Fall Finance Conference

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2026 Fall Finance conference (1)

Save the Date | October 7 - 8, 2026  |  Manheim, PA

Save the Date!

Registration for the Fall Finance Conference opens on August 11.

Does your job involve senior living finance, technology, or strategic planning?

This conference is for you!

October 7 - 8, 2026

Nook Meetings & Events @ Spooky Nook Sports

75 Champ Blvd, Manheim, PA 17545

This 2-day educational event offers CEUs and is designed for:
  • CEOs and leadership teams involved in strategic planning 
  • CFOs and finance teams 
    • Up to 13.2 CPA credits available including 2.4 ethics credits!
  • Executive Directors and NHAs 
    • Up to 11 NAB credits available!
  • Technology leads

2026 CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:

DAY 1: Wednesday, October 7
7:30 – 8:15 A.M. 

Registration

Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:15 – 10:30 A.M. 

Welcome and Keynote

Welcome and Opening Remarks

KEYNOTE: Operational Strategies for Financial Success

  • Michael Falbo, Concordia
  • Rachelle Arnold, Concordia

CEU Information:

  • 2.4 total participation hours: CPA
  • 2.0 total participation hours: NAB

More information coming soon...

10:45 – 11:45 A.M. 

Concurrent sessions

A View From the CFO’s Desk Panel

Rafael Haciski, Vice President at JKJ

We’re back for another “fireside chat” panel! As a leader, you’ll gain valuable insights into the areas that your fellow CFOs often identify first, from rethinking practices and strengthening community partnerships to improving team engagement and fostering a more inclusive work culture. We’ll discuss how their external viewpoints have shaped their decision-making and sparked innovation, bringing positive, sustainable change to their organizations.

Join us for a candid discussion with three dynamic leaders as they share their vision for the future and the strategic changes they’re implementing to move their communities forward. You’ll leave inspired and ready to create meaningful change in your own organization.

 

CEU Information:
  • 1.2 total participation hours (CPA)
  • 1.0 total participation hour (NAB)

The FUN-damentals of Leadership Compensation

The compensation of aging services leaders is a serious subject but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun while deepening your understanding of this important topic.  Join your CLA game show hosts in a friendly competition to test your knowledge about tax exempt executive compensation practices. We'll use an active-learning environment to explore a range of compensation topics including Compensation Benchmarking, Compliance, Data, Variable Compensation, and Leadership Demographics.

 

CEU Information:
  • 1.2 total participation hours (CPA)
  • 1.0 total participation hour (NAB)

 

11:45 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. 

Lunch & EXPO

Lunch with Exhibitors
1:00 – 2:00 P.M. 

Concurrent sessions

How Finance Leaders Fuel Growth Through Organizationally-Aligned Technology

  • Jonathan Armstrong, Senior Consultant at RKL LLP
  • Adam Fegley, Senior Living Solution Engineer at RKL LLP

Software plays a crucial role in accurate reporting, compliance and strategic decision-making in the senior living industry. In this session, we'll discuss how an integrated technology ecosystem helps alleviate common pain points for senior care organizations and the practical applications of rapidly developing AI capabilities within financial software. Gain practical insights for aligning technology selection with organizational needs and industry best practices to set your company up for strategic growth.

CEU Information:
  • 1.2 total participation hours (CPA)
  • 1.0 total participation hour (NAB)

    Where Did the Money Go? Fix the Leaks. Know your Contracts. Maximize Reimbursement

    The alphabet soup of reimbursement is real—and it matters.

    Understanding what impacts reimbursement, where those impacts originate, and how to actively manage each component is essential in today’s SNFs. Reimbursement isn’t one thing—it’s a complex financial maze. 
     

    From 2% cuts to 2% incentives (and everything in between), understanding how each element impacts your bottom line is no longer optional. And remember—what you do today doesn’t just impact today. Your practices now will drive reimbursement 2 years down the road. Add to all of this the ever-evolving Medicare Advantage plans, their conditions, requirements, and sometimes lackluster reimbursement, no one can afford to lose their financial focus. Use data to leverage better terms, and re-negotiate reimbursement with Managed Care contracts.  Bottom line: know how you get paid, document the care, and use the whole team to protect every dollar.

     

    CEU Information:
    • 1.2 total participation hours (CPA)
    • 1.0 total participation hour (NAB)

     

    2:15 – 3:15 P.M. 

