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2025 ELEVATE SPONSOR

ELEVATE at the Summit is an extraordinary opportunity for inspiration and empowerment. Join an exclusive group of women in the HME industry for an afternoon of learning, collaboration, and networking. Gain valuable skills and knowledge to propel your career and personal growth to new heights.

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2024 Elevate Schedule

Organized by HME News and the HME News Business Summit

Building engagement: Women thriving in the 21st century workplace

Join us for this year's keynote focused on women thriving in the 21st century workplace. Our speaker, Jen Hart PhD, a Gallup-certified Strengths Coach who has worked in health care and education and who has taught in the field of psychology, leadership, and organizational studies, will explore how we thrive at work through engagement, leveraging strengths and working with mentors along our career journey. Jen will share valuable insights from her research focused on how individuals can build their own engagement at work and the benefits of leveraging personal strengths. Finally, she’ll discuss the power of identifying and working with strong mentors and how mentors can help career growth and development. Expect an interactive session with time for Q&A, smaller group work and more.

Speaker:
Jen Hart Ph.D. in leadership & organizational development studies from the University of Southern Maine in Portland

Charting their course: Women strategizing to the top

Join us for a dynamic panel discussion that explores the pivotal role of C-suite positions in influencing women's career trajectories – beyond the monetary benefits. This discussion will delve into the critical strategies, big decisions and proactive approaches necessary for women to ascend to top leadership positions. Our distinguished panelists will share the importance of advocating for oneself ("If you don't ask, you don't get") and the potential career-defining moves that can make the difference between staying at or leaving a company in pursuit of greater opportunities.

Moderator:
Sarah Hanna, founder and president, Hunt Heritage Group LLC

Panelists:
Ann Cornelius, chief revenue officer, DASCO Home Medical Equipment
Sherry Krug, vice president of business development, Binson's Medical Equipment & Sales
Patty Mastandrea, CEO, MedCare Equipment Co.

Dialogue from the top: Women reshaping their businesses

Join us for an intimate discussion between two top female leaders who have climbed to the highest ranks of their organizations. This session will delve into the unique impact that women can have on corporate culture and the innovative approaches they bring to leadership roles. These two leading ladies will discuss how they have re-engineered remote work policies and employee engagement and initiated other pivotal changes, resulting in significantly improved outcomes for their organizations. They will also discuss the differences in their leadership styles, particularly how they interact with management, boards and investors.

Speakers:
Lindy Tentinger, president, VGM & Associates
Katie Stevens, CEO, Reliable Medical

No guts no glory: Women embracing disruptive thinking

Join us for a candid and illustrative panel discussion of women disruptors in the HME industry. These women have the confidence to be creative and innovative problem-solvers. Yet, they realize that when women have a strong conviction and a strong sense of belief about how to drive a company forward, they can also be misconstrued as overly aggressive. These top tier women share how they maneuver these challenges with finesse and class.

Moderator:
Miriam Lieber, President, Lieber Consulting LLC

Panelists:
Sarah Newby, director of sales & marketing, Strategic Office Support
Lizzie Kelly, vice president, VGM Insurance Services
Lisa Wells, vice president, Med-South, Inc., and Affiliates

Ann Cornelius

Ann Cornelius is Chief Revenue Officer of DASCO Home Medical Equipment. She has been on the company’s team and in the HME industry for 25 years. She currently oversees all branch operations, sales, and business development. Most of her time is spent focused on strategic growth, enhancing the customer experience, organizational culture and profitability. She is active with the Ohio Association of Medical Equipment Services and is a member of the Ohio Medicaid Advisory Committee. She is a graduate of Ohio Dominican University and earned her MBA from Indiana University. She enjoys learning, traveling, and live music.

Sarah Hanna

Sarah Hanna is a distinguished leader in the health care industry, boasting an impressive 30-year career in DME revenue cycle management. As the former CEO and founder of ECS North, she led the company to significant success before its acquisition by ACU-Serve Corp. in August 2022. Following the acquisition, Sarah took on the role of Vice President of Consulting Services at ACU-Serve, where she continued to influence the industry until August 2024.

