7:30 AM - 2:00 PM

Golf

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Registration

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Networking Reception

8:30 AM - 9:30 AM

Breakfast and Plenary Session

Lewis Gold, MD, Co-CEO and Chairman, Advanced Recovery Systems   

Lewis Gold, MD, co-founded Sheridan Healthcare in 1994 and was Executive Vice Chairman and on the board of directors. At Sheridan, he negotiated four separate private equity transactions. In December 2013 he co-founded Advanced Recovery Systems (ARS), an integrated behavioral health company specializing in the treatment of alcohol and drug abuse, eating disorders, and associated mental health issues. Dr. Gold currently acts as Co-CEO of ARS and has partnered with Goldman Sachs private equity in this entity

9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

The mergers and acquisitions market in addictions and substance abuse is at an inflection point.  Demand is beginning to shift from a largely, high-end, out-of-network, residential focus, to lower-end, in-network and community based programs that may be short on sex appeal, but long on cost, growth, and stability appeal.  We are already seeing this subtle shift in the recent swell of transaction activity involving medication assisted treatment providers.  In this session, we will discuss why the substance abuse deal climate is in transition, and how this may re-shape investment strategies, demand, and valuation in addictions M&A over the next 12-36 months.

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Networking Break

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Workshop 2 -  Calculating and Increasing Your Value: What Makes a Difference for Investors

Tracy Griffin Collander, LCSW, Executive Director, Behavioral Health Care Accreditation, The Joint Commission
Tom Schramski, PhD, CMAA, President and Managing Partner, Vertess Advisors LLC

Treatment centers looking for private equity investment and those looking for potential buying partners must position their businesses for quality, effectiveness and efficiency in order to gain the attention of investors. This session will outline factors that increase valuation and offer best practices in setting up your business for the most advantageous deal.

12:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Lunch and Plenary Session - The Revenue Cycle: Getting Paid in Behavioral Healthcare Panel Discussion

William McCormick, CEO, Medivance Billing Service
Kevin Taggart, Principal, Mertz Taggart
Jason Brian, CEO, Redwood Recovery Solutions
Daniel J. Gemp, President and CEO, Dreamscape Marketing, LLC

Getting paid in behavioral health means getting clients in the door, providing reimbursable services, and ensuring payers remit within a reasonable time frame. Successful organizations are not only driving robust revenue, they’re also attracting the interest of investors who can help them grow their operations. This panel discussion brings together experts to discuss relevant issues facing providers of all stripes in mental health, substance abuse and eating disorders, including residential treatment centers, intensive outpatient, sober living and private practices.

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Networking Break

3:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Workshop 3 - What Investors Look for in Behavioral Healthcare Investment Today

Jason F. Shafer, Partner, HCP & Company
Matthew Hicks, Partner, Excellere Partners

With expansion of insurance coverage and the heightened demand for treatment, the stage is set for the behavioral health segment to come into its own. As a result, investors are looking for treatment centers with future potential. This panel will discuss the key attributes that investors are looking for in the marketplace.

Workshop 4 - The Behavioral Healthcare Payer Mix

David Chernof, VP of Quality Assurance & Standards, Bridgeway Behavioral Health
Edward Jones, Senior Vice President, Institute for Health and Productivity Management

Compared to other healthcare sectors, behavioral health is reimbursed by a diverse mix of public and private payers. With few exceptions, no single payer type dominates the market. State, federal, local, Medicare, Medicaid, as well as commercial and private pay all figure into the mix. This panel will provide insight into the complexities of the sector’s unique payer models.

8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

10:00 AM - 10:30 PM

Networking Break

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Workshop 5 - Preparing for M&A

Cory Mertz, M&AMI, Managing Partner, Mertz Taggart
Kevin Taggart, Principal, Mertz Taggart

Preparing your treatment center for sale takes time, which means that you need to get started well in advance.   Proper exit planning can significantly improve the enterprise value of your company and reduce the time and stress of a transaction, but there are two other compelling reasons to begin preparations now:

1. Most of the steps you will take are, in fact, good business practice.
2. You never know when the right opportunity for a sale might arise.  It’s best to be prepared.

This workshop will provide practical strategies to start planning your exit now, including:

• Beginning with the end in mind
• Understanding and monitoring value
• Minimizing risk

Developing the proper financial and operational metrics to run your business and make it more desirable for buyers.

Your reward is a feeling of confidence that you can seize the interest of more qualified buyers quickly, and ultimately sell under your terms.  You will also know that you will be passing on the business in the best possible condition, thus helping ensure its legacy.

Workshop 6 - Understanding Treatment Center Operations

Tom Doub, PhD, CEO, Centerstone Research Institute

Behavioral health is uniquely positioned in the larger landscape of health service delivery. Understanding the nuances of daily operations will provide insight into the areas of risk and opportunity. While several industry groups provide clinical guidance to steer the organizations, increasingly, passionate clinicians are becoming overwhelmed by the new trend toward operationalizing the industry.

12:15 PM - 1:30 PM

Lunch and Plenary Session

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Great mergers don’t happen by accident. From the C-suite to the boardroom to the bedside, every individual must drive toward the new reality of the newly integrated organization. Governance, workforce issues, branding, technology systems, clinical protocol and quality measures must be re-evaluated and recast to reflect the new goals.

Workshop 8 - Best Practices in Evaluating a Treatment Center's Value

Todd Rudsenske, Managing Director, Cain Brothers & Company, LLC
Mary P. Hauser, MA, Vice President of Addiction Services and New Market Development, Dominion Diagnostics
Kara McVey, CPC, CPMA, Owner, Ilex Consulting, LLC

This discussion will highlight where the value lies among treatment centers, including market position, revenue source and future opportunity. Experts will examine ways to determine the acquisition target’s enterprises, assets and services as they relate to reimbursement, regulation, competition and technology.

3:15 PM - 4:00 PM

Closing Remarks