CASA 2026 CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Our program features a wide range of expert-led sessions that cover the latest trends, best practices, and cutting-edge strategies tailored to the unique needs of ASC professionals. Whether you are looking to enhance your clinical expertise, improve operational efficiency, or stay ahead of industry changes, we’ve got you covered.
This year, preconference focuses on Finance....(ADD CONTENT)
DESCRIPTIONS
PRECONFERENCE SESSION
Grow Smart. Lead with Purpose. Win Financially - Leveraging the KPIs That Matter - Panel
Strong financial performance in an ASC isn’t luck; it’s leadership backed by data. This session equips administrators with the tools for deliberate decision-making to confidently manage financial operations and drive smarter, more profitable growth. We’ll focus on what matters most: Mastering your ASC’s financial health from start to finish, and understanding the KPIs that truly move the needle.
Walk away with clear insights, practical tools, and the confidence to lead financially strong, high-performing ASCs.
WEDNESDAY GENERAL SESSIONS
Fueling Excellence: Elevate. Execute. Excel - Michelle George
What does it take to move from good to exceptional in ambulatory surgery? This presentation explores a disciplined, results-driven approach to achieving excellence in the ambulatory surgery setting. Elevate focuses on raising standards - strengthening clinical quality, reinforcing a culture of safety, and aligning teams around a shared vision for exceptional patient care. Execute emphasizes consistency in action - leveraging evidence-based practices, operational efficiency, and accountability to reliably deliver high-performance outcomes. Excel represents the result -sustained improvement in patient outcomes, team engagement, and organizational success.
Together, these pillars create a practical framework for transforming daily performance into measurable excellence - ensuring that every patient experience, every procedure, and every team interaction reflects the highest standards of care.
The Champion's Code - Ross Bernstein
What separates good leaders from truly great ones? In this engaging keynote, attendees will explore proven leadership lessons drawn from elite coaches and high‑performing teams and apply them to today’s fast‑paced healthcare environment. Through powerful stories and practical insights, this session shows how leading with integrity builds trust, how real buy‑in connects millennials, boomers, and even the most challenging coworkers, and how momentum is created through example and mentorship.
Attendees will leave inspired to cultivate a winner’s mindset, one that stays motivated and resilient through both success and adversity, while elevating performance, accountability, and excellence across their teams.
THURSDAY SESSIONS
CASA Business Update - Carrie Millsap, CASA Board President
Don't miss this opportunity to stay informed with business updates from CASA leadership.
CA and National Legislative Update - CASA Advocates Alison Ramey and Ryan Pierini; ASCA Representatives
This session will provide a comprehensive overview of current and emerging legislation affecting Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) at both the state and national levels. Attendees will gain insights into regulatory challenges, advocacy efforts, and policy developments that shape the ASC environment
in California and across the country.
The Bucket List Life for Leadership and Teams - Kenyon Salo
Kenyon Salo shows you how his three simple concepts of understanding “The Bucket List Life For Leadership and Teams” will guide you to the top of your career and business. During this highly energetic and engaging presentation, you will learn how to create phenomenal experiences for yourself and your teams, share and learn powerful stories of those you work with and for, and help others along the way to reach their desired goals and full potential, in business and life.
The Bucket List Life for Leadership and Teams and Kenyon Salo will ultimately help you elevate your leadership skills and team-building tools that in return will help you both personally and professionally.
CLINICAL BREAKOUTS
Winning the Race on ASC Outcomes with Clinical Pathways - Kim Duggan
Learn to identify and address critical clinical considerations and gaps in the development and implementation of a new service line in your ASC. The goal is to ensure your new service line meets patient care standards, and regulatory requirements and enhances overall clinical outcomes.
Optimizing Team Performance: Managing Digital Distractions in the OR - Peter Papadakos
In this presentation, leaders will explore the root causes of wrong events in ambulatory surgery centers, implement effective strategies to prevent these wrong events, and develop a culture of safety and accountability to enhance patient care and outcomes.
Striking the Balance: Efficiency, Safety, and Sustainable Speed in ASCs - Panel: Kelly Kapp, Moderator, Michelle Aguila, Megan Friedman, Shelley Hargraves
Ambulatory surgery centers rely on efficient, fast-moving workflows—but increasing pressure to accelerate can create significant safety risks. This panel of ASC leaders will explore how to balance operational speed with patient safety and sound clinical judgment through real-world examples and practical insights.
FINANCIAL BREAKOUTS
Accelerating Contracting Success: Navigating Payer Trends and Contracting in your ASC - Amy Coletti
California’s regulatory environment and competitive payer landscape continue to evolve rapidly, reshaping reimbursement strategies for ASCs. This session breaks down emerging trends and what they mean for negotiating and sustaining profitable ASC contracts.
AI & Automation – Redefining Revenue Cycle Management for the Digital Era - Melanie Howitt
Healthcare revenue cycle management faces rising denials, staffing shortages, and increasing complexity. This session explores how organizations are practically using AI and automation today within existing RCM environments, without full system replacement. Attendees will learn where automation delivers real value, why process readiness matters for getting results, and gain a framework for evaluating AI and automation opportunities based on real operational needs and outcomes.
