50 Year Anniversary
By Steve Spencer
When the Healthcare Leaders Association of Alabama, formerly the Alabama MGMA, held their first conference, Gerald Ford was president and Love Machine by The Miracles (who?) was the number one song on the charts. In the following 50 years, the HLA of Alabama has grown from a handful of administrators to an organization of over 700 members, serving as a premier resource of information for practice administrators.
The HLA Alabama semi-annual conferences have been a wonderful place for administrators to meet and learn, and this year’s winter conference at the Hyatt Regency was no exception.
“This event reminds us how important it is for physician leaders to come together, share best practices and support one another,” said Howard Bogard, who spoke at the conference.
“It’s a great opportunity to connect with peers, exchange ideas, and stay ahead of where the industry is going,” Kyle Church of Lightpoint said.
The group of speakers consisted of experts from across the field of healthcare including Howard Bogard with Burr Forman; Cameron Cox with e3c3 consulting; Maddox Casey with Warren Averett; Stephen Dickens with State Volunteer Mutual Insurance; Janet Day with Kassouf & Co; Scott Harris with the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADHP); Gary Parker with the Alabama Medicaid Society; Philip Hemphill with LSU Health Sciences Department of Psychiatry; Mary Smith with Doctor Directory Services; Zed Williamson with TrackableMed, and many more.
The conference opened on Wednesday, March 4th with specialty breakout sessions. Meetings were held for 12 different specialties, including orthopedics, cardiology, and oncology. After lunch, there was a general session on the next frontier in healthcare.
On Thursday, Scott Harris, MD, State Health Officer with ADPH spoke about the state of public health in Alabama. This was followed by morning breakout sessions on using AI in healthcare, managing workplace culture, and a new practice manager’s guide to excellence. The afternoon sessions focused on the future of value based care, a guide to obtaining the best contracting results, and tips on evaluating talent. There were also sessions on managing your brand with social media, and how to rally your team to achieve goals. Gary Parker, Chief Data Office with the Alabama Medicaid Agency gave a talk on Alabama’s health information Exchange to end the day.
The conference ended on Friday with two general sessions. Over 200 medical practice administrators attended the meeting, and almost 70 vendors. “From a vendor perspective, we have the opportunity to gain insight and provide solutions to our medical practice clients. It’s not just about exhibiting, it’s about building relationships, sharing ideas, and working alongside healthcare professionals who are committed to improving patient care,” said Tiana Benitez with Systemedx Healthcare Technology.
“I’ve been attending this conference for 15 years and look forward to it each year,” said Georgina Perry, CPA, CMPE with Carr, Riggs & Ingram. “I enjoy connecting with clients and other vendors, and I love to see the first-time attendees realize they can connect with peers and vendors here. It’s so much more than just the lectures.”
