Avoiding the Next Berger Commision Conference
Nov. 27, 2007

James R. Tallon Jr., nationally recognized health policy expert
Keynote: “Reinvigorating Community Health Planning in NYS”

For more than 30 years, James Tallon has played a critical leadership role in shaping NY health care policy. While in the New York Assembly he chaired the health committee for 8 years, and for 6 years was majority leader.  Since 1993 he has headed the United Hospital Fund of New York, the nation’s oldest federated (umbrella) charity. He led Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s Health Care Policy Advisory Committee during the gubernatorial transition. Effective in November 2007, he is chair of The Commonwealth Fund, a leading U.S. foundation working toward a high performance health system.

About James Tallon Jr.

James Tallon Jr. is a nationally respected health care policy leader, known for his dedication to improving the quality of health care and insurance coverage. Over the course of his distinguished career he has made the nation’s most vulnerable individuals – the uninsured, low-come Americans, racial and ethnic minorities, children and frail elders – a key focus of his work.

While serving in the NYS Assembly from 1975 to 1993 he spearheaded efforts to reform the Medicaid program while expanding eligibility for pregnant women and children. He joined the United Hospital Fund of New York in 1993, and as president addresses critical issues affecting hospitals and health care in New York City.

Currently Mr. Tallon serves as a member of the NYS Board of Regents, which supervises all education and education-related activities in the state. He chairs the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and is also secretary/treasurer of the Alliance for Health Reform. In 2006, then Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer tapped him to head his health care policy advisory committee during the gubernatorial transition.

Mr. Tallon is a former member of the board of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and has held visiting lecturer appointments at the Columbia University and Harvard University schools of public health.

He is on the boards of the Institute on Medicine as a Profession, the New York eHealth Collaborative, and the advisory board for the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence.

Mr. Tallon led the 1998-99 planning process that established The National Quality Forum. In 1999, Empire State Reports named him as one of 25 leaders whose work resulted in sweeping improvements in the lives of New Yorkers in the previous 25 years.

Kemp Hannon chairs the NYS Senate Health Committee
Topic: "Role of Planning in NYS Health Care"

Kemp Hannon represents New York’s 6th Senate District and is regarded widely as an expert in health care public policy. He played key roles in the development of Child Health Plus; Family Health Plus and other major health programs and served as co-chair of the Senate Medicaid Reform Task Force. Senator Hannon will discuss the role of planning in NYS health care.

About Kemp Hannon

First elected to the New York State Senate from Garden City in 1989, Kemp Hannon serves as chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Health. In addition, he is Assistant Majority Whip in the Senate Conference and chair of the Health Budget Subcommittee. He was instrumental in developing programs such as Child Health Plus (CHP), Family Health Plus (FHP) and the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) program. His creation of the Patient Health Information and Quality Improvement Act extended patient access to information about health care providers.

His focus in health is on accountability and quality healthcare. Senator Hannon is responsible for numerous laws recognizing the importance of preventive medicine, medical research and disease treatment. He spearheaded the establishment of the Senate Medicaid Task Force, cosponsored the woman's health care and prevention bill providing direct access to OB/GYN and worked to improve screening for cancer and osteoporosis.

In addition to health issues, Senator Hannon has played a key role in laws involving technology, finance and tax reform. His Senate Committee assignments outside health are: codes, corporations, authorities and commissions, elections, finance, judiciary and rules. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Task Force on Government Reform. Prior to serving in the Senate, he was Minority Leader Pro Tempore in the Assembly.

Senator Hannon has previously headed the health committee of the National Conference of State Legislators and serves on NCSL’s Health Policy forum. He is an attorney in private practice with the law firm of Farrell Fritz, PC.

James R. Knickman., leads the new NYS Health Foundation
Topic: "Identifying Innovations in Meeting Needs of the Underserved"

James Knickman is President/CEO of the New York State Health Foundation, the state’s largest health care conversion foundation. In December 2006, in its inaugural year, the foundation awarded $5.7 million in grants to 23 organizations selected from among 600 applications. Grants were made in areas that support one or more of the following: expanded health insurance coverage, increased access to high-quality health care services to vulnerable populations, and improvements to public and community health.

About James Knickman

Prior to joining the NYS Health Foundation, James Knickman was VP of Research and Evaluation at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton NJ, where he was responsible for external evaluations of the national initiatives the foundation supported. Dr. Knickman and his staff took lead roles in developing research initiatives, and conducting internal analyses related to the foundation’s grantmaking priorities. Throughout his 14-year tenure, Dr. Knickman led grantmaking teams in areas involving clinical care for the chronically ill, long term care services, and population health. 

Between 1976 and 1992, he served on the faculty of New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, where he was active in community service directed at improving health care delivery to vulnerable populations.  He also served on a wide range of advisory boards, and published extensive research on issues related to improving services for homeless families, frail elders and individuals with HIV. He is co-author of a widely used textbook on health policy and management.

Dr. Knickman currently serves as chair of the Robert Wood Johnson Health System in New Brunswick NJ.  He is a past chair of the New Jersey Department of Health’s Cardiac Health Advisory Council, a past board member of Academy Health in Washington D.C., and a past board member of the New York Catholic Health Care System. 

