Speakers
Richard Lovich, Esq.
Mr. Lovich is Managing Partner at Stephenson, Acquisto & Colman, the premier healthcare reimbursement litigation firm in the country.He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals; and all federal and state courtsinCalifornia.
Mr. Lovich has 37 years of litigation and trial experience including 15 years as the chief trial lawyer and managing attorney for the Los Angeles law offices of American International Group (AIG) and The Hartford, two of the country’s largest insurance companies.
Since 1995, he has held a Preeminent A-V Rating, by Martindale-Hubbell, reflecting the highest possible peer ratings in legal ability and ethical conduct; and has been named a "Southern California Super Lawyer" since 2011.In addition, , he has been selected as one of the Nation’s Top One Percent of Attorneys as selected by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel, since 2016.
Mr. Lovich proudly serves as National Legal Counsel to the American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management (AAHAM). In that capacity, in 2016, he testified before the United States Senate Commerce Committee on needed changes to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the difficulties presented by that law to the healthcare industry. In 2019, he was appointed by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Pai to serve on the FCC advisory group providing best practices to voice service providers in relation to curbing illegal robocalls to hospitals.
Mr. Lovich has served as superior court arbitrator and judge pro tem, and since 1991, he has been responsible for the development, implementation, and presentation of national trial advocacy training programs. He is a nationally certified Trail Advocacy trainer by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and has served on national legal audit teams auditing both financial and litigation management requirements.
He has lectured nationally on numerous revenue cycle topics at large health systems and top university academic medical centers,including Stanford University Health, UCLA Health, University of California Irvine Health, University of California San Francisco Health; the Regents of the University of California, Providence-St. Joseph Health, Trinity Health, andDignity Health.
Mr. Lovich is married with 5 daughters and two grandchildren. He possesses a love for silent movies and a passion for classic rock and roll.
Becky Peters
Highlights
- 30+ years experience in Patient Access/Revenue Cycle
- NAHAM Southwest Regional Delegate 2022-current
- Co-Chair NAHAM Prior Auth Task Force 2022-current
- CHAM certified
- CRCR certified
- Recognized as Top 10% leader in Banner Health
Becky Peters is the Executive Director of PAS/PBM at Banner Health, which includes over 30+ Acute Care hospitals, 300+ Banner Medical Group clinics, Banner Imaging, Revenue Cycle Education and Quality team as well as Acute and Ambulatory PreAccess Financial Clearance Centers. Recently, Becky has taken on responsibility for Banner’s Patient Balance Management team. Becky has led Banner PAS in a large RC Modernization Transition which included multiple technology, process and people changes in the last 4 ½ years. Prior to Banner, Becky held roles as Corporate Director of PAS for Sutter Health and Hartford Health, as well as a Revenue Cycle Consultant for various healthcare organizations. Becky is active in HFMA and NAHAM as a member and speaker and is currently the Vice President of NAHAM. Becky’s passion is PAS and building a team of motivated and confident leaders/staff that have a focus and mission of providing excellent customer service to our teams and patients.
Andrew Woughter, CEO
Andrew Woughter is the CEO of RPA Networks, where he focuses on helping the Healthcare Industry avoid the pitfalls of adopting Robotic Process Automation the wrong way. He is a proven revenue cycle executive with 20+ years of experience in health care organizations and governmental regulation of health insurance. He has demonstrated success through strategic vision and innovation and development of custom tools to enhance revenue cycle solutions. Andrew lives in Texas with his wife, who is a physician and two sons, ages 8 and 10.
Jacqueline Jordan, MBA|CHAM|CHFP|CRCR
Jacqueline “Jackie” Jordan is the System Director of Patient Access at UC San Diego Health, overseeing hospital admissions at Hillcrest, La Jolla, and East Campus, as well as financial counseling and central authorization teams. Since joining UC San Diego Health in January 2020, she has driven strategic growth and performance, contributing to UC San Diego Health’s recognition as the #1 health system in San Diego and among the top in California. With 20 years of healthcare experience, Jacqueline is known for maximizing operational excellence and enhancing patient experience through innovative initiatives. She holds a Bachelor’s in Healthcare Administration, a Master’s in Business Administration, and several professional certifications (CHFP, CHAM, and CRCR). Passionate about industry development, she actively volunteers with professional associations, creating content to support patient access professionals’ growth.
Cynthia Vargas
Cynthia Vargas is a senior manager for a Patient Access department at PIH Health Hospital. She comes with extensive experience and exceptional leadership capabilities. For over two decades, Cynthia has been an asset to PIH Health, currently overseeing patient access operations across two campuses. Her leadership is marked by a consistent record of success in managing diverse teams and implementing impactful initiatives within the patient access department.
Cynthia’s academic background in child development provides her with a unique perspective on individual motivations and interpersonal dynamics skills which she leverages to foster high-performing teams and drive organizational achievements. Her ability to understand and connect with individuals significantly contributes to her effectiveness as a leader.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Cynthia is a dedicated wife and mother of four sons. In her personal time, she enjoys a variety of pursuits including extensive travel, reading, agricultural activities, and creative writing. She is currently engaged in writing a memoir for her two grandchildren, a project that brings her immense joy. This dedication to both her professional and personal life reflects her balanced approach and commitment to excellence.
Darcy Castro
Darcy Castro is Regional HR Director at Sharp Healthcare in San Diego, California. She started with Sharp in May 2022.
Darcy began her career in healthcare as a CNA, hospice care in the 1980 and then started nursing school where she began working as a unit secretary at Kingston Hospital in New York. Throughout her career she has worked in many areas within the hospital discovering her pathway within healthcare. In 1997, Darcy moved to California to continue her education growth and graduated from the University of Phoenix with a bachelor’s in management. Her desire to hire the best healthcare workers who provided excellent care is what led her into a career of human resources.
Darcy career has placed her in several roles including:
Following her employment with ASP, Mrs. Castro became a private consultant to assist surgery centers to become certified by developing all practice/office HR and Payroll Policies and Procedures.
HR Manager at Prime Healthcare for 5 years, HR Director with KPC Healthcare for 3 years.
James D. Lee, Jr.“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care”.
This core value has been the driving force of James D. Lee Jr.’s 27-year career in the healthcare field. At the age of 19, James started as a patient transporter for Ronald Reagan UCLA Hospital. It was this start and his tenacity that led to his quest to seek more and take advantage of all the opportunities that were available. It wasn’t long before he began climbing the ladder of success within several areas of the Revenue Cycle. He would spend the next several years working, while receiving promotions to various positions at Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center, California Hospital, and Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) before accepting his current position as Revenue Cycle Director at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles 2019.
James has maintained the belief that culture defines the work environment. A well-defined culture gives a competitive advantage, which is the inner workings of a well-oiled machine. It is important for a leader to be a great listener, create reasonable and clear expectations, make difficult decisions in a fair and just manner, and to be able to hold people accountable while accepting accountability.
Outside of a strong work ethic and consistent drive to be successful in his career; James is a father of five who enjoys playing his saxophone and spending time with his family.
James’ academic background includes an MBA and BS in Business Administration from Ashworth College and an AA Degree in Business Administration from Compton Community College.