HLA New Jersey 2026 Annual Conference Program
May 7, 2026 | Ocean Place Resort & Spa

Excel Essentials: Mastering the Basics

Unlock the power of Microsoft Excel with this comprehensive course designed for beginners. Excel Essentials: Mastering the Basics will take you step-by-step through the essential features of Excel, empowering you to confidently create, organize, and analyze data. Whether you're looking to improve your work efficiency or gain a solid foundation for more advanced Excel techniques, this course covers it all.

Additional $49 | Maximum 25 participants

Speaker: Brian Hochstuhl, MS, MBA - Advocare, LLC

Excel Mastery: Advanced Functions & Techniques

Take your Excel skills to the next level with Excel Mastery: Advanced Functions & Techniques. This course is designed for those who are already familiar with Excel basics and are ready to explore more sophisticated tools and features. You’ll dive deep into advanced functions, formulas, data analysis techniques, and automation tools to streamline your workflow and solve complex problems.

Additional $49 | Maximum 25 participants

Speaker: Brian Hochstuhl, MS, MBA - Advocare, LLC

7:30am-5:00pm

Registration

Attendee Registration/Exhibit Hall Open

Exhibitor Set-Up 

Breakfast in Exhibit Hall

Opening Remarks

Fireside Chat

Biggest Payor Reimbursement Red Flags & How To Avoid Them

Guillermo Beades, Esq. - Frier Levitt

Mitch Brie, CHC - Empower HCP

Payor Strategies: How VBC is Driving FFS

Learn how to leverage the principles of value-based care to negotiate payor contracts. Data access and transparency are finally starting to influence healthcare in a significant way. Sophisticated practices are learning how to control spend – from reduced hospitalizations to better site of service choices to drug and device costs. Patients are benefitting, but how are the various healthcare players being impacted, and how are they responding? This session will provide invaluable information to attendees on what cost drivers can be controlled, and the incentives that follow.

Moderator: Zach Fox - Redefine Management

Lili Brillstein - BCollaborative

Mike Ruiz - Vytalize Health

Chris Schieve - Aetna

Sunil Budhrani, MD, MPH, MBA - Capital Rx

Data & Technology: How The Game Is Changing

Data is ubiquitous. AI is the most talked-about technology. But what impact are data and technology actually having on healthcare today, and where are we headed? Hear from the entrepreneurs who are leveraging data and technology to fundamentally change healthcare – from RCM to care coordination to network building.

Moderator: Michael Sloan - The Macallan Group

Anthony Wehbe - SENA Health

Akash Magoon - Adonis

Marc Granson, MD - SurgeonCheck LLC

Roger Hau - PayerPrice

Lunch in Exhibit Hall

NJ Healthcare Deals: Alignment Models and the Battle for Providers

Billions have been lost in “valuations.” PE firms are struggling to find the next “turn.” Meanwhile, consolidation continues. What options remain for health systems, large practices, and independent physicians, and what does the future hold for healthcare providers?

Moderator: David DeSimone - DESim Solutions

Mike Sileski - Rothman Orthopaedic Institute

John Washlick - Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney PC

Michael Schaff - Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A.

Anna Darpino - United Wound Healing Services

Beyond the Deal: Integrating Cultures Pre- and Post-Closing in Healthcare Transactions

This session will explore the often-overlooked but mission-critical element of successful healthcare transactions: cultural integration. While legal, financial, and operational issues tend to dominate negotiations, failure to address culture early, between signing and closing, can undermine the transaction’s long-term success. Drawing on the panelists’ combined experience in legal strategy, regulatory compliance, and organizational transformation, this session will provide actionable insights for attorneys, executives, and investors navigating healthcare mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

Operations: Roadmap to Peak Performance

There is no shortage of capital in healthcare, but what many investors and consolidators have learned – often the hard way – is that good operations teams are essential to success, yet increasingly hard to find.  Learn actionable secrets to success from the best healthcare operators in the industry. 

Matthew Herzer, MHA - Advocare LLC

Pat Board - Advocare LLC

Deborah Delaney - Consensus Health

Margaret Outler - Cooper University Health Care

Joseph Riggs - SJRA

Keynote Panel:
Perspectives from NJ Healthcare Leaders

Back by popular demand, leaders from the largest and best run practices will return to share their insights on the challenges they have overcome, and how they are preparing to face the challenges ahead. 

Ed Licitra, MD, PhD – Astera Cancer Care

William Vanderveer – Redefine Management