Forum Conversations: ACHE of Alabama

What have we learned since CMS rolled out its Price Transparency requirements in January of this year? Are hospitals compliant? Do consumers care? Join us as we discuss this and more with Chandra Bondugula.

Chandra is a physician executive with more than 20 years of experience in patient care, hospital administration, healthcare informatics and clinical transformation. He has expertise in running acute care hospital operations, managing multiple co-management programs and value-based outcomes. He is a visionary working to bring optimal care at affordable cost through technological innovations to the global citizens. He is the founding designated institutional official (DIO), who initiated and led the graduate medical education program at North Alabama Medical Center, Florence, AL. He is a board member of American College of Healthcare Executives, Alabama chapter.

Donna Zellers has more than 20 years of experience in the Hospital setting. She currently serves as a Senior Managing Consultant in BRG’s Healthcare Performance Improvement Portfolio Optimization Practice. Her skill set in the acute & non-acute clinical settings has focused on operations, supply chain management, implementation, strategic planning, new program start-ups, quality, performance improvement, and physician-hospital collaboration/integration. Additionally, she was tapped by former ACHE of AL President Kidada Hawkins to serve as the ACHE Representative for South Alabama (Region E). 

Take a look around your workplace or home and almost anything you see once started as the idea of a designer. Birmingham native Lloyd Cooper, Principal at Push Product Design, has been guiding clients through creating new products or making old products better for decades. Everything from Medical Devices to Art Installations, Coopers creativity can be seen all across the Birmingham Cultural and Business landscape.

Link to Lloyd's Ted Talk on Bending Contraints:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyE6xZJKRjk

Link to Push Product Design:  https://www.pushpd.com/#Home

Rett Grover is CEO of Callahan Eye Foundation in Birmingham, AL and is the President of the Alabama Chapter of ACHE. Join us as Rett shares some stories about how he began in Healthcare and why he is motivated to serve others on the Board of ACHE of AL.

Dr. Sarah Nafziger is an Emergency Medical Physician and Emergency Preparedness and Response expert. In her Role as Vice President of Clinical Support Services at UAB Hospital she Co-Lead the Response to the COVID - 19 Pandemic at Alabama's largest Hospital and is current heading up the Vaccine Distribution process for UAB. In this Feb 2021 conversation we talk about Sarah's journey from Double Springs, AL to heading up the largest Vaccine Distribution operation in the state

This Feb 2021 conversation centers around a career of service to others for Amir Farooqi.  Amir is the Director/Chief Executive Officer at Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare System and has spent most of his career with Veterans system in some capacity that included leadership roles in Operations, Strategic Planning, and Public affairs. 

Amir achieved FACHE status in 2009. He has been a member of the VA ACHE Regents Advisory Council, is The President elect for the Alabama Healthcare Executives Forum, is a Certified Mentor, and received the VA ACHE Regent’s 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Senior Leadership Award. 

Between all of his professional and volunteer activities it is clear that Amir has a passion for excellence and service. 

This wide ranging conversation covers Amir's passion for service to  others and is followed by a discussion of the COVID - 19 response and Vaccine Distribution for the Central Alabama VA system

Across the nation, gaps in health are large, persistent and increasing—many of them caused by barriers set up at all levels of our society. After all, it's hard to be healthy without access to good jobs and schools and, safe, affordable homes. Health equity means increasing opportunities for everyone to live the healthiest life possible, no matter who we are, where we live, or how much money we make.  In this Feb 2021 conversation we discuss Health Equity and how it ties to quality of life in the state of Alabama with Brantley Fry. Brantley is the VP of Health Equity and Community Engagement at Birmingham based Health Coaching start up Pack Health.

Most of us engage with our patients in the Hospital or Outpatient setting, but what about the other 99% of the time? Mazi Rasulnia, CEO and Founder at Birmingham Based Pack Health, is committed to coaching and influencing patients to better outcomes when they aren't at the Doctors office. In this Feb 2021 conversation we discuss how Mazi started Pack Health and what they aim to achieve here in Alabama and in all 50 states where they operate. Check out Pack Health HERE. Additionally here is a Link to the ACHE of AL Website. Don't forget to like us and subscribe!

Forum Conversations is the podcast of the Alabama Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives. This introduction will introduce you to your hosts and let you know about some of the exciting things we hope to share in 2021!

In this episode of Forum Conversations we discuss healthcare for the Justice Involved and Managing the COVID Pandemic in the Jail setting with Dr. Cecil Matthews. Dr. Matthews is the Corporate Medical Director and Corporate Infectious Disease Specialist at Naphcare. Birmingham, AL based Naphcare is one of the leading providers for Correctional Healthcare in the country.