    Concurrent sessions

    Senior Living Financing – Bank Financing Opportunities and Dynamics

    • Jim Bodine, Executive Vice President at HJ Sims
    • Steven Hicks, Vice President at HJ Sims
    • Anne Hamilton, Senior Vice President  at Truist

    With surging demand for seniors housing coupled with constrained supply, many senior living organizations are undertaking expansions and/or repositionings at their communities to meet this need. Among the key decisions in formulating the plan of finance for this investment is the choice of bank debt and/or fixed rate bonds. This session will review bank and bond financing trends, the criteria for assessing the use of one or both financing sources, including project/borrower profile and market conditions, and how banks are reviewing opportunities to lend to senior living organizations. The session will also describe how senior living organizations across the U.S. have incorporated bank debt in their financing structures in recent years. Finally, the session will provide insight into how banks formulate their financing proposals, including determining interest rates, tenor/reset provisions along with other key provisions such as collateral/security, operating/financial covenants and non-credit services and products. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from representatives of HJ Sims, a leading investment bank serving not-for-profit senior living organizations in Pennsylvania and nationally with financing and advisory services and solutions, as well as Truist, an active lender to not-for-profit senior living organizations in Pennsylvania and across the U.S. 

    CEU Information:
    • 1.2 total participation hours (CPA)
    • 1.0 total participation hour (NAB)

      Forces of Quality, Quantity and Value to “The New Quality Economy: Strategic Finance for Skilled Nursing

      As reimbursement continues to shift toward value-based payment, Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) financial leaders must navigate the growing financial impact of quality performance, coding accuracy, and claims-based measures. With CMS quality programs now well established and new measure refinements influencing reimbursement, Five-Star ratings, referral patterns, and Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) performance, organizations must move beyond compliance to strategic financial management.

      This session examines the FY2027 financial implications of CMS Five-Star Quality Measures, the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP), and the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) Program. Attendees will explore how quality outcomes, documentation, coding integrity, and survey readiness directly affect revenue, incentive payments, market competitiveness, and long-term sustainability. The discussion will also highlight opportunities for cross-continuum collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and operational alignment that strengthen financial performance while supporting high-quality resident care. In today's environment, success depends not on reacting to regulatory change, but on integrating quality, operations, and finance into a sustainable reimbursement strategy.

       

      Recommended audience:

      • CFOs, finance directors, reimbursement leaders, and executives, 

      • Revenue optimization
      • Medicare reimbursement risk
      • SNF VBP financial impacts
      • Five-Star effects on referrals and occupancy
      • Coding and documentation integrity
      • Long-term financial sustainability
      • Cross-functional alignment between finance, clinical, and operations
      CEU Information:
      • 1.2 total participation hours (CPA)
      • 1.0 total participation hour (NAB)

       

      3:30 – 4:30 P.M. 

      Concurrent sessions

      When the Money Runs Out: Identifying and Addressing Asset Dissipation in the CCRC Continuum

      This session examines asset planning and asset dissipation strategies undertaken by CCRC residents sometimes long before any change in care is on the horizon and the financial, legal, and operational consequences that surface once a transfer to skilled nursing becomes necessary.

      Participants will learn to recognize common planning and dissipation devices, including gifting patterns, trust restructuring, and asset transfers to family members, and understand their downstream effect on private-pay capacity and Medical Assistance eligibility, including lookback periods and transfer-penalty exposure.

      The session addresses both ends of the problem. On the front end, participants will learn how to structure admission and residency agreements, implement financial monitoring practices, and build early-warning mechanisms that reduce dissipation risk before it materializes. On the back end, participants will learn the legal remedies available once dissipation has already occurred and has jeopardized a resident's ability to pay for needed care, including recovery actions, surcharge proceedings, and strategies for navigating the resulting Medical Assistance eligibility complications.

      Through real-world examples and legal insights, participants will leave with a complete toolkit, both preventive and remedial, for protecting both residents' care continuity and the long-term care continuum's fiscal sustainability.

      CEU Information:
      • 1.2 total participation hours (CPA)
      • 1.0 total participation hour (NAB)

       

      Weighted Overtime, Are You Fully Covered?

         

        As labor costs continue to represent the largest operating expense within long-term care organizations, understanding and complying with Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime requirements is critical. This training session is designed to provide nursing leadership, payroll personnel, human resources staff, and department managers with a practical understanding of weighted overtime calculations and their impact on labor costs, payroll compliance, and operational decision-making.

        Long-term care providers frequently utilize staffing models that include multiple job assignments, shift differentials, weekend premiums, charge nurse pay, preceptor compensation, and staffing incentives. While these practices support staffing flexibility and resident care needs, they can also create complex overtime calculations that must comply with FLSA regulations. When a non-exempt employee works at different pay rates during the same workweek, overtime compensation generally cannot be calculated using a single hourly rate. Instead, employers must determine a weighted average regular rate that incorporates all eligible earnings for the week.

