MBA, BHS, CNMT, NCT, Vice President, Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom William Cuningham, MBA, Director of Imaging, Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, Atrium Health
	Ask the Experts: MedAxcess, Care Transformation & Member Resources (In-Person Only) Masters Ballroom A-D Bring your questions and join an open Q&A with experts from Member Services, Data Services and Care Transformation Services. This interactive session is designed to address what matters most to you – whether that’s MedAxcess functionality, data interpretation, care transformation strategies, or how to best leverage MedAxiom resources. Come ready to ask questions, explore ideas, and learn from both experts and peers. Speakers: Karen Wilson, MHA, Vice President, Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom Shawn Smith, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, MedAxiom
3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.	Break With Industry Partners & Exhibitors (In-Person Only) Champions Ballroom Foyer Join us for a break with industry partners and exhibitors. Light snacks and beverages will be served.
3:30 PM - 5:35 PM	GENERAL SESSIONS
3:30 p.m. - 3:35 p.m.	Welcome Announcements (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H
3:35 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.	Opening a CV ASC: What We Wish We Knew at the Start (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H What does it actually take to open a cardiovascular ASC? In this candid session, an ASC CEO pulls back the curtain on the full journey: navigating the regulatory maze, tackling operational curveballs, and building a high-performing cardiac program outside the hospital walls. The speaker will share hard-won "lessons learned" that can help you move faster, stumble less, and open smarter. Speaker: Sammy Ramirez, MSN, MBA, RN, CEO Banner Cardiovascular Center Arcadia Moderator: Denise Busman, MSN, RN, CPHQ, FACC, Vice President, Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom
4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.	Key Cardiology Advocacy, Regulatory and Financial Updates: What to Expect in 2026 (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H This session will provide an overview of the 2026 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Final Rules and offers insights into the actions cardiovascular programs should take and related ACC Advocacy efforts. MedAxiom and ACC experts unpack the finalized updates to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems, and the Quality Payment Program, with an emphasis on the future of telehealth in cardiovascular care. They will clarify key reimbursement shifts affecting key cardiovascular services, site-of-service dynamics, efficiency adjustments, and other factors shaping day-to-day operations and long-term sustainability. Speakers: Nick Morse, MBA, Division Vice President, Advocacy and Government Affairs, American College of Cardiology Samuel O. Jones IV, MD, MPH, FACC, Director, Electrophysiology Lab, Chattanooga Heart Institute Nicole F. Knight, LPN, CPC, CCS-P, Executive Vice Presdient, Revenue Cycle Solutions and Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom
4:45 p.m. - 5:10 p.m.	EP Access, Efficiency and Excellence: Rationalizing and Operationalizing a Seven-Day EP Lab Care Model (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H This presentation highlights Atrium Health’s journey in developing and launching a comprehensive seven-day outpatient electrophysiology (EP) lab care model. The discussion will focus on enhancing access, promoting sustainable staffing, ensuring patient safety, and elevating the overall patient experience. This session will encourage participants to rethink how access can be improved by leveraging current resources and adopting a purposeful approach to care design. Speakers: Jennifer Graham, MSN, RN, NE-BC, CPHQ, Director of Electrophysiology, Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, Atrium Health Erin Roache, MHA, BSN, RN, NE-BC, Director of Cardiovascular Invasive Laboratory, Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, Atrium Health Mogregory Morgan, BAS, AAS, RT(R), Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, Atrium Health Beth Rogers, MHA, BSN, RN, Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, Atrium Health Joshua Peltz, MBA, MSN, RN, FACHE, Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, Atrium Health
5:10 p.m. - 5:35 p.m.	Investing in APPs: Education, Onboarding and Workforce Sustainability (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H Cardiovascular advanced practice providers (APPs) are essential to care delivery – yet many programs still lack a consistent approach to onboarding, role clarity and ongoing development. This session explores practical strategies to build (or strengthen) onboarding pathways that enable APPs to jump into a meaningful clinical role earlier and with confidence. You will learn how an intentional investment in APP training and role design can reduce physician workload, improve access to care and support consistent, high-value care delivery. Speakers will also share key insights from a recent report on APP compensation and utilization, highlighting what the data reveals about how APPs are being deployed, where variation exists, and how leaders can align education, expectations and compensation with a sustainable workforce model. Speakers: Maureen Knechtel, DMSc, PA-C, Academic Coordinator, Associate Professor of Physician Assistant Studies, Milligan University Jerry Blackwell, MD, MBA, FACC, President and CEO, MedAxiom
5:35 p.m. - 6:35 p.m.	Networking Reception With Industry Partners & Exhibitors (In-Person Only) *Sponsored by PaceMate* Lower Lobby, Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa Join us for a networking reception with all attendees, industry partners and exhibitors.

