Schedule
The conference features specialized tracks—Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF), Assisted Living (AL), Home Health, Hospice (Hospice), and Continuous Care Retirement Communities/Independent Living (CCRC/IL). While many sessions address issues common across all segments, others are tailored to the distinct challenges and regulatory needs of each specific care setting.
In-person attendees access all tracks, networking events, and post-conference recordings.
Monday, February 23, 2026
7:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Conference Attendee Assistance: Check-In and Badge Pick-Up
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Conference Breakfast
This event is included in the conference registration fee. Attendees, speakers, and registered guests are welcome. Interested in sponsoring this event? Sponsor.
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
9:00-9:15 AM
Welcome and Introduction
Mark Kopson, AHLA President, Plunkett Cooney PC
Kirstin Sumner, Planning Committee Chair
9:15-10:30 AM
General Session SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Coffee and Networking Break
11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
2. Introduction to Long Term and Post Acute Care (Primer) (not repeated) SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
Jason Lundy, Ice Miller
3. Reducing Violence in Senior Living: Innovative Strategies for a Safer Health Care Workplace SNF AL
Caroline J. Berdzik, Goldberg Segalla LLP
Minton P. Mayer , Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, PA
Beverly B. Wittekind, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, The Ensign Group, Inc,
4. Value-Based Enterprise Care Coordination Arrangements: Innovation that Advances Post-Acute Care SNF AL Home Health Hospice
Howard J. Young, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Jordan Holland, Senior Vice President, Value Based Care, Compassus
12:15 PM - 1:15 PM
Lunch Break
12:15 PM - 5:15 PM
Assisted Living In-House General Counsel Roundtable, sponsored by NCAL PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED AL
Pre-registration is required: space is limited; open to Assisted Living In-House Counsel only. Lunch is included.
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
5. Continuing Care Retirement Community and Independent Living (not repeated) CCRC/IL
Daniel Merriman, Director of Continuing Care Policy, LeadingAge
6. From Active to Axed: A Guide to Medicare & Medicaid Terminations, Deactivations, and Payment Suspensions SNF
Elliot McMillan, Senior Counsel, The Pennant Group
Emily M. Solum, Husch Blackwell LLP
7. Discharge Dilemmas: Navigating Nursing Home Transfer and Discharge Rules, Appeals, and Pitfalls AL
Sean Fahey, Hall Render
Teresa Teeple, State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
8. Medicare Part B Billing Risks and Opportunities (not repeated) SNF
Scott Kiepen, Hooper Lundy Bookman
Bill Ulrich, Owner/ CEO, Consolidated Billing Services, Inc
9. From Due Diligence to Data Integration: The Critical Role of Cybersecurity in Health Care M&A SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
John DiMaggio, CEO, Blue Orange Compliance
Christina Hultsch, Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP
10. Health Care Fraud Enforcement in the Trump Administration: What In-House Counsel and Compliance Leaders Need to Know SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
Rushmi Bhaskaran, Ballard Spahr
Janine Valdez
4:00 PM - 5:15 PM
11. Introduction to Research Compliance for Skilled Nursing Facilities (not repeated) SNF
Sarah Couture, SunHawk Consulting, LLC
Katy Wane, SVP, Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer; Trilogy Health Services
Joseph Zielinski, Compliance and Privacy Officer; CarDon & Associates, Inc.
12. Case Law Update: Trends in Litigation and Enforcement SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
Christopher Frisina, Alston & Bird LLP
Emily Newman, Dzenitis Newman PLLC
13. Can States' Statutes Protect Continuing Care Retirement Communities from Bankruptcy? CCRC/IL
Bruce Anders, Chief Legal Officer, Pacific Retirement Services
Dee Pekruhn, Director of Life Plan Communities Services and Policy, LeadingAge National
Jeffrey Trendel, Deputy Commissioner, North Carolina Department of Insurance
5:15 PM - 6:15 PM
Networking Reception
This event is included in the registration fee. Attendees, speakers, and registered guests are welcome. Interested in sponsoring this event? Sponsor.
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
7:00 AM - 5:15 PM
Conference Attendee Assistance
7:00 AM - 7:45 AM
Coffee and Walk
Sign up to connect over coffee and continue conversations with a refreshing walk outdoors.