        During this session, participants will review the regulatory requirements governing weighted overtime, understand which forms of compensation must be included in the regular rate calculation, and examine common payroll errors that can result in compliance risks. Real-world long-term care examples will be used to demonstrate how employees working in multiple roles, such as Certified Nursing Assistants serving as Medication Aides or Licensed Practical Nurses receiving charge nurse differentials, require specialized overtime calculations.

        By the conclusion of the session, attendees will be equipped to identify situations that require weighted overtime calculations, understand the relationship between payroll practices and labor cost management, and implement processes that reduce compliance risk while supporting efficient facility operations. The ultimate goal is to ensure that all eligible employees are compensated accurately and consistently while protecting the organization from potential wage-and-hour liabilities and strengthening overall payroll integrity.

         

        CEU Information:
        • 1.2 total participation hours (CPA)
        • 1.0 total participation hour (NAB)

         

        4:30 – 6:30 P.M.

        Networking Reception

        Networking Reception

        Join us at this popular reception to unwind as you conclude your first day of conference — featuring cocktails and appetizers. This event is included in your registration fee. Attendance to only the networking reception is $99.

         

        DAY 2: Thursday, October 8
        7:30 – 8:15 A.M. 

        Registration

        Registration and Continental Breakfast
        8:15 – 10:30 a.m. 

        Welcome and Keynote

         

        Welcome and Opening Remarks

        • Garry Pezzano, President & CEO, LeadingAge PA

         

        KEYNOTE: Compliance Crossroads.  The Regulations are Clear.  The Decisions Aren’t.

        Compliance Crossroads: The Regulations Are Clear. The Decisions Aren’t is a high-energy, audience-driven game show session designed to bring finance and compliance dilemmas to life. Senior living finance leaders are routinely asked to make judgment calls that sit squarely at the intersection of law, governance, mission, and stewardship — situations where the rules may be technically satisfied, but the right answer is far from obvious.

        Using a fast-paced, multiple-choice game show format, attendees will work through real-world scenarios drawn from board governance, financial reporting, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, gifts and donations, restricted funds, financial reporting, resident privacy, workforce conduct, cybersecurity, fiduciary responsibility, executive leadership, and mission sustainability. Each scenario is followed by a short, expert-led discussion that unpacks why "it depends" is often the most honest and most useful answer in nonprofit senior living. Through a series of progressively challenging questions, participants are invited to move beyond simple yes/no compliance thinking and examine how policies, bylaws, disclosure, legal review, donor intent, privacy requirements, auditor expectations, organizational consistency, and governance judgment shape responsible decision-making.

        Participants will reflect on today’s greatest compliance challenges and explore why decisions that are technically compliant may still create significant risk if they are poorly considered, weakly documented, or misaligned with organizational values.

        CEU information:

        • 2.4 total participation hours: CPA
        • 2.0 total participation hours: NAB

        10:45 – 11:45 A.M. 

        Concurrent sessions

        Don't Rebuild Yesterday: Lessons Learned from Finance System Implementations

        Major finance system implementations represent one of the greatest opportunities to improve financial operations. Yet many organizations spend months selecting and implementing new software only to recreate the same approval processes, reporting packages, spreadsheets, manual imports, and workarounds they were trying to eliminate.

        Why does this happen?

        The answer usually isn't the software. It's organizational habit.

        Drawing on lessons learned from dozens of senior living finance system implementations, this session explores the decisions that have the greatest long-term impact on financial operations. Rather than focusing on technology, attendees will learn how successful organizations use an implementation as an opportunity to rethink business processes, challenge long-standing assumptions, simplify workflows, and improve reporting across the organization.

        Using real-world examples from senior living organizations, we'll examine common implementation myths and discuss why organizations naturally recreate yesterday's processes inside tomorrow's software. Topics include defining a realistic Phase One scope, evaluating which reports, workflows, and integrations still add value, balancing standardization with organizational needs, and giving special attention to billing processes that often affect nearly every department.

        Attendees will leave with a practical framework they can use before, during, or even after a finance system implementation to identify opportunities for process improvement, simplify financial operations, and ensure they improve the way Finance works rather than simply replacing the software that supports it.

