2026 Accreditation & Regulatory Summit
Where Compliance takes the Field
Additional Summit Information
Conference Information
|
Featured Speakers
|
Featured Topics
|
Agenda
|
Welcome Reception & Comedy Night
Featured Topics
Richard (Rick) Curtis is the Chief Executive Officer for CIHQ. Rick is nationally recognized as an expert on standards and the CMS Certification & Survey Process. As CEO, Rick successfully guided CIHQ in becoming the nation’s 4th CMS approved deeming authority for acute care, critical access, and psychiatric hospitals.
In addition, Rick has overseen the management of Accreditation Resource Services (ARS) – the consulting arm of CIHQ with over 450 clients nationwide.
Rick is a regular speaker at numerous state and national conferences on the CMS survey process.
Rick is nationally certified in healthcare accreditation and serves as Chair of the Board of Examiners for the Healthcare Accreditation Certification Program (HACP). Rick has a degree in Nursing from the University of Hawaii, with a Master’s Degree in Health Services Administration.
Lara Burnside has spent the last 30 years creating workplaces that honor and value every person – whether they are a patient, employee or clinician.
Lara has built human resources and patient experience departments from the ground up – achieving multiple recognitions including the Malcom Baldrige Quality Award, one of the highest national honors.
As the Co-Founder of CSE Leadership, a global consulting and coaching practice focused on equipping leaders and clinicians with powerful tools to improve the patient care experience.
By tapping into clients’ passion and purpose, she achieved top quartile performance and beyond in more than 200 hospitals across the United States.
Beckers Healthcare has recognized Lara three times as one of the nation’s leading CXO’s.
Carrie Levake is a Generalist Surveyor for CIHQ/ARS. Carrie has more than 28 years of experience in healthcare including regulatory compliance and survey preparation.
Carrie’s clinical background is in nursing with a focus in Acute Care, Internal Medicine, and Emergency Medicine.
She has held both clinical and executive management level positions in Quality, Patient Advocacy, Infection Control, Laboratory and Regulatory Compliance. Prior to joining CIHQ in 2024, Carrie served as a State Health Surveyor providing oversight of state and federal regulatory compliance across multiple healthcare facilities.
Carrie joined CIHQ in 2024 as a Generalist Surveyor. Carrie received her nursing degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. She is nationally certified in healthcare accreditation (HACP-CMS).
Chris Pratt is a Senior Consultant with Courtemanche and Associates with more than 33 years in clinical and leadership experience working in varying healthcare positions from the bedside to the Boardroom. In this role, he is responsible for assessing healthcare organizations’ readiness for licensing, accreditation, and regulatory compliance
He retired from the military in 2016 with over 29 years of distinguished service as a U.S. Navy Nurse Corps Officer. Clinically, he is a licensed Registered Nurse with extensive experience in critical care, medical-surgical services, ambulatory care, staff development, nursing administration and quality.
Mr. Pratt graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of South Carolina. Additionally, he earned a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from the University of Memphis.
Gina Miller is a Generalist Surveyor for CIHQ/ARS. Gina has more than 40 years of experience in healthcare including regulatory compliance and survey preparation.
Gina’s clinical background is in nursing with a focus on emergency medicine. She has held clinical as well as executive management positions in Nursing, Case Management, Quality and Regulatory Compliance. Prior to joining CIHQ, Gina served as the Director of Quality & Outcomes Management at Pomerene Hospital providing oversight of regulatory compliance, quality, infection prevention and medical staff.
Gina joined CIHQ in 2017 as a Generalist Surveyor and became a Lead Surveyor in 2018. She participates in the research and development of documents and alerts that are provided via Accreditation Resource Services (ARS).
Gina received her BSN from Alderson-Broaddus University and MSN from Western Governor’s University. She is nationally certified in healthcare accreditation (HACP).
Richard (Rick) Curtis is the Chief Executive Officer for CIHQ. Rick is nationally recognized as an expert on standards and the CMS Certification & Survey Process. As CEO, Rick successfully guided CIHQ in becoming the nation’s 4th CMS approved deeming authority for acute care, critical access, and psychiatric hospitals.
