Spring Educational Session
4/9/2026

AAHAM Western Region Spring Educational Forum 2026

AI: looking  5 years ahead

Plus...

Panel of Revenue Cycle Leaders Sharing Uninsured, Under-insured, and Self-Pay Strategies 

 

April 9th, 2026

Vance Auditorium – USC Arcadia Hospital
1:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Uninsured, Under-insured, and Self-Pay Strategies Panel

 

As regulatory shifts and payer coverage changes reshape the healthcare landscape, hospitals must proactively strengthen financial clearance processes and refine self-pay strategies across the entire revenue cycle continuum.

This expert panel will explore how hospitals are responding to the anticipated rise in uninsured and under-insured patients following the passage of the OBBBA — including reductions in Medicaid funding, changes to Medicaid re-certification and eligibility requirements (and exceptions), and cuts to ACA premium subsidies. What operational and financial strategies should organizations implement now prepare?

Panelists will share executive-level insights, operational frameworks, and real-world case examples addressing:

• The impact of coverage shifts on Financial Assistance Policies
• Point-of-service and pre-service financial screening enhancements
• Back-end self-pay collection efforts, workflows, and technology tools
• Eligibility screening processes for Medicaid and alternative funding sources
• Vendor partner solutions and technology optimization
• Staff education and frontline training strategies
• Community outreach and patient financial education initiatives
• Insourcing vs. outsourcing considerations
• And additional proactive measures to mitigate reimbursement risk

Attendees will gain practical strategies to strengthen financial performance while supporting patient access during a period of evolving reimbursement complexity.

Panelists:

Sandy Lood, MS
Vice President of Revenue Cycle
Cottage Health

James Lee
Director, Revenue Cycle
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)

Monica Hicks
Vice President, Revenue Cycle
College Medical Center

Jennifer Tryfon, MHA
Director of Patient Collections and Customer Service
Keck Medicine of USC

Nabil “Bill” Haddad
Chief Executive Officer
Comspec, Inc.

Moderator
Rudy Braccili Jr, MBA, CHFP
Senior Director, Revenue Cycle Operations
Keck Medicine of USC
President, AAHAM Western Region
                


Sandy Lood, MS
Vice President of Revenue Cycle
Cottage Health
Sandy oversees comprehensive revenue cycle operations, including Patient Access, Centralized Scheduling, Health Information Management, Revenue Integrity, Denials Management, Utilization Review, Hospital Billing, Professional Billing, and the PBX Team   

James Lee
Director, Revenue Cycle
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)
“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care”. This core value has been the driving force of James D. Lee Jr.’s 28-year career in the healthcare field. At the age of 19, James started as a patient transporter for Ronald Reagan UCLA Hospital. It was this start and his tenacity that led to his quest to seek more and take advantage of all the opportunities that were available. It wasn’t long before he began climbing the ladder of success within several areas of the Revenue Cycle. He would spend the next several years working, while receiving promotions to various positions at Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center, California Hospital, and Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) before accepting his current position as Revenue Cycle Director at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles 2019. James has maintained the belief that culture defines the work environment. A well-defined culture gives a competitive advantage, which is the inner workings of a well-oiled machine. It is important for a leader to be a great listener, create reasonable and clear expectations, make difficult decisions in a fair and just manner, and to be able to hold people accountable while accepting accountability. Outside of a strong work ethic and consistent drive to be successful in his career; James is a father of five who enjoys playing his saxophone, cruising, and spending time with his family. James’ academic background includes an MBA and a BS in Business Administration from Ashworth College and an AA Degree in Business Administration from Compton Community College.

Monica Hicks
Vice President, Revenue Cycle
College Medical Center
Monica Hicks is a seasoned healthcare revenue cycle leader with more than two decades of experience driving operational excellence, strengthening payer relationships, and elevating financial performance across complex hospital environments. As Manager of Commercial Accounts at San Antonio Regional Hospital, she oversees non‑government billing, managed care contracts, denial management, and a high‑performing team responsible for delivering accurate, timely reimbursement.

Known for her strategic mindset and collaborative leadership style, Monica has led major process improvements, strengthened audit readiness, and built strong cross‑departmental partnerships that support organizational goals. Her expertise spans contract negotiation, payer compliance, staff development, and system optimization across platforms, including Cerner Millennium, Chancellor, and multiple electronic billing systems.