        CEU Information:
        • 1.2 total participation hours (CPA)
        • 1.0 total participation hour (NAB)

          Nursing Facility Reimbursement in Transition: Performance Models, Compliance, and Risk Management

          • Kris Pattison, Director Clinical Consulting at Baker Tilly
          • Rick Snyder, Manager Health Care Consulting at Baker Tilly
          Nursing facility reimbursement is undergoing significant transformation as federal and state programs increasingly tie payment to performance, quality outcomes, and compliance. This session provides a concise overview of key reimbursement trends, including the CMS FY 2027 final rule and emerging patterns under Pennsylvania’s PDPM case-mix model. Attendees will also gain a clear understanding of major quality and pay-for-performance initiatives—such as Five-Star, SNF Value-Based Purchasing (VBP), the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP), and Pennsylvania’s Medicaid Quality Incentive Program—and how these programs directly influence reimbursement and operational strategy.

          Beyond policy updates, the session will focus on practical, actionable strategies to strengthen compliance and reduce financial risk. Participants will learn best practices to help prevent claim denials and payor takebacks, with a specific focus on documentation, coding accuracy, and internal controls. The discussion will also address current billing compliance challenges, including Medicare Targeted Probe and Educate (TPE) reviews, managed care post-payment audits, and Pennsylvania Medicaid oversight, along with their impact on cash flow.

          Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how to align operations with evolving reimbursement models while protecting revenue integrity and maintaining financial stability in a more complex regulatory environment.

           

          CEU Information:
          • 1.2 total participation hours (CPA)
          • 1.0 total participation hour (NAB)

           

          11:45 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. 

          Lunch & EXPO

          Lunch with Exhibitors
          1:00 – 2:00 P.M. 

          Concurrent Sessions

           

            Building What's Next: Your Five-Year Window in Aging Services

            • Dan Novelli, Senior Director - Development at LCS Development
            • Jim Bodine, Executive Vice President at HJ Sims
            • Jacob Riggs, Finance Manager at LCS Development

            The aging services market is sending an unmistakable signal: occupancy has climbed past 89.5%, occupied units sit near all-time highs, and new supply has fallen to historic lows — leaving a projected 600,000-unit shortfall through 2030. The opportunity is real, but the window won't stay open forever. This session unpacks the headwinds (workforce shortages, stretched approval timelines, costs up 40–45% since pre-COVID) and the tailwinds reshaping the next five years, then turns to action: how to reposition tired campuses, design for the resident who will choose you in 2030, and weigh refurbishment, renovation, expansion, and footprint growth. Grounded in real financial data — including results from seven completed IL expansions — and a proven partnership-based development process, attendees leave with a framework to decide what to build next, and the confidence to act before conditions change.

            CEU Information:
            • 1.2 total participation hours (CPA)
            • 1.0 total participation hour (NAB)

            The 2026 Finance Playbook for Cybersecurity, HIPAA Changes, and AI Risk

            • Jonathan Sharpe, Plante Moran
            Cybersecurity is no longer an IT line item. In 2026, it sits squarely on the CFO's desk. Healthcare remains the costliest industry for data breaches at nearly 10 million dollars per incident, OCR has proposed the most significant HIPAA Security Rule overhaul in more than 20 years, and AI adoption across Pennsylvania aging services is moving faster than vendor governance, insurance policies, or capital plans can keep up. For nonprofit aging services providers operating on thin margins, the financial implications are direct and material.

            The session will walk the room through the current state of cyber risk in aging services and translate it into financial terms. Attendees will see what a breach actually costs at a provider organization, how operational disruption hits revenue cycle, payroll, and resident care, and what regulators and surveyors are now looking for during enforcement and oversight. We will then unpack the proposed HIPAA Security Rule changes and what they mean for compliance budgets, vendor contracts, capital allocation, and board reporting cycles. The session will cover what to fund, what to defer, and how to right size investment without overspending.

            The session also tackles AI, an area where finance leaders are increasingly being asked to approve, fund, or audit. Where is AI showing up in resident care, billing, documentation, and vendor platforms? What does shadow AI cost the organization in unrecognized risk? How should AI contracts and pilots be structured to avoid vendor lock in, runaway costs, and unmanaged exposure to resident data? We will provide a practical framework for finance led AI oversight that does not require deep technical knowledge.

            Cyber insurance receives dedicated time. Many providers are discovering at the worst possible moment that their cyber policy excludes ransomware payments, contains AI exclusions, has sub limits that cap recovery, or requires controls the organization has not implemented. Finance leaders will leave knowing the questions to ask their broker before renewal and how to align controls with coverage.

            The incident response section is built around a Friday evening ransomware scenario at a senior care provider, focusing on the decisions that hit the income statement and balance sheet within the first 72 hours, from forensics and legal retainers to operational continuity and notification costs.

