CAH CFO-Administrator Forum - Upcoming Events

The CAH CFO-Administrator Forum

Our goal is to help CFO’s, CEO’s and financial administrators of Critical Access Hospitals around America connect and work with one another. We believe that by sharing knowledge and ideas, we can create a strong network of small hospitals providing essential care in rural America.

Save the Date | Unlocking the Financial Power of the Cost Report, Including the RHC Designation

October 30, 2025; 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CST

EqualizeRCM’s quarterly CAH Forum brings together healthcare finance leaders for practical, results driven insights. This session features Caren Puvalowski of RubinBrown, a trusted voice in rural healthcare consulting.

Caren recently drew more than 70 attendees to her RHC reimbursement webinar, and now she joins our Forum to share strategies on how Critical Access Hospitals and RHCs can maximize the financial impact of their Cost Reports.

What you’ll learn:

Understand the latest changes to RHC reimbursement.
Leverage the Cost Report to improve operational performance.
Apply five proven methods to optimize financial health.

For an invite, click here, or fill out the form to Join Us.

Caren Puvalowski

Manager, Rural Healthcare Consulting Services

Rubin Brown

Chris Ekrem

Forum Moderator and Former CAH CEO

About the CAH CFO-Administrator Forum

Open to CFOs or financially-oriented Administrators of CAHs
Members meet via focused, virtual events with no annual subscription fee

Join the CAH Forum

Fill out the form to Join Us. Forum membership is FREE, plus one participant wins a raffle gift at each Forum.

Past Events

24
JUN

What if Medicare Advantage was Paid by the Cost Report?
Brent Fuller, CPA, Partner – D & Co. LLP & Shonna Cannaday, Partner – D & Co. LLP

13
MAR

Cost Report Myths, Locums Lookbacks, & 5 Keys to Increasing Your Financial Performance.
Michele Sexton, Founder and CEO, Mission Healthcare Partners, Kelly Johnston, PRESIDENT & CEO, JFS LLC & Joan White-Wagoner, Experienced Healthcare Operations Executive

12 DEC		10 Hospital Hacks for Financial Success: Boost Your Bottom Line with These Pro Tips Caren Puvalowski,\| Manager, Rural Healthcare Consulting Services, Rubin Brown

15 OCT		Uncovering Blind Spots in the Medicare Cost Report Matt Smith, VP of Reimbursement, PMC

11 JUN		Virtual Care Could be Rural Health’s Lifeline Brandy Hoell, Partner and Population Health CEO, Trilogy

09 APR		Navigating the Revenue Maze: Proven Reimbursement Tactics for Critical Access Hospitals Caren Puvalowski, CHFP \| Rural Healthcare Reimbursement Manager, The Rybar Group, Inc

14 DEC		Discovering Buried Underpayments Within Your Contracts Ed Casteel, CPA, FHFMA \| Partner, Trilogy Revenue Cycle Solutions

17 OCT		How Not to Leave Money on the Table – Cost Report & Revenue Opportunities Caren Puvalowski, CHFP \| Rural Healthcare Reimbursement Manager, The Rybar Group, Inc.

22 AUG		Where’s Your Rudder? – New Operational & Financial Approaches to Steer Your Hospital Kerry Trapnell \| CAO, Alethia Health Partners, Inc., Jeff Schneider \| CEO, Partners Healthcare Group, Lee Waller \| VP, Partners Healthcare Group

2 MAY		Don’t Always Believe What They Tell You – Seven Myths of Rural Healthcare Robert Thorn, MBA, FACHE \| Principal, Summit Healthcare Strategies, LLC.

21 FEB		Shaking the Trees – Advanced Cost Reporting Caren Puvalowski, CHFP \| Rural Healthcare Reimbursement Manager, The Rybar Group, Inc.

6 DEC		Show Me the Money – Maximizing Value From Your Medicare Cost Report Clint A. Brill \| Senior Manager, Blue & Co., LLC

25 OCT		No Margin, No Mission – Strategies To Improve Hospital Net Income Daniel E. Clark \| Managing Director, Health Care Performance Advisory Services, FORVIS, Kevin Rash, MPT, FACHE \| Director, Healthcare Performance Advisory Services, FORVIS

28 JUL		Strategies for Recruiting/Retaining Top Talent and Provider Relief Fund Reporting Christopher Tyhurst \| Principal, REDW, Claire Hilleary \| Senior Manager, Audit & Assurance, REDW, Cristin Heyns-Bousliman, Esq. \| Principal and Practice Leader, HR Consulting, REDW, and Carol M. Cochran \| Principal, REDW

19 MAY		Reversing the Great Outmigration and Increasing RHC Reimbursement Michael Hill, MD \| President/CEO Rural Health Solutions

24 FEB		Nothing to Fear About Surprise Billing: Surprise Billing and Provider Implications Amy Graham \| Senior Consultant, Stroudwater Associates and Wade Gallon \| Consultant, Stroudwater Associates

8 DEC		New Ways to Win Big with Direct to Employer Contracting Brant Couch \| CEO, HealthSure and Scott Pruzan \| Managed Care & Direct Contracting, HealthSure

29 OCT		Regulatory Insights: Executing CAH Physician JVs and Other Legal Developments Colin Luke \| Partner, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP and Fletcher Brown \| Partner, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP

19 AUG		CAH RCM Bootcamp CFOs and CEOs of CAHs in SC, NC, GA, FL, and TN came together on August 19 at our RCM Bootcamp. The group discussed the top five revenue key performance indicators that every CEO and CFO must know. The group went beyond the basics to explore how revenue cycle outcomes impact the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows. Chris Ekrem, FACHE \| Forum Moderator and Former CAH CEO, and Darya Khripkova \| Forum Moderator and CAH RCM Expert

9 JUL		Generating New Revenue Streams: Growing Your Top Line to Grow Your Bottom Line, Keep Your Patients Local with Tele-nephrology, and Optimizing Rehabilitation Revenue in CAHs Mark Buckley, DPT \| VP of Clinical Operations, Mid South Rehabilitation, Ron Kubit \| CEO, TeleNeph, LLC and Robert Thorn, MBA, FACHE \| Director, Pinnacle Healthcare Consulting

14 MAY		Improving RHC Payments: The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 Kristin D. Baquero, CPA \| Director, CLA and Dan Larsen, CPA \| Principal, CLA

12 MAR		CAH Cost Report Strategies Laura Gillenwater, CPA \| Senior Manager, HORNE LLP

4 DEC		How Can We Keep What We Already Have?CARES Act Funds, Reporting & Audits Richard S. Reid, MPA, FHFMA, CPA \| President and CEO, The Rybar Group

25 SEP		Hospital Charges and the Price Transparency Initiative Kathy Dean, CPMA, COC, CPC-P, CCS-P \| VP of Outpatient Services & Chargemaster Analyst, Administrative Consultant Service, LLC

14 AUG		Treat the Disease: Using Theory of Constraints in Rural Healthcare Michael Curtis, MBA, LNHA \| Chief Administrative Officer, McKenzie County Healthcare Systems