2024 Medical & Healthcare Workshop

Michael Bertaut (BURR-toe) is a Certified Health Consultant and Professional of the Academy of Healthcare Management. He has 30+ years of Analytical Experience in the Healthcare, Telecom, and Retail Industry Sectors. On the ground in DC when PPACA was written and intimately involved in analyzing healthcare legislation, Michael has engaged in over 1,100 public discussions on Healthcare Costs and the Impact of Reform since 2009. Invitations have come from groups ranging from healthcare policy makers in Washington DC to your local public service clubs. 

Mike is a Fellow of the Academy of Applied Politics at Louisiana State University, and author of the Hermes Award-Winning Healthcare Blog “Straight Talk” at www.straighttalkla.com which gives readers a weekly update on critical matters in healthcare costs and policy in plain English.   

He is a financial modeler and forecaster, currently responsible for predicting membership activity for over 1.6 million Louisianans who carry a Blue Cross Card.    

Michael earned his MBA and BA from Louisiana State University and is a cancer survivor. He’s been married to the very patient Marla for 32 years and they have three children. 

Michael is currently employed as the Healthcare Economist and Exchange Coordinator for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.

Kevin is the Vice President of Reimbursement at the Louisiana Hospital Association. He serves the membership through communication and analysis of regulatory and legislative impacts to hospital reimbursements, management of various constituency groups, and advocacy on reimbursement-related topics. He is a graduate of Mississippi State University and brings more than 25 years of healthcare reimbursement experience to the LHA from both the provider and payor arenas. Prior to joining the LHA, his career included positions in hospital revenue cycle and managed care, as well as health plan network development and provider relations.

Paul Douglas is a Partner in the firm's Risk and Compliance Services (RCS) Group . With more than 15 years of experience, Paul primarily focuses on IT risk advisory, data privacy and security strategies, and IT compliance. He works with a broad base of clients in the higher education, healthcare, public company, and technology industries.

Paul guides clients through the complex landscape of security and privacy laws, translating laws, regulations, and requirements into actionable strategic plans. With his strong background in conducting high-value assessments and implementing robust risk management plans, Paul helps organizations to effectively address and mitigate risks. He has experience serving clients subject to a wide variety of standards, including Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies (COBIT), the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST 800-53 and NIST 800-171 for Controlled Unclassified Information, the HIPAA Security, Privacy, and Breach Notification Rules, the HITRUST Common Security Framework, The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Through his breadth and depth of experience, Paul leads his team to excel in developing and implementing comprehensive guidelines and best practices that ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of clients' information and data. With a strong focus on delivering tailored solutions, Paul enables organizations to navigate the ever-evolving cybersecurity environment while maintaining regulatory compliance.
Prior to joining the firm, Paul was a Director at Postlethwaite & Netterville (P&N), a leading full-service accounting and business advisory firm.

Vanessa Graham, owner of V. Graham, LLC, began her practice in 2012 with an objective to serve and support local business owners in meeting their growth goals and overcoming challenges through business cycles. Vanessa has over 20+ years of experience as Chief Financial Officer and Controller for small to medium size businesses in the Baton Rouge area, working with business owners and private equity investors in their portfolio companies.

Vanessa began her career with KPMG in audit before joining APPRO Systems, Inc., a software development company providing auto decisioning software in the financial services industry. Vanessa played an integral role on the management team responsible for the turnaround and tremendous growth APPRO experienced from time of raising capital in 2000 through successful sale to Equifax, Inc. in 2005. She remained with Equifax for two years, successfully integrating new acquisitions into Equifax global systems and business practices. Vanessa then served as Chief Financial Officer for various businesses in the Baton Rouge area, before opening her own practice. Vanessa has been actively involved in the community for several years, including serving on the boards and committees of Thrive Charter School, First United Methodist Church, Rotary Club International, and the Louisiana Tech Park. Vanessa is a CPA and member of the LCPA and AICPA. She lives in Baton Rouge with her husband, Brent, and twins, Bennett and Olivia.

Michael Harrington, MBA, MA, is a former CEO/COO of adult/pediatric tertiary and community health services, including post-acute services. With over 25 years of service in for-profit and not-for-profit health systems, his passion is developing reliable processes that engage people, process, technology and culture to grow patient safety and financial viability.

As secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, Michael Harrington leads the state's largest agency with a budget of $19.8 billion and a team responsible for delivering services to millions of Louisianans. LDH protects and promotes health for Louisiana residents through services provided by Medicaid and the Offices of Public Health, Behavioral Health, Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, Aging and Adult Services, Women's Health and Community Health, and Emergency Preparedness. These programs work to ensure access to medical, preventative, and rehabilitative services for Louisiana's most vulnerable residents.

Mr. Katsanis is Senior Vice President for the Valuation Advisory group. He joined Chaffe & Associates, Inc. in 1996 and has over 20 years of experience in accounting, corporate finance and business valuations.
His extensive range of expertise covers a broad spectrum of industry sectors including assignments in purchase price allocations for business combinations, intellectual property valuations, fairness opinions, employee stock ownership plans, shareholder transactions, valuations of privately held partnerships, limited liability company and corporate ownership interests, restricted stocks, and estate, gift and income tax valuations.
Mr. Katsanis is also an expert in the valuation of employee stock options and non-traded warrants.  He is the creator of the Valrex model for valuing non-traded employee stock options and warrants.

Andrew Lofaso is the Vice President of Finance at Legacy Hospice, focusing on Legacy’s overall financial health.  He is responsible for: the day-to-day financial operations of the company, driving strategic financial initiatives, leading contract negotiations, and supporting branch financial performance.  Andrew is a strong believer that the corporate support team’s mission is to support our caregivers in the field and is committed to building a culture of caring in the corporate office.
Andrew started his career at Public Accounting Firm KPMG and has 9 years of Healthcare Industry experience primarily focused in the post-acute care sector including both Publicly Traded and Private Equity Backed organizations.  He also serves on the Healthcare Committee of the Louisiana Society of Certified Public Accounts.
Andrew is Bayou born and raised but has strong ties throughout the gulf south and across the country.  He received his BS and MS in Accounting from Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers) and is a Licensed CPA in both the State of Louisiana and Alabama.  He enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter on long walks under stately oak trees and weekend trips to Alabama’s white sand beaches.