Elite Advisors

Sudipto Banerjee, SPHR, PMP offers executive insights on Human Resource Operations and Transformation based on 30+ years experience implementing and modernizing HCM systems. Most recently, as SVP for HR Operations at Tufts Medicine, Sudipto was responsible for the HR transformation program that included a Workday implementation, creation of a new HR Service Delivery model and futuristic Career Architecture with results to show decision makers a demonstrable return on investment. He brings expert knowledge in AI based predictive models and apps, for better decision making, candidate engagement and employee experience, widely applied in the Transformation program.

A trusted advisor to CHROs, Sudipto has held consultative roles at varied advisory and software firms including Mercer, Oracle, and IBM. He is also the former Global Director of HR Services for the Campbell Soup Company. There he championed the implementation of an enterprise-wide Workday system with Time Management and Advanced Scheduling solutions. 

Sudipto holds a Bachelor’s degree from Indian Maritime University and a Master’s degree from Indian Institute of Technology. He is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).  LinkedIN →

Steven Edwards offers powerful executive insights based on his 30+ year career at CoxHealth, where he held a multitude of leadership roles, culminating in his decade-long tenure as President and CEO of the $1.8B Missouri-based health system.

While at CoxHealth, Steven shepherded the health system through a period of significant growth and transformation, including the acquisition and integration of multiple regional hospitals, construction of a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Neuroscience Center, achievement of Level I Trauma, Stroke and STEMI Centers and Magnet Status, and affiliation with the University of Missouri School of Medicine. Steve also improved the financial health of the organization, more than doubling its total assets and fund balance, while increasing liquidity (days cash on hand) by 35%.

His career at Cox spanned multiple departments and a variety of management roles, including COO and SVP Clinical Services. His experience in almost every aspect of hospital operations gives him a unique perspective into current health system challenges and opportunities. LinkedIN →

Douglas Hires offers powerful executive insights based on 35+ years in IT, Revenue Cycle, and Business Process Outsourcing working with providers, payers, government, and life sciences. Most recently, Douglas was Chief Operating Officer (Provider) for OptumInsight, offering revenue cycle outsourcing and optimization, including coding, billing, and collections for care providers.

Prior to the formation of OptumInsight, Douglas was Chief Operating Officer (Hospital Services) of Optum360 LLC under Optum, providing revenue cycle management services for health systems. During his tenure, he oversaw end-to-end RCM operations for multiple clients, including Dignity Health, where he helped the 36-hospitalsystem significantly reduce AR Days, Bad Debt, Initial and Final Denials while increasing cash collections to record levels.

Before joining Optum, Douglas held healthcare sales and senior leadership positions with Santa Rosa Consulting, 3M Health Information Systems, and First Consulting Group. In each role, he worked directly with healthcare provider organizations managing service delivery and offering strategic insights. LinkedIN →

Heidi Horn offers deep expertise in healthcare technology management from her 20+ year career as an HTM senior leader.

Most recently, Heidi was VP, Industry Solutions for Nuvolo, an industry-leading Connected Workplace solution used by healthcare organizations for clinical asset and facilities management. Heidi was Nuvolo’s healthcare expert working with large health systems and cross-functionally across sales, marketing, product management, and client success teams to drive new business and client satisfaction.

Prior to Nuvolo, Heidi spent two decades at SSM Health (St Louis, MO) including 13+ years as the health system’s VP of Healthcare Technology Management. In that role, she managed $760M in clinical equipment assets system-wide, while transforming the HTM department from a cost center into a revenue-generating technology center of excellence recognized nationally for best practices and performance.

An acknowledged industry expert in HTM and clinical engineering, Heidi is on the Board of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and is an AAMI Fellow. She holds a Master’s Degree (Marketing) from Webster University and a Bachelor’s Degree (Journalism) from the University of Missouri. LinkedIN →

Patty Lavely offers strategic executive insights based on 25+ years of senior IT leadership experience as both a full-time and interim CIO for 5 different healthcare organizations.

