Medicaid Never Ending Conference 7

I have worked for Colorado Access, a local nonprofit health care company, for the past 14 years, and have been managing their telehealth subsidiary, AccessCare for the past 5 years. AccessCare focuses on increasing access to virtual behavioral health, including psychiatry, in the primary care setting, and with entities that work with vulnerable populations, especially those with a high Medicaid population. Trying to increase access to behavioral health care, one program at a time.

Vern Smith is a nationally lauded expert in Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, state budgets and trends in the health care marketplace. He has authored numerous reports on current issues in Medicaid and CHIP, state strategies for containing health care costs and improving quality, and state preparations for the health reform.

Vern has presented before many national and state audiences, including the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Council of State Governments, the National Association of State Budget Officers, the National Association of State Medicaid Directors, the National Health Policy Forum, committees of the U.S. Congress, and Medicaid reform groups in several states.

He has been a guest on National Public Radio and is an often quoted public health policy expert for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and USA Today.

Vern had a distinguished 30-year public service career, serving as Michigan Medicaid director and as budget director for the human services agency.

Vern holds a PhD in economics from Michigan State University. He serves on the board of trustees of Anderson University, his undergraduate alma mater.

Ark Department of Human Services 1974-2003, Arkansas Medicaid Director 1986-2003, Chairman of National Association of State Medicaid Directors for five years. Client Industry Executive EDS/Hewlett Packard 2003-2010 doing sales support and consulting.....voted global Client Industry Executive of year 2007, President and CEO of the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care 2003-present, a 40 year old, 200 employee healthcare quality improvement organization.

Author of 16 Arkansas history books

Len has done so much in the healthcare space its impossible to do it justice in a simple bio. Highlights include being State President of AARP of Arizona, the former Medicaid Director for Arizona, and 22 years of active duty in the United States Air Force. He is also a physician and regular on the Medicaid conference circuit.