In addition, Rick has overseen the management of Accreditation Resource Services (ARS) – the consulting arm of CIHQ with over 450 clients nationwide.
Rick is a regular speaker at numerous state and national conferences on the CMS survey process.
Rick is nationally certified in healthcare accreditation and serves as Chair of the Board of Examiners for the Healthcare Accreditation Certification Program (HACP). Rick has a degree in Nursing from the University of Hawaii, with a Master’s Degree in Health Services Administration.
Paula Barnes is a Generalist Surveyor for CIHQ/ARS. Paula has 29 years of experience in healthcare including regulatory compliance and survey preparation.
Paula’s clinical background is in nursing with a focus on emergency and intensive care medicine. She has held clinical as well as executive management positions in Nursing, Quality and Regulatory Compliance.
Prior to joining CIHQ, Paula served as a Corporate Regulatory Compliance & Accreditation Specialist providing regulatory consultation services for a large healthcare system in Eastern NC.
Paula joined CIHQ in 2019 as a Generalist Surveyor. She participated in the development and maintenance of resource documents provided by Accreditation Resource Services (ARS).
Paula received her BSN from East Carolina University MBA from the University of Phoenix. She is nationally certified in healthcare accreditation (HACP) for both CMS and IC.
Helen E. McKnight is the Director of Accreditation and Medication Safety for Cardinal Health. She joined Cardinal Health in 2022. Her 30-year healthcare career includes practicing pharmacy in Florida, New York, and Alabama.
Dr. McKnight was the first Alabama pharmacist to pass the Board of Pharmacy Specialties-Compounded Sterile Preparations exam. She was a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Leading Edge and the ASHP Foundation’s Pharmacy Leadership Academy programs.
Lara is the Co-Founder of CSE Leadership, a global consulting and coaching practice focused on equipping leaders and clinicians with powerful tools to improve the patient care experience.
Dr. McKnight holds a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Florida and completed her pharmacy practice residency at the University of Maryland Medical System. She received an MBA from New England College in New Hampshire.
Michael Jones is a Facility Specialist for CIHQ/ARS. Michael has more than 18 years of experience specializing in healthcare facilities operations.
Michaels’s background includes Emergency Medical Services. He has held positions in Facilities Engineering, Construction, Grounds, Security, and Clinical Engineering Environmental Services.
Michael joined CIHQ in 2024 as a Facility Specialist Surveyor. He participates in the research and development of policies, tools and forms provided to clients via the ARS Resource Library.
Michael received his bachelor’s degree in leadership, Education and Communications from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He currently holds certifications for the HACP in Physical Environment, Infection Control, and CMS.
Julia Finken is the Executive Vice President of Accreditation & Regulatory Compliance for Patton Healthcare Consulting and Barrins & Associates. She joined the HBS family with a remarkable 25+ years of healthcare industry expertise which includes a 17+ year tenure with The Joint Commission.
Ms. Finken received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing with a minor in Business Economics from California State University, Long Beach and her Master of Business Administration from the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine. She is a Certified Professional in Health Care Quality (CPHQ), a Certified Consultant for Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC), and is a MSI Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt (CLSSMBB).
Dick Sems has over 50 years’ security and workplace violence management leadership experience. He served as Global Director of Security and Crisis Management for a Fortune 100 company, and was Vice President of Pinkerton, later Securitas, responsible for all operations in eleven states of the Northeast U.S. He has been board certified as a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) since 1979, was President of the International Security Management Association (ISMA), served as Vice President of the International Association of Professional Security Consultants (IAPSC), belonged to ASIS International since 1974, is a member of the International Association for Healthcare Safety and Security (IAHSS), had several articles published and made many presentations on security and workplace violence specializing in healthcare.
Dick is President of Sem Security Management, a security and workplace violence consulting firm based in Burlington.
Jennifer Crook is a Generalist Surveyor for CIHQ/ARS. Jennifer has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare including regulatory compliance and survey preparation.
