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Health care continues facing exceptional hurdles: funding cuts, workforce shortages, regulatory change and technological disruption. Get the collective knowledge and support to navigate these uncertain times at the HASC Annual Meeting. You’ll gain connections and intel that translate directly into stronger decision-making back home.
The Annual Meeting has been called the can’t-miss conference for Southern California hospital leaders. Each year, hundreds of CEOs and other executives converge to learn, share insights and work together toward a better health care future.
Don’t miss out — sign up today! Also, for every five attendees from the same organization, the fifth registration is free.
Hotel Options
Please note our Aviara room block has expired, but other hotels are available nearby:
Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara – .3 mile away
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa – approximately 2 miles away
Cape Rey Carlsbad Beach, a Hilton Resort and Spa – approximately 3 miles away
For any questions, please email [email protected] or call (213) 538-0737.
General Sessions
Keynote: Momentum in Health Care
Tuesday, April 21, 8:50 a.m.
Suneel Gupta, bestselling author and founding CEO of RISE (named Apple’s App of the Year), will share how top performance requires not only effort, but also resilience. He’s worked with Harvard, Apple and other companies to help teams use energy as a strategic advantage, and he’ll bring those lessons directly to our Annual Meeting audience.
Panel: Caring for the Uninsured and Underinsured
Tuesday, April 21, 10:30 a.m.
When patients lack coverage, hospitals absorb the financial hit. Meanwhile, those patients often delay care until the crisis point — driving ED overcrowding, increasing avoidable admissions and straining capacity. A panel featuring Dr. Elaine Batchlor (MLK Community Health), Kim Milstien (Rady Children’s Hospital Orange County) and Martha Santana-Chin (L.A. Care Health Plan) will discuss the real costs for hospitals, patients and communities. George Greene, HASC president/CEO, moderates.
Breakout Sessions
From ED to Post-acute: Using AI to See the Whole Patient, Cut Costs and Improve Outcomes
Speakers:
- Megan Simon, MHA, Manager, Office of Population Health and Accountable Care, UCLA Health
- Gina L. Sulmeyer, MD, Executive Director of Medical Informatics, Torrance Memorial Medical Center
- Evan Cantor, Senior Account Executive, PointClickCare
- Ruth Gurwitch, Emergency Department Clinical Social Worker II, UCLA Health
When patients arrive in the ED from a skilled nursing facility (SNF), clinicians often lack key context — recent changes, medications or reasons for transfer. This session explores how AI closes those gaps by surfacing realtime SNF data within ED workflows, enabling faster triage, clearer handoffs and more informed decisions. It also highlights extending visibility into the post-acute journey through real-time data and predictive insights, supporting stronger coordination with SNF partners, earlier intervention and better outcomes by reducing avoidable ED returns and readmissions.
From Community to Capitol: Messaging, Trust and Advocacy in an Era of Coverage Loss
Speakers:
- Adam Blackstone, Senior Vice President, Communications and Event Management, HASC
- Stephanie Cohen, Vice President, Government and Industry Relations, Cedars-Sinai
- Misty de Lamare, Director of Communications, L.A. Care Health Plan
- Diane L. Martin, MBA, CSSGB, Chief Marketing Officer and Managing Partner, Macan & Company (Moderator)
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has triggered coverage losses, reduced care access and fewer safety-net options for millions of Californians. For hospital and health system leaders, the communications challenge is as consequential as the policy itself. This session brings together communications and government relations executives to share how they are responding. Communications leaders will address how they’re managing patient and community concerns, countering misinformation and maintaining trust as disruption unfolds. Government relations leaders will discuss how they’re translating community impact into narratives that move policymakers to act. Together, speakers will outline a coordinated approach that keeps public messaging and advocacy aligned.
Less Sirens, More Sense: Nurse Navigation + Physician Telehealth for 911
Speakers:
- Dany Accilien, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, RelyMD; Vice President, AI and Innovation, ApolloMD
- Gerad Troutman, MD, MBA, Associate Chief Medical Officer, Global Medical Response
When a low-acuity 911 caller doesn’t need an ambulance, what happens? In most systems, they get one anyway. RelyMD and Global Medical Response set out to change that. Their 911 Nurse Navigation program, already operating in Riverside County, California, places nurse navigators as the first clinical decision point. When callers’ needs exceed what nursing protocols can address, they’re transferred via telehealth directly to an emergency medicine physician — not as a consult for the nurse, but as a real-time patient handoff. This session walks through the full workflow: intake, triage, physician referral and escalation criteria. Attendees will leave with a replicable playbook covering staffing models, overnight coverage, clinical governance, documentation and a performance dashboard built for partner accountability.
