February 2, 2015

Tallahassee, Fla. – The Foundation of Associated Industries of Florida (FAIF), today announced that Eliot Fishman, a top official at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), will deliver the keynote address at the 2015 Florida Health Care Affordability Summit on Tuesday, February 10, 2015 at 8 a.m. EST.

“We are looking forward to having Dr. Fishman, one of the foremost figures shaping health care policy at the federal level, join us at the 2015 Florida Health Care Affordability Summit as our keynote speaker,” said Tom Feeney, president and CEO of AIF.  “Dr. Fishman’s insight on the inner workings of the nation’s health care system and his commitment to improving outcomes are well respected, and we are truly honored to have him as part of our program this year.”

Eliot Fishman, a Harvard graduate with a Ph.D. from Yale University, is director of the Children and Adults Health Programs Group in the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) at CMS.  In this capacity he leads CMCS’s activities around eligibility and enrollment, quality improvement for vulnerable populations, comprehensive Medicaid waivers and state health programs, including CHIP and the Basic Health Program.  Fishman has worked to promote innovation in the Medicaid program for his entire career, both in government and in the private sector.  He has published extensively on health policy and Medicaid reform; and, prior to joining CMCS, Fishman was a principal at Health Management Associates, a consulting firm specializing in Medicaid and other health policy issues for low-income people, where he focused on Medicaid delivery system and payment reforms, streamlining Medicaid eligibility, enrollment and retention processes and advancing health information technology. Fishman has also worked as vice president in Metropolitan Jewish Health System, a large non-profit integrated delivery system in New York, and as director of the Office of Policy in the New Jersey Department of Health, where his accomplishments included the creation of a program to ensure electronic enrollment in insurance coverage of all uninsured newborns before hospital discharge.

The 2015 Florida Health Care Affordability Summit, which will be held Sunday, February 8, 2015, through Tuesday, February 10, 2015, at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Fla., will, once again, bring together thought leaders from across the health care industry spectrum to engage in an objective, thoughtful and uninhibited discussion, in order to work toward practical, tangible solutions that will lower the barriers of accessibility to good, quality health care in the State of Florida.

“We have put together a tremendous lineup of speakers and sessions for the 2015 Health Care Affordability Summit; and, we are looking forward to seeing all the leaders in the health care industry there to engage in a thoughtful debate and conversation about the future of Florida’s health care, and how we can develop solutions that promote accessible, quality health care in our great state,” concluded Feeney.

The 2015 Health Care Affordability Summit agenda will also include:

• Welcome Gala Reception Honoring Florida March of Dimes
• Opening Keynote Address by Craig Thomas, president of Guidewell Connect
• Policy Panel entitled “Telehealth & Telemedicine” moderated by Senator Aaron Bean (R-Jacksonville)
• Policy Panel entitled “Controlling Costs in Health Care: An exploration of what works, what doesn’t and what’s next to try,” moderated by Representative Carey Pigman (R-Sebring)
• Update on “The Status of Health in the Sunshine State”
• Policy Panel entitled “Wellness in the Workforce,” moderated by Senator Denise Grimsley (R-Sebring)
• Policy Panel entitled “Health Technology: A Tool or a Weapon,” moderated by Representative Mia Jones (D-Jacksonville)
• Discussion entitled “Beyond Our Boundaries: Health Care Challenges, Changes & Chances Across the Nation”
• Policy Panel entitled “The Impact of Public Health Issues on the Private Sector,” moderated by Florida Surgeon General John Armstrong
• Policy Panel entitled “Incentivizing Health Care Reforms,” moderated by Jay Wolfson, Dr.P.H., J.D.
• Breakout Sessions and Networking events

            
For the latest updates on the Summit agenda and events, please visit www.healthcareflorida.com and follow us on Twitter @HealthCareFL.