Jennifer’s clinical background is in critical care with a focus in emergency medicine, intensive care, interventional radiology and cardiac catheterization laboratory. She has held both clinical and executive management level positions in Quality, Risk, Education, Infection Control and Regulatory Compliance.
Jennifer joined CIHQ in 2024 as a Generalist Surveyor. Her role also includes participation in the research and development of documents and alerts that are provided via Accreditation Resource Services (ARS).
Jennifer received a nursing degree from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She is nationally certified in health accreditation (HACP) for both CMS and PE.
Brianne McGuire is Director of Business Development at Nephros, Inc., a U.S.-based manufacturer of FDA-cleared infection control and water filtration technologies. With more than 20 years of experience spanning healthcare, industrial safety, and regulatory engagement, she leads national initiatives focused on advancing water safety, compliance, and education within healthcare facilities. Drawing on a background in industrial design and human-centered problem solving, Brianne specializes in distilling complex technical standards, such as ASHRAE 188, ASHRAE 514, and AAMI ST108, into clear, actionable strategies for Facilities, Infection Prevention, and Administrative leaders. Her work bridges technical operations and regulatory intent to strengthen risk management, continuity, and resilience across the built environment.
Traci Curtis is the Chief Operating Officer for CIHQ. Traci has more than 32 years of experience in healthcare including regulatory compliance and survey preparation.
Traci has held clinical as well as executive management positions at the corporate and facility level in Respiratory Services, Regulatory Compliance, Quality, Risk, Infection Control and Education.
Traci joined CIHQ in 2007 as a Generalist Lead Surveyor and in 2011 was promoted to her executive level position. Currently she oversees the accreditation division for hospitals, freestanding emergency centers, urgent care centers and congregate living health facilities, as well as business development and marketing.
William (Billy) Kinch is a senior facilities specialist surveyor with CIHQ specializing in environmental health and safety. Billy is responsible for standards development and interpretation for the physical environment and emergency preparedness standards for CIHQ. Billy is a regular speaker as part of CIHQ’ monthly webinars and also speaks at State and National conferences.
Billy also acts as the content expert in developing the HACP-PE certification exam.
Billy received his Master Degree in Business Administration from Phoenix University and is a certified healthcare accreditation specialist specializing in the care environment (HACP-PE).
Dr. Wilson is the President of ACPHealth. ACPHealth is a healthcare company focused on Hospital Transformation to allow rural communities to thrive in the new financial realities of hospital operations.
Clinically Dr. Wilson has worked in or led more than 20 different emergency departments from Level 1 Trauma Centers to undesignated small critical access facilities across 4 States over the last 19 years.
Dr. Wilson also serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at Texas A&M College of Medicine, and as an Advisory Board Member in the Texas A&M Mays School of Management.
Taylor Vaughn is a Facility Manager at Children’s Health in Dallas, Texas. In this role, she assumes responsibility for ensuring systemwide compliance with facilities-related regulatory compliance.
Additionally, Taylor is an esteemed Subject Matter Expert and Content Writer at Legacy FM, where she contributes her expertise to the development of tailored training materials for healthcare systems.
Taylor is also a Senior Consultant with Covenant Rock Consulting, providing guidance on Life Safety and Environment of Care Management. Taylor is the current President-Elect for the Texas Association of Healthcare Facilities Management (TAHFM).
A visionary leader in AI/ML integration and human experience, Vishal Bhalla brings decades of expertise in transforming organizations through strategic technology implementation. His thought leadership spans from Forbes to MIT Sloan Management Review, making him a sought-after voice in AI governance and operational excellence.
As Chief Executive Officer of AnalytAIX, Vishal assists healthcare entitiesi n harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence, turning siloed data into clear, actionable insights and measurable ROI.
Vishal earned his MBA from MIT and a Master Black Belt in Lean.
A distinguished leader at the intersection of aerospace, defense, and artificial intelligence, Col. Zamot brings unique expertise in implementing secure and ethical AI solutions. His experience spans from leading the USAF's elite Test Pilot School to shaping national cybersecurity policy.
Col. Zamot received his Engineering Degrees from MIT and University of Michigan and has a Master's in National Security Strategy from the National Defense College. He is a member of DOT's Aviation Cyber Initiative, and is an award winning Author of AI Ethics Fiction.
