7:15am – 8:00am
Conference Registration & Networking Breakfast 

8:00am – 8:15am
Chairperson’s Opening Remarks

GE Healthcare 

8:15am – 9:00am
Building Resilient Command Centers During Times of Crisis
Learn proven strategies for maintaining command center effectiveness during unprecedented challenges. This discussion will explore how different organizations adapted their operations, protected staff wellbeing and ensured continuity of care during crisis situations. Senior executives will discuss lessons learned, innovative solutions and frameworks for building more resilient command centers.

Johnny Puac, MSN, RN
Director of Operations – Patient Flow Center
Memorial Hermann Health System 

9:00am – 9:45am

GE Healthcare

9:45am – 10:15am
Networking & Refreshments Break 

10:15am – 11:00am
Leveraging AI-Powered Command Centers: Optimizing Capacity, Streamlining Throughput Workflows, and Reducing Burnout
The increasing complexity of healthcare operations has created unprecedented challenges in capacity management and staff wellbeing. This session explores how AI-powered command centers are transforming healthcare delivery by simultaneously addressing multiple operational pain points. Through detailed case studies and real-world implementations, discover how leading healthcare institutions are using artificial intelligence to optimize bed utilization, streamline workflows, and reduce administrative burden on clinical staff. Learn how predictive analytics and automated decision support systems can identify potential bottlenecks before they occur, enabling proactive resource allocation and improved staff scheduling. Examine concrete examples of how AI-driven command centers have helped organizations increase their effective capacity, generate significant additional revenue through improved patient throughput, improve resource allocation based on predictions, increase discharges due to barrier removal and expedited testing, and reduce staff dissatisfaction with predictive staffing. The session will also address practical considerations for implementation, including staff training, and change management.

Susan Grimwood, DNP, APRN-C
Executive Director; Logistics, Capacity and Patient Throughput
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System 

11:00am – 11:45am
Ochsner Emergency Department Overcrowding Score or OEDOCS
OEDOCS is a custom-developed measurement of emergency department crowding using real-time EHR discrete data points.  The score refreshes every 15 minutes and populates to a dashboard that allows comparison of emergency departments across the system and within regions.  Color-coded thresholds trigger certain actions within individual facilities focused on improving throughput, as well as modifications of the patient flow center’s prioritization and transfer workflows.  The score is reported in the Daily Connections huddle by hospital leaders to the system executive team daily.  It also shows on the ED control center, which is a custom-designed dashboard that shows real-time information about current census, acuity, door to provider, in process patients and length of stay/admission times as well as patients waiting for beds.  

Lisa Birdsall Fort, MD, MPH
Associate Chief Medical Information Officer
System Medical Director of Quality, Emergency Medicine
Ochsner Health 

11:45am – 12:30pm
Case study – Inova Health:  Implementation, Data and Results With Patient Outcomes, Throughput and Cost Savings from a EHR Based SaaS Transportation Platform
Results, opportunities and challenges after 1 year of implementing a EHR based SaaS Transportation Platform. Topics of improved throughput, cost savings, data and Power BI integration. Insights from a busy health system with 9 hospitals, freestanding ED’s and central transfer center that load balances for capacity management with improved patient outcomes from decreased transportation wait times to faster stroke and STEMI responses with a technology forward approach.

Michael Homeyer MD FACEP FAAEM
System Medical Director of Patient Flow
System Division Chief of Emergency Medicine
Inova Health 

Chris Hamilton, RN
CEO
Movi Healthcare

Michelle J. Vassallo, MHA, BSN, RN, NE-BC
VP of Operations, Clinical Enterprise
Inova Health

12:30pm – 1:30pm
Luncheon 

1:30pm – 2:15pm
Change Management and Cultural Transformation in Command Center Implementation
The success of any command center initiative depends heavily on effective change management and cultural alignment. This session provides a comprehensive framework for managing the organizational transformation required for successful command center implementation. Examine strategies for securing stakeholder buy-in, addressing resistance to change and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Learn how to develop and execute a change management plan that ensures sustainable adoption of new workflows and technologies.