Saturday, May 2

TIME	SESSION
7:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.	Registration Desk Open (In-Person Only) Masters Ballroom Foyer Pick up your badge at the registration desk. The MedAxiom team is also available to answer questions throughout the conference.
7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.	Breakfast for all Attendees (In-Person Only) Champions Ballroom Foyer All attendees are welcome to join us for breakfast. Seating will be available in the foyer and inside the general session room.
7:15 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.	Physician-Only Breakfast Session (In-Person Only) Champions Ballroom C Physicians are welcome to join us for this round table discussion of hot topics in cardiovascular care.
8:30 AM – 10:40 AM	GENERAL SESSION
8:30 a.m. - 8:35 a.m.	Final Day Remarks (In-Person & Virtual)
8:35 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.	Panel Intelligence: Automating Smarter, Not Harder (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H Expanding on a poster presentation from CV Transforum Fall ’25, this session will explore the technical requirements for automating patient panel attribution and CPT code extraction to enable seamless integration with the MedAxcess database. The speakers will also cover the implementation of data validation strategies within the automated workflow to ensure accurate submission of patient panel and CPT data for benchmarking. By the end of the session, attendees will be able to analyze MedAxcess benchmarking reports generated from automated data to identify practice variation and inform quality improvement initiatives. Speakers: Terry Kisner, Director, Business Operations – Signature Service Lines, WVU Medicine Frank Briggs, Vice President, Heart & Vascular Service Line, WVU Medicine
9:00 a.m. - 9:25 a.m.	The Capacity Illusion: Why Your Cath & EP Lab Metrics May Be Lying to You (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H Cath and EP programs across the country face rising procedural complexity, growing atrial fibrillation populations and workforce constraints. Many leaders rely on familiar metrics – utilization rates, wait times and room capacity – to guide expansion decisions. But these signals can be misleading. In this session, MedAxiom leaders will explore how distorted demand signals, referral variability, therapy progression delays and scheduling volatility can create the illusion of capacity strain. Attendees will learn to evaluate growth through a system-level focusing on demand architecture, therapy velocity and friction reduction before pursuing capital expansion. This session will encourage cardiovascular leaders to rethink what “full” really means in today’s environment. Speakers: Denise Busman, MSN, RN, CPHQ, FACC, Vice President, Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom Katie Willerick, MA, Vice President, Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom
9:25 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.	New Seats at the Table: Lessons From Moving Into Enterprise CV Leadership (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H Cardiovascular leadership gets real when your job stops being “run the day” and becomes “shape the direction.” This session is a candid leadership strategy discussion with a cardiovascular leader who has recently stepped into a broader enterprise role. The speakers will talk through what surprised them, what changed in how they prioritize, and what conversations they now have that they did not have before. Attendees will walk away with practical prompts, guardrails and a few “borrow this tomorrow” moves for leading a cardiovascular service line from a strategic perspective. Speakers: Peter George, MD, MBA, FACC, FASE, FASNC, Chief Medical Officer, Cardiovascular Services, UnityPoint Health Sharese Van Sloten, Vice President of Operations, Cardiovascular Services, UnityPoint Health
9:50 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.	Turning the CMS ASM HF Model Into Action: From Requirements to Results (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H How do you move from understanding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Ambulatory Specialty Model (ASM) for heart failure (HF) to making it work in practice? This session brings the model to life by breaking down its structure and performance expectations, then translating them into actionable strategies you can implement immediately. Explore how to operationalize team-based care, redesign access and implement standardized clinical pathways, while learning from real-world ambulatory HF successes that are improving patient management and reducing avoidable utilization. Walk away with practical insights to strengthen performance, align your organization for value-based care, and confidently pave the path to accountability and results. Speaker: Jennifer Kennedy, DNP, RN, CHFN, NEA-BC, FACC, Vice President, Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom Meaghan Tordella, PA-C, HF-Cert, AACC, Physician Assistant, Rex Healthcare
10:15 a.m. - 10:40 a.m.	Cardiology Compensation That Works: Data, Design and Real-World Models (In-Person & Virtual) Champions Ballroom D-H Cardiology compensation models must balance physician engagement, financial sustainability and strategic objectives. This session will review MedAxiom peer benchmarking data, outline the fundamentals of compensation model design from concept to implementation, and explore practical strategies for aligning physician incentives with organizational goals. Participants will also examine real-world compensation model examples used by leading cardiovascular programs to support different strategic priorities. Speaker: Joel Sauer, MBA, Executive Vice President, Care Transformation Services, MedAxiom
10:40 a.m.	Conference Adjourns (In-Person & Virtual)

CME Credits
Accreditation
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint providership of the International Institute for Continuing Medical Education and MedAxiom. The International Institute for Continuing Medical Education is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The International Institute for Continuing Medical Education, Inc., designates this live and enduring online activity for a maximum of 18.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, by attending all possible in-person and virtual or on-demand sessions. Physicians can claim up to 20.75 by attending the Physician-only breakfast sessions.

Attending all available live, in-person sessions with no enduring online activity provides a maximum of 15 credits. Physicians can claim up to 20 by attending the Physician-only breakfast sessions.

Live virtual with enduring online activity (on-demand) provide a maximum of 11 credits.

Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Learning Objectives

Analyze cardiovascular workforce, compensation, and productivity benchmark data to compare practice models and select evidence-based compensation strategies that optimize team-based care delivery and clinical efficiency.
Evaluate quality and value-based performance metrics (e.g., access, outcomes, utilization, and cost measures) to identify gaps in care and implement strategies that improve cardiovascular patient outcomes.
Apply interdisciplinary care coordination and leadership strategies to optimize service line performance, enhance care transitions, and improve patient-centered outcomes across the cardiovascular continuum.

Prerequisites: This meeting is recommended to anyone in the cardiology healthcare field/industry.

Program Knowledge Level: Beginner to Intermediate

Advance Preparation: None required

Safe travels, and we’ll see you soon in Florida. Mission first, people always,