Traci Curtis is the Chief Operating Officer for CIHQ. Traci has more than 32 years of experience in healthcare including regulatory compliance and survey preparation.
Traci has held clinical as well as executive management positions at the corporate and facility level in Respiratory Services, Regulatory Compliance, Quality, Risk, Infection Control and Education.
Traci joined CIHQ in 2007 as a Generalist Lead Surveyor and in 2011 was promoted to her executive level position. Currently she oversees the accreditation division for hospitals, freestanding emergency centers, urgent care centers and congregate living health facilities, as well as business development and marketing.
Richard (Rick) Curtis is the Chief Executive Officer for CIHQ. Rick is nationally recognized as an expert on standards and the CMS Certification & Survey Process. As CEO, Rick successfully guided CIHQ in becoming the nation’s 4th CMS approved deeming authority for acute care, critical access, and psychiatric hospitals.
In addition, Rick has overseen the management of Accreditation Resource Services (ARS) – the consulting arm of CIHQ with over 450 clients nationwide.
Rick is a regular speaker at numerous state and national conferences on the CMS survey process.
Rick is nationally certified in healthcare accreditation and serves as Chair of the Board of Examiners for the Healthcare Accreditation Certification Program (HACP). Rick has a degree in Nursing from the University of Hawaii, with a Master’s Degree in Health Services Administration.
CMS State of the Union
Speaker: Richard Curtis, RN, MS, HACP-CMS
The regulatory environment is in a period of uncertainty. Get first-hand knowledge on the latest in the CMS certification arena. This opening address will cover current and likely future actions from CMS and their impact on accrediting organizations and hospitals. To be forewarned is to be forearmed!
Engaging Governance & Leadership
Speaker: Lara Burnside
Lack of buy in by senior management and the governing body is the single most significant barrier to a successful regulatory compliance program. This presentation will offer practical real-world strategies to engage these key stakeholders in championing your hospital’s compliance program.
Making the Business Case for Quality
Speaker: Carrie Levake, RN, BSN, HACP-CMS
A strong quality and safety program isn’t just about good patient care. It’s also good business! Learn how to make the “business case” for your quality improvement and patient safety initiatives. This presentation will help you demonstrates that investing in better processes, safety, and efficiency yields financial returns, reduces waste, and enhances reputation.
PI Projects From Start to Finish
Speaker: Christopher Pratt, MS, BSN, HACP-CMS
CMS has set a high bar for hospitals to show that they are sustaining improved performance. The PI projects your hospital undertakes will undergo increased scrutiny during surveys. This presentation offers a step-by-step guide in how to develop, implement, and monitor your hospital’s improvement projects.
Preparing for Survey
Speaker: Gina Miller, MSN, RN, HACP
Did you know that 90% of the work that goes into a successful survey occurs before the survey even starts! Learn how to get your hospital survey ready – everything from logistics, to document preparation, internal assessments, staff education and more. This presentation will leave you confident in facing the challenge ahead.
CIHQ Accreditation Update
This presentation is for CIHQ accredited organizations. Get the latest information on changes to standards, survey procedures, and the top condition-level deficiencies levied over the past 12 months. This will also be your opportunity to seek interpretation of standards and get your questions answered.
TJC / DNV Accreditation Program Update
Speaker: Paula Barnes, MBA, BSN, RN, HACP
This presentation is for organizations accredited by these other deeming authorities. You’ll get the latest information on changes to standards, policies, and the survey process for each agency.
Drug Diversion – The Risk to Patient Safety
Speaker: Helen McKnight, PharmD, MBA, BCSCP
Drug diversion is a growing problem in healthcare. This presentation provides an overview of the scope and breadth of drug diversion in the hospital setting, the potential impact on patient safety, and how hospitals can establish structures / processes to prevent / identify / respond to diversion issues.
Building Maintenance Plans – Still a Vital Compliance Tool
Speaker: Michael Jones, BA, HACP-PE
How does your hospital possibly prepare its buildings for inspection? One answer is by establishing a building maintenance plan. This presentation provides an overview of what a building maintenance plan is, the major components, and its usefulness in preparing for survey and maintaining compliance with the life safety code.