David H. Klein., leads Upstate’s largest insurance provider 
Topic: “Working Together: Health Insurers & Community Planners”

David Klein is CEO of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, the 1.8 member, not-for-profit health plan serving 31 counties in the Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, North Country, and central Southern Tier regions of NY. Excellus is part of a $5.85 billion family of companies (The Lifetime Healthcare Companies) that is among NY’s top 20 employers. Mr. Klein’s career, which spans 3 decades, includes leadership in health plan operations, work in hospitals and other direct-care facilities, and an academic foundation in management and finance.

About David Klein

Mr. Klein began his BlueCross career as utilization review manager for the national BlueCross Association, based in Chicago. Over the ensuing decade, he advanced through increasingly responsible management positions with the association and its successor, the BlueCross BlueShield Association.

In 1985, he joined BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois as VP of marketing services, and soon was promoted to VP of national and major accounts. In 1986, he was recruited to the position of senior vice president of BlueCross BlueShield of the Rochester (NY) Area, where he eventually became responsible for claims, customer service, information technology, legal, public relations and advertising, product development, sales and marketing, utilization management and quality management. 

From 1996 through 2002, Mr. Klein was the operational leader during the evolution of today’s Lifetime Healthcare Companies, as the Rochester Blues merged first with BCBS of Central New York, then in 1998 with BCBS of Utica-Watertown, and in 2001 with Univera Healthcare of Buffalo and Central New York.  His responsibilities included all operational functions in 5 geographic regions spanning New York State from Pennsylvania to Canada and from Lake Erie to Lake Champlain.

Today, in addition to being CEO of Excellus, he is president and chief executive officer of The Lifetime Healthcare Companies, the 7,000-employee, $5.85 billion enterprise that this the largest provider of health insurance in Upstate New York, covering more than 2 million members.

Daniel Sisto: heads association serving 550 organizations
Topic: “Planning for Improved Care While Keeping Providers Whole”

For more than 20 years Daniel Sisto has led the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), which represents more than 550 nonprofit and public hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies, and other health care organizations. HANYS is the only such statewide association in NY. Under his leadership, HANYS has developed a national reputation for its expertise in data management, effective state and federal advocacy, and coalition building with diverse national interests.

About Daniel Sisto

Daniel Sisto joined the HANYS staff in 1984 as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of its consulting arm. He was appointed president of the association in 1986.

Prior to HANYS, Mr. Sisto held positions at two health care organizations in the Nassau-Suffolk region of NY.  He is the former Executive Vice President of the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council and former Deputy Director of the Nassau-Suffolk Health Systems Agency. 

He serves on numerous task forces of the American Hospital Association and an array of New York State policy bodies.  He has more than 28 years of executive leadership experience in regulatory and competitive environments, and speaks frequently about public policy, advocacy, health planning, and administration.

Marsha Gordon, leads Westchester’s largest business organization Topic: “The Role of Planning in Cost Control”

Marsha Gordon is President and CEO of the Business Council of Westchester, the largest and fastest growing business organization in Westchester County.  Since assuming leadership of the council in 2001, she and her team have increased the organization’s membership from 500 to nearly 1,400.



About Marsha Gordon

As head of Westchester County’s largest business organization, Dr. Gordon promotes a pro-business agenda at county, state and federal levels and speaks throughout the Hudson Valley on legislative and regulatory issues.

At the Business Council of Westchester she has introduced various programs and activities to enhance the economic vitality of the local community. These include the Westchester Rising Stars Program, a mega-mixer business-to business expo that brings more than 1,000 buyers and sellers of products and services together, and an Executive Leadership Program, involving study of the economic impact of not-for-profit organizations in Westchester in partnership with Pace University. 

In addition, Dr. Gordon works closely with the Business Council’s Executive Committee, a 49-member board of directors and 9 councils (area development, creative/marketing, economic development, governmental action, human resources, not-for-profit, small business and technology). She has spoken on legislative and regulatory issues at events throughout the Hudson Valley and meets frequently with legislators in Westchester, Albany and Washington.

Previously Dr. Gordon was President/CEO of MetroPool Inc., a not-for-profit organization that addresses commuter issues in Fairfield County and the Hudson Valley.  From 1991 to 1999 she led the 1,000-member Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce, where she inaugurated programs in international trade and workforce development, and attracted a minor league baseball team to the region. 

Dr. Gordon currently serves on the Board of the White Plains Performing Arts Center, the Child Care Council and the Workforce Investment Board, where she chairs the one-stop committee. She is also the Westchester Chair of the Westchester Rockland Tappan Zee Futures Task Force. She was the first board chair of the Chamber Alliance of New York State.

James Clyne Jr., oversees NYS health care regulations
Topic: "Role of Planning in NYS Health Care"

As Deputy Commissioner James Clyne supervises New York’s regulations involving health care institutions.  He is also in charge of implementing the recommendations of the Berger Commission.  Mr. Clyne will speak about the role of planning in NYS health care

About James Clyne Jr.

James Clyne is Deputy Commissioner for the New York Office of Health Systems Management of the New York Department of Health. He supervises the state's regulations of health care institutions, including standards of practice and quality of care. He is responsible for leading the state's implementations of the recommendations of the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, also known as the “Berger Commission.” Previously, Mr. Clyne was with the law firm Hinman Straub P.C., where he represented health care, nonprofit and business clients before the NYS Legislature and Executive Branch. Before entering the private sector, he spent 20 years on the Program and Counsel staff of the State Assembly in progressively responsible positions, including serving as senior adviser to the Assembly Speaker on health care, health insurance and human services issues.