Most recently, Patty served as VP and CIO for the Health Care District of Palm Beach County (FL). During her tenure, she oversaw an Epic Community Connect implementation, and led the IT response to the District’s COVID-19 public health needs. Prior to that Patty was the CIO at Gwinnett Medical Center (GA), a 553 bed, multi-facility, not-for-profit healthcare network. Among her many accomplishments, Patty led the redesign of GMC’s technical infrastructure, resulting in 99.9% system availability, and she established a comprehensive cybersecurity program.

Knowledgeable in health information exchanges, Patty served as Chair of both the Georgia Health Information Technology and Transparency Advisory Board and the Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council’s IT Consortium.

She is a (2x) finalist for Georgia CIO of the Year,  and was recognized by Becker’s Healthcare in 2019 as a CIO to Know and Women in IT to Know. Patty is a Fellow with the ACHE and a CHIME Certified Healthcare Chief Information Officer. LinkedIN →

Ken Levitan offers strategic executive insights based on 30+ years of senior healthcare and IT leadership for major health systems and professional services firms. Most recently, Ken held multiple leadership positions at Jefferson Health, including Chief Operating Officer, and EVP for Network Optimization and Strategic Partnerships. He joined Jefferson as result of merger between Jefferson Health and the Einstein Healthcare Network, where Ken served as President and CEO responsible for Einstein’s 4 hospitals, 10 outpatient clinics, 1 SNF, and more than 700 primary care physicians and specialists.

Prior to that, Ken was an Executive Director at Ernst & Young leading the Healthcare Provider Information Technology practice. At EY, Ken led teams that delivered varied projects such as EMR implementations, strategic IS plans, IT department transformations, cybersecurity assessments, and analytics planning and implementation projects.

Before joining EY, Ken was CIO at Einstein for 10 years where he oversaw the deployment of multiple enterprise software and hardware solutions to advance patient care and improve operations for the health system during a period of rapid expansion and growth, including the construction of a $350 million-dollar greenfield hospital. LinkedIN →

Shelley Simkins draws on her extensive nursing and workforce management optimization expertise to assist clients with operational and financial process improvements. For the past decade, Shelley has provided invaluable strategic insight for large healthcare organizations looking to implement and/or optimize their workforce management (WFM) solutions. Prior to joining Healthcare IT Leaders, Shelley was the Senior Manager, Workforce Management Strategy & Consulting at Workforce Insight, part of Accenture, where she was responsible for building strategic WFM solutions across Healthcare, Retail, and Manufacturing verticals. Before that, Shelley was the Senior Manager, Labor Optimization at Huron Consulting Group, where she helped clients establish financial and process improvements for nursing and clinical ancillary departments through Kronos (now UKG) scheduling & reporting.

She is an experienced nurse, spending over 15 years at acute care hospitals, including Banner Health, UNC Medical Center, St. Cloud Hospital, and Union Regional Medical Center. Shelley holds an MBA and Master’s in Nursing Administration from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor’s in Nursing from the University of Phoenix. She is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.  LinkedIN →

John Snyder offers 40+ years of industry expertise in health care executive leadership with both health systems and health plans. Most recently, John was President and CEO of Sanford Health Plan (SHP), with members in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. Under his leadership, SHP improved member satisfaction while launching its Medicare Advantage product, earning SHP a spot on the U.S. News and World Report list of top Medicare Advantage insurers.

Prior to SHP, John held dual roles as president and CEO of Health Alliance Medical Plans and Executive Vice President/System Chief Operating Officer with Carle Health System. He worked for Carle Health for more than three decades in a variety of leadership positions across operations and health plan administration. At Carle, John was instrumental in transforming what was a community hospital with a few hundred beds to a multi-billion-dollar health system with a level 1 trauma center and more than 300,00 members in its health plan.

John holds an MBA from Eastern Illinois University, and a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St Louis. LinkedIN →