Ellen Lafferty, RN, MBA, CMCN

President

Lafferty Health Care Management Associates

Ms. Lafferty is the president and CEO of Lafferty Health Care and Management Associates, Inc. She is a nationally recognized speaker. Mrs. Lafferty has an extensive background in health care administration and business administration. She is a consultant and educator for managed care, case management, business, entrepreneurship and vision.

Karen Richey, RN, CPHQ, CMCN

Ms Richey has a broad base of nursing experience that spans twenty - five years. She has demonstrated success in the management of integrated and effective Quality Management Programs over the past twelve years. These QM programs span multiple health care populations and products. She has provided oversight and direction for system-wide quality management to ensure the highest standards of patient care as well as compliance with regulatory bodies.

Susan Flaster, RN, BSN, MPA, CMCN

Managing Director, Health Care Operations

HIP Health Plan of New York

Ms. Flaster has been actively involved in managed care for 11 years. She is currently responsible for the coordination of utilization and quality management programs for a 1,400,000 member health plan serving commercial, Medicare and Medicaid lines of business. Her background includes extensive experience in Total Quality Management, Continuous Quality Improvement and most recently Six Sigma. During her career she has participated in many opportunities to advance nursing and physician education.

Diane Holusha Wheeler, RN, BS, CMCN

Manager, Care Management Department

Atlantic Health Systems

Ms. Holusha Wheeler has been in managed care since 1993 starting as a nurse reviewer and advancing to the position of manager, responsible for over 100,000 lives for a large HMO in New Jersey. She was responsible for all medical management of those lives while meeting utilization targets. She has been involved in all phases of the managed care process including case management, utilization review, contracting, out of network authorizations, denial and appeal process. She also has been a clinical instructor for a RN program and developed audit tools for case managers working in various roles. Ms Holusha Wheeler has been published in several relevant journals.

Bill Williams, MD

Executive Vice President

NAMCP

Dr. Williams founded the National Association of Managed Care Physicians (NAMCP) in January, 1991, for the purpose of creating a non-profit association capable of educating physicians, patients, allied health care professionals, academics, pharmaceuticals, employers, and insurance carriers about managed care. The NAMCP also was founded to stimulate physician involvement in managed care since physicians affect 85% of the expenditure side of the health care cost equation.