Heather Brooks
Senior Vice President Capacity Command Center
Emory Healthcare 

2:15pm – 3:15pm

Panel: Breaking Down Silos: Integrating Emergency Services, Transfer Centers and Command Centers for Seamless Patient Flow
This panel brings together emergency medicine leaders, transfer center directors and command center experts to explore strategies for creating truly integrated patient flow systems. Panelists will share real-world experiences in overcoming traditional departmental boundaries, implementing technologies that enable cross-functional coordination and establishing metrics that matter across the entire patient journey. Attendees will gain practical insights into how leading health systems are aligning emergency operations, transfer processes and capacity management to enhance patient outcomes, improve throughput and optimize resource utilization during both routine operations and crisis situations.

Moderator:
GE Healthcare 

Panelists:

Jennifer Bartelt 
Administrator
Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service & Midwest Admission and Transfer Center  

Lisa Birdsall Fort, MD, MPH
Associate Chief Medical Information Officer
System Medical Director of Quality, Emergency Medicine
Ochsner Health

Scott Jahnke
Patient Flow Command Center Director
UCLA Health 

3:15pm – 3:45pm
Networking & Refreshments Break 

3:45pm – 4:30pm
Unlocking Transfer Center Potential: Learning and Flow Strategies to Enhance Effectiveness and Efficiency
In capacity-constrained health systems, transfer centers play a pivotal role in balancing clinical needs with operational efficiency. This session will explore how applying learning methodologies and flow theory can enhance both effectiveness and efficiency—maximizing revenue opportunities while reducing waste and bottlenecks. Attendees will gain insights into strategic approaches that improve patient access, streamline transfers, and drive hospital performance in an evolving healthcare landscape.

Scott Jahnke
Patient Flow Command Center Director
UCLA Health 

4:30pm – 5:15pm
Building a Comprehensive Command Center Strategy – From Vision to Implementation
This session will guide participants through the complete process of developing and implementing a successful command center strategy. Attendees will learn how to assess their organization’s needs, design appropriate solutions and create implementation roadmaps. The session will cover technology selection, staffing models, workflow design and change management strategies. Gain practical tools and frameworks you can apply in your own organizations. We’ll also explore common challenges and pitfalls in command center implementation, with strategies for overcoming them.

Amy Kruger, BSN, RN, CCRN
Access Center and Patient Placement Services Department Manager
Deaconess Health System 

5:30pm
End of Day One

7:15am – 8:00am
Networking Breakfast 

8:00am – 8:15am
Chairperson’s Recap 

8:15am – 9:00am
Roundtable Discussion – Medical Transportation Strategies to Improve Outcomes and Patient Flow with Challenges Ranging from Medicaid Brokerage to Lack of Transport Provider Capacity, Visibility and Data
The panel and attendees will discuss innovative strategies to reduce LOS, improve throughput, reduce cost with medical transportation. Partnerships, governmental lobbying, software, owned fleets and alternate forms of transportation options (Rideshare, companion car’s, senior living partner transportation) as ways to improve patient flow.

Michael Homeyer MD FACEP FAAEM
System Medical Director of Patient Flow
System Division Chief of Emergency Medicine
Inova Health  

Chris Hamilton, RN
CEO
Movi Healthcare

Michelle J. Vassallo, MHA, BSN, RN, NE-BC
VP of Operations, Clinical Enterprise
Inova Health

9:00am – 9:45am
Flow Without Borders: Building Effective Transfer Center Operations
Achieving seamless patient flow across a health system requires more than a single-site solution — it demands a coordinated network of transfer centers and command centers working in sync. This session explores how to build and evolve transfer center operations that transcend facility boundaries, ensuring each patient is placed in the right facility based on both capacity and clinical capability. Learn how leading organizations partner across multiple command centers to manage complex patient movement, optimize bed utilization, and respond dynamically to ever-changing system demands. Topics include cross-center collaboration, technology integration, staffing models, and performance metrics that drive systemwide success.