Multidimensional Framework for Workplace Violence Prevention
Cedars-Sinai speakers:
- Claude Stang, RN, MA, Executive Director, Clinical Operations
- Robert L. Parks, Chief/Executive Director, Security
- Ed Becker, Executive Director, Environmental Health and Safety
- Clare Lee, MBA, FACHE, Vice President, Operations (Moderator)
Workplace violence is rising across health care settings, and fragmented responses are making it worse. At Cedars-Sinai, leadership took a different tack. Every reported incident — whether a near miss or an assault — receives 100% follow-up, fast:
- Climate surveys feed into data-driven huddles
- A 24/7 security center monitors CCTV, access control, duress alarms and weapons detection
- A threat management committee and an ED safety task force provide cross-functional accountability
The result? Staff see their reports translating into action, which has driven steady increases in reporting and reductions in incident severity. This session shares the framework, technology and cultural levers that make it work.
Hospital Full-risk Capitation Programs — The Financial Impact to Hospitals
Speakers:
- Steve Popkin, Senior Advisor, Zephyr Healthcare Advisors
- Eric Themm, CEO, Zephyr Healthcare Advisors
- Deb DuRoff, MPA, FACHE, Vice President, Managed Care, CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center
Full-risk capitation arrangements can look strong on paper — until you look closely at what’s actually hitting the bottom line. Zephyr Healthcare Advisors was brought in to assess a large independent Southern California hospital whose full-risk program, spread across six medical groups and four MSOs, had drifted substantially off course. Draw rate agreements hadn’t been renegotiated in years; risk pool audits had lapsed. This session shares what the assessment found, how it was followed up and what hospital leaders need to know before entering or continuing in these arrangements.
AI and Robotics in Healthcare: UV Disinfection and Data Sensors in Real-world Use
Speakers:
- Greg Mahdesian, Head of Partnerships and Government Affairs, Servicon
- Carlie Elwell, Senior Regional Director, Healthcare, Servicon
- Ryan Anderson, Director of Healthcare Sales, Servicon
- Victor Pena, MBA, Administrator, Department of Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles General Medical Center
AI and robotics are no longer pilot projects in health care—they’re operational tools. This panel focuses on two platforms already in use at Los Angeles–area hospitals. Akara’s autonomous UV disinfection robots use real-time AI to improve infection prevention reliability in patient rooms and surgical suites. SpaceBot’s occupancy and movement sensors give environmental services teams data-driven insights into space utilization, driving improvements in cleanliness and labor efficiency. Hospital leaders from LAC+USC Medical Center and Centinela Hospital will share results from live deployments, including infection prevention outcomes and patient satisfaction impact.
The HASC Golf Tournament Returns!
We’re excited to announce the return of the HASC Golf Tournament, on site at the top-rated Aviara Golf Club! Join fellow health care leaders and tee off a memorable day of networking, friendly competition and camaraderie at this premier course, designed by Arnold Palmer and named #1 in Southern California by Condé Nast Traveler readers. Tournament signup is included in the meeting registration process. To learn more, contact the Annual Meeting planning team, [email protected].
Become a Sponsor
Meet hundreds of hospital decision makers, raise your profile and gain new leads as a HASC Annual Meeting sponsor.
The event offers many chances to connect with C-suite leaders, including at our renowned Strolling Dinner and Sponsor Exhibit. At this lively event, our sponsors are the stars. You’ll get maximum exposure as you spotlight your services and products while enjoying delicious food and fun activities. (This year’s theme: a Mardi Gras–style HASCquerade! Costumes and booth decor are highly encouraged.)
Become a sponsor in two easy steps:
- Choose your sponsorship: View the sponsor brochure to see all options and make your selection.
- Reserve your sponsorship: Visit the sponsor website to reserve your selection and register for the conference and hotel.
That’s it! We encourage you to reserve your sponsorship and hotel room as soon as possible before we sell out. For questions, contact Rafael De La Rosa, [email protected] or (213) 538-0792, or the Annual Meeting planning team, [email protected].
Thank you for your support! We look forward to working with you to make the 2026 Annual Meeting a success.
