Complying with the Revised CMS COVID-19 Visitation Recommendations for Skilled Nursing Facilities: New Strategies for Reducing Risk

Speaker Bios

Andrew Graham started his practice with Hall Booth Smith, P.C. in 1992, developing expertise in traditional medical and professional negligence. In 1996, Mr. Graham created the firm’s Long Term Care Practice Group in response to industry demand for specialist attorneys in the evolving area of long term care litigation. As chair of the LTC Practice Group, Mr. Graham is committed to making it the go-to resource for healthcare providers facing the challenges of a complex and highly regulated specialty. The group has grown to include over 20 attorneys, each with an in-depth appreciation of the industry. Mr. Graham is frequently called to assist with the management of batch claims, complex discovery, and trial. He works with counsel across the country on developing strategies to address damages in all types of medical cases. Mr. Graham is actively involved in numerous professional organizations and is a frequent speaker at industry and legal meetings. He is peer rated AV by Martindale Hubbell. He lives in New York with his wife and daughters.

Cyndi Siders has more than 30 years of healthcare, administrative and insurance experience, 25 of those focused on risk management and patient safety. Cyndi’s responsibilities as CEO and Executive Consultant of Siders HealthCare Consulting, LLC include providing customized risk management and patient safety professional consultation and strategic support, coaching, mentoring and education for healthcare organizations and health systems; risk management companies, insurance and claims management companies and insurance agencies. Cyndi has served as vice president of consulting services for Coverys and the Risk Management and Patient Safety Institute providing leadership for a team of consultants delivering risk management and patient safety consultative services, education and strategic support for clients nationally. These services included educational programs and training; comprehensive risk management, patient safety and quality improvement evaluations; coaching and mentoring programs and consultative services for healthcare systems, hospitals, physician office practices, community health centers and senior care facilities. She was also responsible for the development of proactive risk management and patient safety products and services. Prior to joining Coverys, Cyndi was corporate risk manager for an integrated health system. In this role, she was responsible for the overall risk management and patient safety program, loss control and risk financing, claims administration, contract review, patient relations, and served as a liaison with insurance and regulatory representatives. She has previously served as senior consultant and regional director for two national professional liability insurance companies. Cyndi has Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in nursing from the University of North Dakota. She is a graduate of the Healthcare Risk Management Certificate Program cosponsored by MMI Companies Inc. and the University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School. Cyndi is a distinguished fellow with the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management, a certified professional in healthcare risk management from the American Hospital Association, a certified professional in patient safety from the certification board for professionals in patient safety, an advanced master trainer in TeamSTEPPS and a Certified Work Comp Advisor. Cyndi is current president of the North Dakota Society for Healthcare Risk Management and serves as faculty for the ASHRM Health Care Risk Management Certificate Program. Cyndi is a frequent state and national speaker on a variety of risk management and patient safety topics and has authored several national publications, including chapters in ASHRM publications. Cyndi is a past recipient of the ASHRM Research Incentive Award.

Joyce Benton is an experienced risk management professional and independent risk control consultant, providing customized risk management and patient safety consultation services nationally for healthcare organizations and insurance companies. Prior to this, Joyce served as assistant vice president of healthcare risk control at CNA Insurance, servicing aging services, acute care, allied healthcare and life sciences customers. In her career, she also served as the director of quality management and safety at an acute care hospital in the suburbs of Atlanta. In that role, she developed the risk management and infection control programs and assisted in restructuring the safety, workers’ compensation and quality improvement programs at the facility. She is a frequent speaker on healthcare risk management at the state and national levels and has authored numerous publications on healthcare risk management.

Joyce earned a Diploma Degree in Nursing from Georgia Baptist Hospital School of Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Health Arts from the College of St. Francis and a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University. In 1991, she earned her Associate in Risk Management (ARM) from the Insurance Institute of America. She is an active member of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM), served on ASHRM’s 2003-2004 Board of Directors, faculty for Certified Professional in Healthcare Risk Management (CPHRM) study course and healthcare risk management certification program, and chairman of the 2018 Nominating Committee. She was awarded the Fellow designation (FASHRM) from ASHRM in 1992 and the Distinguished Fellow (DFASHRM) in 1998. She achieved the CPHRM designation from ASHRM in 2000. Joyce was the recipient of ASHRM’s Excellence in Writing Award in 1999, Distinguished Service Award (DSA) in 2005 and Presidential Citation Award in 2014. In 2010, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Excellence in Clinical Development by Georgia Baptist College of Nursing at Mercer University.

Ric Henry is managing partner of Pendulum. For 20 years, Pendulum has offered a balanced approach to evaluating potential risk and providing innovative risk management strategies to healthcare providers of all types. As we enter our third decade, we continue to be viewed by our clients as the premier risk management company in the industry. Ric’s vision and exemplary leadership have grown Pendulum into a company providing consultative services to a full spectrum of healthcare settings such as hospitals, post-acute settings, and allied health. Services include clinical risk, customer service, emergency preparedness, and HIPAA/HITECH assessments; cyber vulnerability testing; medical record procurement; social media searches; and more. Pendulum Claims Management has secured contracts to provide third-party administrator services to domestic and London-based insurance carriers. We offer professional and general liability claims management to the aging services industry. As a boutique claims management firm, Pendulum customizes services specifically to meet clients’ needs.

Ric has worked in the healthcare sector for more than 35 years and is a member of the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) and a Certified Fellow. He has been licensed as a nursing home administrator in California, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Tennessee. Ric has provided training on risk assessment and management, quality assurance, and liability issues nationally and overseas in an effort to promote Pendulum’s mission of helping clients reduce professional liability exposure by balancing risk and defensibility. Pendulum is now partnered with Baldwin Risk Partners (BRP) under the Connected Risk Solutions brand, BRP’s Specialty Wholesale platform within its Specialty Operating Group.