Pit‑Crew Partnerships: Strengthening Anesthesia Models for ASC Stability - Panel: Blake Freeman, Moderator
Securing dependable anesthesia coverage has become one of the biggest operational challenges for ASCs - driven by workforce shortages, rising subsidy requests, and competitive pressures. This session provides practical strategies for building stable anesthesia partnerships, optimizing case staffing, and balancing affordability with surgeon and patient needs.
HR BREAKOUTS
Empowering ASC Nurses, Elevating Care: Unlocking the Potential in Every Role - Renee Galvan
Empowering Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) nurses is essential to advancing patient care, strengthening culture, and improving retention. A nurse’s first impression of the ASC environment shapes engagement, confidence, and long-term success. By breaking down silos and building a unified, collaborative team culture, ASCs create space for nurses to lead, innovate, and directly influence outcomes. Through respect, inclusion, and a strong speak-up culture, ASCs can foster environments where every nurse feels valued, supported, and accountable for patient safety. Join us to explore practical strategies that strengthen ASC culture and drive sustainable excellence.
Confident Conversations: Driving Performance with Clarity and Impact - Dawn Bryant, Alix Cohen
High-performing teams don’t happen by chance - they’re built through intentional performance management and confident leadership. This session focuses on real-world performance challenges leaders face every day - and how to handle them with clarity, consistency, and impact. From addressing issues with high performers or “favorites” to navigating delayed conversations and appropriately escalating concerns, attendees will gain practical, best-practice approaches they can apply immediately.
AI in the Workplace: A Practical Bootcamp for ASC Employers - Fisher Phillips
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming healthcare operations, and Ambulatory Surgery Centers are no exception. AI tools are increasingly woven into ASC operations - often without administrators realizing it. This session will discuss how these tools can influence daily operations and the unique legal, regulatory, and compliance considerations. Attendees will receive practical decision-making frameworks, risk-mitigation strategies, and an overview of emerging state and federal AI legislation impacting healthcare and ASC settings.
QUALITY BREAKOUTS
Safety in Motion: Using QAPI to Identify Risks and Drive Change - Janette Lischeske, Ann Hurd
A strong culture of safety requires more than policies - it requires systems that drive action. This session explores how the Quality Assessment & Performance Improvement (QAPI) framework can be used to hardwire safety into daily operations. Participants will learn practical, data‑driven strategies to identify risk, engage frontline teams, and accelerate safety improvement. Real‑world examples will show how organizations move beyond compliance to build a proactive culture of safety.
Built to Perform: Designing, Implementing, and Sustaining a High-Performance Moderate Sedation Program - Johnny Russell
As surgical volumes grow, care increasingly shifts to ambulatory settings, and anesthesia resources remain constrained, moderate sedation has emerged as a key strategy for safely meeting both patient and operational demands. This session provides a practical framework for building and sustaining a safe, compliant moderate sedation program in the ambulatory surgery center setting. Participants will review governance expectations, regulatory requirements, and core clinical and operational elements needed to support consistent, high‑quality care. Emphasis is placed on patient safety, team competencies, and meaningful quality oversight.
From Data to Differentiation: OAS CAHPS and Safety Lessons That Drive Superior Patient Experiences - Katie Owens
This session is built for leaders who are done reviewing reports and are ready to move the needle. We’ll show how to turn OAS CAHPS from a retrospective scorecard into a real-time operating system for your ASC. Patient priorities are clear - and every one of them is within your team's control: clear communication with anesthesia and surgical teams, timely updates, readiness for recovery, pain control, and confident discharge.
In this session, we’ll break down how to use OAS CAHPS and discharge insights to pinpoint where your experience - and your operations - are breaking down, and exactly what to do about it.
ACCREDITATION FRIDAY
Emergency Management, Physical Environment, and Life Safety in ASCs - Richard Parker
How confident are you that your ASC meets today’s life safety standards? This session will cover emergency management, the physical environment, and life safety standards that are often cited in ASCs. Attendees will receive practical insights into how surveyors assess these requirements, identify common challenges faced by organizations, and learn how to align their policies, documentation, and operations with regulatory standards for survey readiness.
Position Your ASC for Accreditation Success - David Shapiro
Accelerate your ASC’s survey readiness with a focus on the current clinical Medicare conditions for coverage. The presentation will highlight commonly misunderstood CfC and share actionable strategies to strengthen compliance, fueling your ability to confidently prepare your ASC for survey success and sustain high performance.
Checkered Flag Finish: What the Experts Want You to Know - Panel: Janet Miller, Moderator; Accrediting Body Representatives
Preparing for a survey can be stressful, especially if you haven’t been through the process before. Attendees will receive expert guidance on preventing common deficiencies and hear directly from a panel of accreditation experts representing AAAHC, The Joint Commission (TJC), Quad A, DMV, and ACHC. This session serves as a tune‑up for your ASC’s survey readiness, addressing the most common areas of deficiency.
For inquiries regarding the program or exhibiting opportunities, please contact April Ligtenberg at registration@casurgery.org or call 714-330-2343.