            Attendees will leave with a finance led action framework, a prioritized list of questions to bring back to their organizations, and a clear view of the cost of preparation versus the cost of inaction. Throughout the session, we will use audience polling and a scenario walkthrough to drive interaction and ensure the material is grounded in the real world challenges Pennsylvania providers are facing today.

            This is not a generic compliance refresh. It is a finance focused playbook for aging services leaders making real budget and risk decisions in 2026.

             

            CEU Information:
            • 1.2 total participation hours (CPA)
            • 1.0 total participation hour (NAB)

             

            2:15 – 3:15 P.M. 

            Concurrent sessions

            Behind the Lenders' "Curtain" (and How to Influence Them)

            This presentation will address the challenges and solutions for managing rising healthcare costs in the employer-sponsored benefits landscape. Topics will include current market trends, cost drivers, cost containment strategies such as alternative funding, operational control, and utilizing population health management.

            CEU Information:
            • 1.2 total participation hours (CPA)
            • 1.0 total participation hour (NAB)

            Behind the Lenders' "Curtain" (and How to Influence Them)

            • Thomas Gibbons, Consultant at WesBanco Bank
             What goes on behind the “Curtain” of lenders resulting in different structures and pricings of loans?  How does this process work and why are there differences between the structure and pricing of one lender versus another?  

            In this session, we will examine the risks lenders face that influence structure and pricing, including credit, operational, compliance, liquidity, reputational, and strategic risk. All lenders (including fixed rate bond lenders) are unique as each risk is at a different level. 

            In this session, we will also examine the differences in each lender due to the following:

            1. Size – Larger lenders are more regulated but have more efficiencies than smaller lenders
            2. Specialization and Geographical – Lenders’ locations vary and therefore specialize in different industries. Lenders located around Detroit have transactions that are either directly or indirectly dependent on the auto industry shaping their views of risk. Others may be located in Texas and therefore are highly sensitive to movements in energy markets and the risks involved with commodity industries.  Others may be in Florida with heavy lending in resort and entertainment and are therefore sensitive to general economic consumer issues.  This creates different experiences for the lenders, and their portfolios of loans perform differently under different economic conditions.  
            3. Lender Economics – Each lender has certain deposit levels and certain cost structures making risk and pricing decisions differently.  
            4. Risk Rating System – Each lender must risk rate (or risk grade) each borrower and each lender has its own system. Even if the system is purchased by a vendor such as Moody’s, each system is tailored to the lender’s own portfolio and each lenders’ “hot” buttons regarding risk.  
            These differences create a variety of rates and structures that are offered on a single transaction. In this session, these differences will be explored with examples.

            Despite the differences among lenders, each lender must analyze each borrower using financial information (quantitative analysis) and non-financial information (qualitative analysis) and this seminar will examine the information necessary to obtain a full quantitative and qualitative analysis.  

            The quantitative analysis focuses on 2 ratios common to the industry (Debt Service and Days Cash) along with other ratios.  To be able to calculate these other ratios, some specific accounting items need to be gathered by the lender, and these will be detailed in the seminar.  

            The qualitative analysis focuses on the history of the borrower, the borrower’s structure, management, and systems along with various market and competitive forces that will be discussed.  

            CEU Information:
            • 1.2 total participation hours (CPA)
            • 1.0 total participation hour (NAB)

             

             

            Pricing

            Early bird registration ends September 11!
            Registration Type Early Bird Regular
            2-day full Member $299 $329
            2-day full Non-Member $529 $529
            1-day Member $209 $229
            1-day Non-Member $439 $439
            Non-Expo Business Member $399 $399
            Reception Only $99 $99

             

              Hotel Information

              Overnight accommodations for Tuesday, October 6 and/or Wednesday, October 7 can be made by calling the adjoining hotel directly or visiting their website by no later than Friday, September 11 as follows:
               
              Warehouse Hotel at the Nook
              75 Champ Blvd.

              Manheim, PA 17545

               

              Call 855-618-6181 and ask for the LeadingAge PA room block, Code 16449
              Or, visit www.warehousehotel.com and use Group Code 16449

              Rate: $139/night + taxes
              Check-in: 4:00 pm
              Check-out: 12:00 pm
               
              Hotel cancellation policy: 72 hours prior to arrival

              "The content is relevant for finance leaders and I appreciate the opportunity to network with my peers.” 

              -2025 Fall Finance Conference Attendee

              Sponsored by:

               

               

              Questions? Contact Heather Bleiler at hbleiler@leadingagepa.org or Wendy Johnson at wjohnson@leadingagepa.org

               

               

              If you would like to get involved by joining a volunteer task force or committee, click here.

               

               

              Interested in sponsorship opportunities?  Click here