Now, as the founder and president of Hunt Heritage Group LLC, Sarah is embarking on an exciting new chapter in her career. Her company is dedicated to exploring new innovations, ideas and business opportunities. With her vast experience and deep expertise, Sarah is a nationally recognized speaker and consultant, renowned for her insights on business operations, strategy, corporate culture and leadership.

Sarah's journey reflects her passion for growth and transformation, and she is thrilled to leverage her knowledge and experience to inspire and guide others in this dynamic phase of her career.

Jen Hart

Jen Hart Ph.D., LCPC is an educator, researcher, and Gallup Strengths coach. In her work in health care, Jen provides clinical education and support for staff at regional hospitals in the State of Maine. As a facilitator, Jen specializes in the areas of employee engagement, leadership development, Gallup Strengths, and team dynamics. Beyond her training endeavors, Jen is a passionate researcher, focusing on employee engagement offering insights for individuals, leaders, and organizations. Jen earned her Ph.D. in Leadership and Organizational Studies and an M.Ed. in Counseling Education. She lives in Portland, Maine, with her husband where they enjoy hiking, driving around the region in their antique convertible, and spending time at the local beaches.

Lizzie Kelly

Lizzie Kelly serves as Vice President of Carrier Relations & Program Development for VGM Insurance Services and has been with the organization since 2015. In her role, Lizzie leads VGM Insurance’s processing, surety bond, and non-programmed commercial insurance business team, which requires working closely with accounting, systems, and sales to ensure operational efficiencies. Lizzie earned the designation of Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) through The National Alliance for Insurance in 2021 and her Certified Authority on Workers Compensation (CAWC) in 2023. In 2021, Lizzie was nominated & awarded VGM Group’s Ace of Initiative. Before joining VGM Insurance, Lizzie served as a commercial underwriter for a regional carrier and held internships at various independent agencies. Lizzie obtained her BA in Finance from University of Iowa Tippie College of Business along with a Certificate in Risk Management and Insurance. She sits on Iowa’s Vaughn Institute Young Alumni Board where she continues to give back to her alma-mater. Lizzie resides in Cedar Falls, IA, with her husband, Michael, and 3 young girls.

Sherry Krug

Sherry is the Vice President of Business Development at Binson's Medical Equipment & Supplies. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated her effectiveness as a leader in the HME industry and her ability to achieve great results. She held a key role in establishing a DME for the largest house-call practice in the country, contributing to their success as an ACO. Based on her experience, Sherry holds invaluable knowledge regarding the importance of DMEs on continuum of care and on the savings of overall health care spend with proper utilization and management. Since joining Binson's, the largest family-owned full service DME in the country, Sherry serves as an operational and growth leader overseeing Customer Service, Respiratory, Business Development, Sales and Marketing. The company’s growth and development is supported by her ability to lead teams through complex projects with a focus on quality, compliance, performance and workflow optimization, and the ability to pivot quickly and effectively. She has developed a strong reputation for treating the business as if it were her own, while providing her teams with a successful working environment in which they can thrive. Sherry has been recognized for her profound knowledge of regulatory compliance, strategic planning, sales and marketing techniques, customer service training, as well as practical business acumen.

In addition to Sherry's devotion to the DME industry, Sherry is an entrepreneur and develops revenue producing properties in a Northern Michigan resort community.

Miriam Lieber

Miriam Lieber is a principal consultant, mentor and trainer specializing in home health care revenue cycle management. Her extensive experience with Medicare and other third-party payers has brought her national recognition in the home care industry. With over 25 years in the home care field, Miriam has consulted with over 500 HME companies nationwide and is a featured author of many articles in the areas of operations management and leadership. She is also a nationally known speaker for many home care trade associations. In her consulting practice, Ms. Lieber’s clientele includes HME companies, managed care organizations, hospitals, wholesalers, pharmacies and manufacturers. She is known to have practical approaches to complex operational matters and assists her clients with the nuts and bolts of running a profitable business.