Jennifer Bartelt 
Administrator
Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service & Midwest Admission and Transfer Center  

9:45am – 10:15am
Networking & Refreshments Break 

10:15am – 11:00am
Integration of Clinical and Operational Excellence in Command Center Design
The seamless integration of clinical and operational workflows is essential to drive efficient, high-quality patient care. This session explores the innovative design and implementation of hospital command centers that align real-time capacity management with clinical decision-making and quality goals. Attendees will learn how successful organizations break-down silos between clinical and operational teams to deliver coordinated, patient-centered care while shifting health system culture.

Key Strategies

• Aligning Clinical Priorities with Hospital Capacity: Discover how the Epic-based capacity level scoring tool-one of the first of its kind- not only supports real-time decision making, but also assigns clear, department-specific actions to improve throughput and systemwide coordination.
• Optimizing Discharge Processes: Key strategies for enhancing discharge efficiency, include the implementation of targeted discharge tools to improve coordination, reduce unoccupied bedtime, and better engage patients, families, and staff.
• Urgent Care Strategy: Explore the strategic opening of dedicated urgent care designed to enhance front-end access, reduce emergency department boarding, and more effectively triage non-emergent patients. Located within the EMTALA radius, requires strict compliance, adding some operational challenges. To support this, new processes were implemented to improve transfer efficiency and care coordination.

Learning Objectives:

• Offer practical insights for leaders aiming to transform operations and elevate clinical effectiveness through command center framework.
• Understand how the command center model uses standardized processes and existing resources to align teams across departments, and explore strategies implemented to drive accountability and sustain change in a complex care environment.
• Evaluate the implementation of a hospital-affiliated urgent care center as a strategy to improve emergency department access, reduce wait-times, and redirect non-emergent care.

Kim Hatchel, DNP, MSN, MHA, RN, CENP
Sr. Vice President, COO
Bronson Healthcare 

Lisa Padgett, RN, BSN, MBA
System Director Capacity Management
Bronson Healthcare 

Sarah Reardon
Manager of Nursing-Urgent Care
Bronson Healthcare 

11:00am – 11:45am
TBD

11:45am – 12:30pm
Cross-Facility Coordination: Building Effective Transfer Center Operations
Efficient patient transfer and bed management across multiple facilities requires sophisticated coordination and communication. This session examines best practices for developing and operating effective transfer centers within the command center framework. Learn how successful organizations manage complex patient movements while optimizing bed utilization across their networks. Explore innovative approaches to transfer center staffing, technology integration and performance measurement.

Joshua Davis, MBA
Associate Director of Operations
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Capacity Management Center 

Amanda Whartenby, MSN, MBA
Associate Director
Penn Medicine Transfer Center 

12:30pm
Conference Concludes

12:45pm – 2:45pm
Workshop: Transform Patient Flow & Capacity Management with Intelligent Care Operations Hubs
Join us for an intensive workshop on Intelligent Care Operations Hubs, where we will explore how to revolutionize patient flow and capacity management using cutting-edge technology, real-time data, predictive analytics, and AI within healthcare command centers. This session will provide a comprehensive understanding of the benefits Intelligent Care Operations Hubs offer, including enhanced patient flow, reduced wait times, optimized resource utilization, and improved patient outcomes. You will learn to assess your organization’s position on the patient flow maturity continuum and identify actionable next steps. Additionally, we will delve into the relevant technologies that support your Intelligent Care Operations Hub strategy and discuss key implementation strategies and best practices, from initial visioning and planning to technology integration and staff training, ensuring a successful and sustainable program.

Peter Haas
Managing Director, Huron Clinical Enterprise
Huron Consulting Group