Beyond her operational impact, Monica is deeply committed to professional community building. She plays an active role in the HFMA SoCal Chapter, contributing to event planning, sponsorship outreach, and chapter engagement initiatives. She is currently pursuing VP‑level opportunities in healthcare revenue cycle management, bringing a blend of technical expertise, relationship‑driven leadership, and a passion for continuous improvement.

Jennifer Tryfon, MHA
Director of Patient Collections and Customer Service
Keck Medicine of USC
Jennifer Tryfon, MHA, is the Director of Patient Collections and Customer Service for Keck Medicine of USC, providing strategic leadership for all Self‑Pay, Customer Service, and Financial Assistance operations across the Health System. With more than 20 years of experience in healthcare and 10 years in progressive leadership at USC, she is recognized for driving enterprise modernization, operational excellence, and patient‑centered financial strategies.
Jennifer leads major initiatives that streamline financial communication and improve the patient experience, including the in‑sourcing of the Self‑Pay/Customer Service department and the implementation of enterprise combined patient statements. She also oversees organizational readiness for key regulatory requirements, ensuring compliance while supporting equitable access to care.
Known for her strategic vision and collaborative leadership, Jennifer strengthens cross- functional partnerships and leads high-performing teams through complex operational change. She earned her master’s degree in healthcare administration from the University of Southern California (USC) and her bachelor’s degree in sociology from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF).

Nabil “Bill” Haddad
Chief Executive Officer
Comspec, Inc.
Nabil “Bill” Haddad is Chief Executive Officer of Comspec, Inc., bringing extensive expertise in revenue cycle strategy, payer relations, denial mitigation, and operational performance improvement. His leadership in financial operations and self-pay management has helped organizations strengthen collections performance while improving patient financial engagement. Bill brings practical insights into sustainable strategies for managing uninsured populations in an evolving reimbursement landscape.  

Rudy Braccili Jr, MBA, CHFP
Senior Director, Revenue Cycle Operations
Keck Medicine of USC
President, AAHAM Western Region
Rudy Braccili is the Senior Director of Revenue Cycle Operations at Keck Medicine of USC and the current President of AAHAM Western Region. With extensive leadership experience in hospital revenue cycle management, Rudy oversees operational strategy, financial performance improvement initiatives, and patient financial services optimization. As moderator, he will guide a dynamic discussion focused on proactive strategies, innovation, and cross-organizational collaboration.

 

The Next 5 Years of Healthcare Finance: Why Humans-in-the-Loop Will Win

AI will dramatically change healthcare finance over the next five years, but it will not replace human judgment. As both providers and payers deploy increasingly sophisticated AI, the real challenge won’t be adoption speed. It will be clarity: knowing what to automate, what to question, and when to act. This session explores what is inevitable versus unlikely in AI-driven revenue cycle transformation. We’ll examine where leaders should invest now, where waiting is smarter, and why fully autonomous revenue cycle operations remain unrealistic – and risky. As payer AI evolves just as quickly as provider AI, health system operators must become better at rapid decision-making, prioritization, and action, not just following historic workflow patterns.

Erick McKesson
EVP, Automation & AI Solutions
VisiQuate 
erick.mckesson@visiquate.com

Erick brings more than 20 years of experience building technology at the intersection of healthcare revenue cycle operations and innovation. He began his career at Epic Systems, where he helped advance early EHR capabilities, including the launch of the Foundation System, the first Single Billing Office, and the first hospital Community Connect installation.

In 2010, Erick joined MultiCare Consulting Services (later McKinnis Consulting Services), where as a Partner, he led the productization and go-to-market of EHR-enabled solutions. Following the firm’s acquisition by Navigant Consulting in 2016, he founded and led Navigant’s first healthcare intelligent automation team and later founded Venddy, introducing an industry-first Intelligent RFP platform.

Erick went on to found and scale Rotera, a healthcare automation and AI company focused on improving revenue, cost, and employee engagement. Rotera was acquired by VisiQuate in 2025, and he now leads product development for VisiQuate’s automation and AI-driven solutions.

Location: USC Arcadia Hospital – Vance Auditorium
300 W. Huntington Drive
Arcadia, CA 91007

Registration ends on 4/10/2026

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