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Conference Breakfast
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
14. Home Health & Hospice Legislative & Regulatory Update (not repeated) Home Health Hospice
Katie Wehri, Vice President - Regulatory Affairs, Quality & Compliance, National Alliance for Care at Home
15. Assisted Living Legislative and Regulatory Update (not repeated) AL
LaShuan Bethea, Executive Director, National Center for Assisted Living
16. SNF Legislative and Regulatory Update (not repeated) SNF
9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
17. External Audit Readiness: Strengthening Documentation, Coding, and Billing Compliance in Long-Term and Post-Acute Care (not repeated) SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
Stephanie Allard, CEO & Compliance Consultant, Stephanie Allard Consulting, LLC
Ron Chapman, The Chapman Law Firm
18. Legal Ethics SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
Lynn M. Barrett, Barrett Law, PA
10. Health Care Fraud Enforcement in the Trump Administration: What In-House Counsel and Compliance Leaders Need to Know (repeat) SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
Rushmi Bhaskaran, Ballard Spahr
Janine Valdez
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
Coffee and Networking Break
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
19. Next Steps in Hospice and LTC Contracting (not repeated) SNF Home Health
Rachel Hold-Weiss, Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan and Aronoff, LLP
Kate Proctor, Omnia Healthcare Group
4. Value-Based Enterprise Care Coordination Arrangements (repeat) SNF AL Home Health Hospice
Howard J. Young, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Jordan Holland, Senior Vice President, Value Based Care, Compassus
13. Can States' Statutes Protect Continuing Care Retirement Communities from Bankruptcy? (repeat) CCRC/IL
Bruce Anders, Chief Legal Officer, Pacific Retirement Services
Dee Pekruhn, Director of Life Plan Communities Services and Policy, LeadingAge National
Jeffrey Trendel, Deputy Commissioner, North Carolina Department of Insurance
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Lunch and Learn: Topic TBD PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
20. AL Risk Management (not repeated) AL
Joel Goldman, Hanson Bridgett LLP
Skilled Nursing Facilities Interactive Session SNF
Jennifer R. Sourk, General Counsel, Midwest Health
Hospice and Home Health Interactive Session Home Health Hospice
Patricia McGillan, Assoc. General Counsel and Compliance Officer, Interim Healthcare, Inc.
Continuous Care Retirement Communities/Independent Living/Senior Housing Interactive Session CCRC/IL
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
21. Legal and Medical Update on End-of-Life Care: Current Cases and Controversies (not repeated) Home Health Hospice
Alan C. Horowitz, Retired Of Counsel
Dr. Karl Steinberg, Chief Medical Officer, Stone Mountain Medical Associates, Inc.
22. Preparing for Litigation in LTC: Designing Successful Offense and Defense Strategies SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
Leanne Davis Hoskins, Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, PA
Stephanie Hildebrant, Senior Living Counsel - Leisure Care LLC
6. From Active to Axed: A Guide to Medicare & Medicaid Terminations, Deactivations, and Payment Suspensions (repeat) SNF
Elliot McMillan, Senior Counsel, The Pennant Group
Emily M. Solum, Husch Blackwell LLP
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM
23. LOI to Integration: Key Considerations for Successful Hospice and Home Health Transactions (not repeated) Home Health Hospice
Adam Royal, Husch Blackwell, LLP
24. Understanding the Importance of Adopting Communication Resolution Programs (CRPs) in Senior Living and Long Term Care SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
Tara Clayton, Marsh
Thomas H. Gallagher, Professor, Assoc. Chair, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Exec. Dir., Collaborative for Accountability and Improvement
7. Discharge Dilemmas: Navigating Nursing Home Transfer and Discharge Rules, Appeals, and Pitfalls (repeat) AL
Sean Fahey, Hall Render
Teresa Teeple, State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging
5:15 PM - 6:15 PM
Networking Mixer
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
7:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Conference Attendee Assistance
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Conference Breakfast
8:00 AM - 9:15 AM
25. Attorney General Roundtable: The Present and Future of State Investigation and Enforcement for Long Term and Post-Acute Care (not repeated) SNF AL Home Health
Thomas H. Barnard (Moderator), Baker Donelson
Louise Lock, Assistant Attorney General, Maryland MFCU
Raja Mishra, Assistant Attorney General, Maryland MFCU
Kevin Lownds, AAG, Massachusetts MFCU
3. Reducing Violence in Senior Living: Innovative Strategies for a Safer Health Care Workplace (repeat) SNF AL
Caroline J. Berdzik, Goldberg Segalla LLP
Minton P. Mayer , Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, PA
Beverly B. Wittekind, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, The Ensign Group, Inc,
12. Case Law Update: Trends in Litigation and Enforcement (repeat) SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
Christopher Frisina, Alston & Bird LLP
Emily Newman, Dzenitis Newman PLLC
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
26. Informal Dispute Resolution (not repeated) SNF Home Health Hospice
9. From Due Diligence to Data Integration: The Critical Role of Cybersecurity in Health Care M&A (repeat) SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
John DiMaggio, CEO, Blue Orange Compliance
Christina Hultsch, Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP
24. Understanding the Importance of Adopting Communication Resolution Programs (CRPs) in Senior Living and Long Term Care (repeat) SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
Tara Clayton, Marsh
Thomas H. Gallagher, Professor, Assoc. Chair, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Exec. Dir., Collaborative for Accountability and Improvement
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
27. Immigration Issues (not repeated) SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
18. Legal Ethics (repeat) SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
Lynn M. Barrett, Barrett Law, PA
22. Preparing for Litigation in LTC: Designing Successful Offense and Defense Strategies (repeat) SNF AL Home Health Hospice CCRC/IL
Leanne Davis Hoskins, Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, PA
Stephanie Hildebrant, Senior Living Counsel - Leisure Care LLC
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Conference Accessibility and Special Needs
AHLA is committed to ensuring equitable access to our educational content. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and offering accessibility accommodations for our in-person conferences.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
If your organization is interested in sponsoring AHLA's Long Term and Post-Acute Care Law and Compliance conference, please contact Valerie Eshleman.