Special Patient Populations - Behavioral Health
Speaker: Julia Finkin
Caring for the behavioral health population can be challenging – both from a patient care and a compliance standpoint. This presentation will focus on key regulatory / safety challenges for behavioral patients – both in psychiatric as well as general acute care hospitals.
Trends in Healthcare Security & Workplace Violence
Speaker: Richard Sems, CPP
Threats and risks have evolved in healthcare in recent years, enhanced by the Covid Epidemic. People are more confrontational and assaults against staff and other violence has been increasing. This presentation will cover the four facets of Workplace Violence Planning – Prevention, Mitigation, Response and Recovery as well as appropriate physical and staffing security measures.
Special Patient Populations - Obstetrics
CMS has published a new Condition of Participation addressing the care of obstetrical patients. Your accrediting agencies quickly followed suit. This presentation will systematically review the new COP and the key challenges that hospital’s face in caring for the obstetrical patient.
Implementing a Waterborne Pathogen Management Plan
Speaker: Brianne McGuire
Waterborne pathogens can spell big trouble for a hospital. Having an effective plan to deal with these pathogens is paramount. This presentation will focus on the steps that a hospital must take to develop and implement a compliant water pathogen management program.
Medical Staff Compliance Challenges
Speaker: Traci Curtis, BA, RCP, HACP
Did you know that negligent credentialing can bring a hospital to its knees! Assuring that your medical staff is appropriately credentialed and privileged is a “must do”. This presentation will cover key regulatory requirements governing medical staff’ and compliance challenges during surveys.
Establishing an Alternate Equipment Management Program
Speaker: William Kinch, MBA, HACP-PE
Maintaining equipment in accordance with manufacturer instructions can be both time-consuming and expensive! Deploying an alternate approach can be beneficial, but it must be done correctly. This presentation will address the steps needed to establish an alternate equipment management plan that will be acceptable to CMS and accrediting agencies.
EMTALA – Latest & Greatest
Speaker: Andy Wilson, MD. FAAEM
TEMTALA violations are on the rise and CMS is cracking down on hospitals that violate these regulations. You’ll learn about the latest interpretation of EMTALA requirements and where hospitals are being cited. Then, test your knowledge in real world occurrences -are they violations or not?.
Environmental Controls – An Alternate Approach
Speaker: Taylor Vaughn
Issues surrounding temperature, humidity, and air balance in environmentally sensitive area continues to be one of the most frequent citations during a survey. This presentation will address regulatory requirements surrounding environmental controls in hospitals, and ASHRAE/ASHE Guideline 43 - Implementing a Ventilation Management Plan.
Trivia Time
Speaker: CIHQ Staff
Back by popular demand! Join your colleagues for an hour of fun and test your knowledge of accreditation standards. You’ll form into teams and compete against each other.
Artificial Intelligence – The New Regulatory Frontier
Healthcare organizations worldwide are rapidly deploying artificial intelligence (AI) across clinical, operational, and administrative workflows. While current oversight initiatives rigorously evaluate traditional quality, safety, and compliance, AI introduces new categories of operational, ethical, and governance risk that are not systematically assessed today. This presentation lays the groundwork for establishing an ongoing AI compliance program that addresses the growing call for regulatory oversight.
Culture – The Key to Success
Speaker: Richard Curtis, RN, MS, HACP-CMS
Without the right culture, all the work that goes into compliance will be for naught.. For many organizations, their culture of compliance is problematic. This closing presentation makes the case for why hospitals and other healthcare entities must work to establish a culture that supports regulatory compliance from the ground up and from top to bottom.
October 6-8, 2026
Mid-America Conference CenterCounsil Bluffs, IA
For additional information
please contact us at 866-324-5080, option 1.
please contact us at 866-324-5080, option 1.
2026 SUMMIT IS HERE!
2026 SUMMIT COUNTDOWN
- 00
Days
- :
- 00
Hours
- :
- 00
Min
- :
- 00
Sec