Patty Mastandrea

Patty Mastandrea is Chief Executive Officer of MedCare Equipment Co., LLC, headquartered in Greensburg, PA. Mastandrea has more than 35 years of healthcare experience, beginning her career in procurement with UPMC in Pittsburgh, PA. She came to Greensburg's Westmoreland Hospital as purchasing manager 28 years ago, and soon moved to MedCare as Director of Operations where she worked to expand the scope of service to meet patient care needs beyond the hospital environment. For 15 years she served as MedCare's Chief Operating Officer, before being named chief executive of the company which now operates seven distribution centers, employs 300 staff in clinical and customer service roles, and produces an annual revenue of $90 million.

She attended West Virginia Wesleyan College, the married mother of three adult children is a lifelong resident of Westmoreland County.

Time and again, Mastandrea has demonstrated her expertise in business development and healthcare operations. Her business acumen led to the establishment of the highly successful joint venture that now exists between MedCare Equipment Company and eight health systems across Western Pennsylvania, including Excela Health, Duke Life Point (Conemaugh Health), Washington Health System, Butler Health System, Heritage Valley Health System, Indiana Regional Medical Center, St. Clair Hospital and UPMC. During this period of growth which began in 2008, MedCare was recognized as an HME Excellence Award winner in 2015 which is given to the nation's premier providers of home medical equipment and home respiratory therapy. Part of this recognition was based on Mastandrea's commitment to hold MedCare operations to a higher standard, and resulted in accreditation by The Compliance Team as an Exemplary Provider of home medical equipment and supplies.

A member of the Executive Advisory Board for Brightree, the leading software provider in the post-acute industry, Mastandrea's leadership also includes ResMed's HME Key Opinion Leaders/Advisory Board.

Sarah Newby

Sarah Newby joined Strategic Office Support (SOS) as Sales & Marketing Director in July 2022. With her strategy, guidance, and leadership, SOS experienced 400% growth from year end 2022 to year end 2023 and is on track for continued exponential growth in 2024. Sarah holds degrees in Materials Engineering and Mandarin Chinese from Penn State University. She joined SOS after six years in engineering, branding and product management with ExxonMobil. While with ExxonMobil, Sarah co-led the MARC (Men Advocating Real Change) pilot program, pioneering the way the company inspires and equips men to act as advocates for change in the workplace. Sarah is an experienced state and regional association conference speaker, with session topics ranging from Artificial Intelligence in the HME Industry to Leadership for Business Growth. You can catch more of Sarah on her LinkedIn or the SOS YouTube Channel.

Katie Stevens

Katie Stevens has spent the majority of her career in complex rehab, joining the industry first in customer service in 2006 and advancing across several leadership positions. Katie is a relational leader who enjoys collaboration and authentic connection. She joined Reliable Medical in January of 2020, and in her role as CEO, provides oversight and direction across all operational functions for each location, while supporting the company's growth. Katie has a bachelor’s degree in business from The University of Redlands, and a master’s degree in marketing from the University of Nottingham.

Lindy Tentinger

Lindy Tentinger is the President of VGM & Associates. She began her career with VGM in 2017 and most recently served as president of VGM Forbin/forbinfi, which provides digital marketing solutions, as well as IT and security/compliance services to businesses, with a focus on the HME and financial industries. Prior to this, she served as senior vice president of marketing for VGM & Associates.

Tentinger is a well-recognized face and name within the HME industry. Throughout her career, Tentinger has immersed herself in HME, with a passion for advancing and elevating the industry as a whole. She is also an established thought leader on a number of topics, including branding, technology, and leadership, and regularly speaks at various industry conferences and authors articles for publication. She holds a B.A. in electronic media from Wartburg College and an MBA with a marketing concentration from Bellevue University.