Friday | February 6

7:15Am–8:00AM

Breakfast

8:00Am–2:00PM

ASC Administrators’ Program

8:00AM-8:10AM

Welcome & Opening Remarks

Diane Blanck, Executive Director, OOSS

8:10AM-8:30AM

Federal Advocacy for Ophthalmic ASCs

Mike Romansky, JD, Washington Counsel, OOSS

A briefing on the latest reimbursement, regulatory, and legislative developments impacting ophthalmic ASCs—and how OOSS is influencing federal policy.

8:30AM-9:30AM

Clinical Excellence in Ophthalmic ASCs

Experts: Carrie Jacobs, Dan Chambers, Austin Bird, Ben Seals, Tina Allen, Charles Williamson Jr., Mark King, and Ami Grube

A facilitated group discussion focused on real-world operations, innovation, and clinical challenges.

Topics include:

• Optimizing anesthesia services amid workforce shortages and rising costs
• Integrating innovative surgical techniques and technologies without disrupting ASC efficiency
• Reducing and recovering patient cancellations to protect volume
• Preparing for and responding to physician “report cards”

9:30AM-10:30AM

Regulatory, Compliance & Risk Mitigation

Experts: Diana Buck, Nikki Hurley, Skip Pleninger

• Key CMS guidelines, requirements, and state-level regulatory updates
• Accreditation readiness: AAAHC, Joint Commission, and other bodies
• Risk management strategies and legal considerations for ASC leaders

10:30AM-10:45AM

Break

10:45AM-11:45AM

Financial Management & Reimbursement Strategies

Experts: Kirk Mack, Erin Malloy, Nikki Hurley, Austin Bird

• Billing and coding best practices for ophthalmic ASCs
• Navigating Medicare and commercial payer policies
• Best practices for adopting new devices and technologies
• Payer contract management strategies that protect ASC margins

11:45AM-12:45PM

Lunch & Networking Break

12:45PM-2:00PM

Future Trends & Strategic Growth

Facilitator: Bill Rabourn

Experts: Dan Chambers, Ben Seals, Austin Bird, Philip Isham, Carrie Jacobs, Nikki Hurley, Todd Albertz, Jesse Alvarado, Mark King, Erin Malloy

A rapid-round, interactive discussion focused on emerging trends, growth strategies, and practical takeaways.

Topics include:

• ASC expansion models: single specialty vs. multi-specialty
• M&A activity, private equity, and consolidation pressures
• Sustainability and green operations
• Contract negotiation and payer relations
• Staffing models, recruitment, and scheduling optimization
• Equipment procurement and supply chain strategies
• Managing cancellations and no-shows
• Reducing turnover time while maintaining quality
• Innovation vs. Efficiency Paradox: In ASCs optimized for speed, precision, balancing the introduction of new technologies with highly optimized workflows
• Financial Pressures:

• Tight budgets limit investments in new equipment, staffing, and infrastructure.
• Shrinking reimbursements from Medicare and private insurers challenge profitability.
• High costs for adopting advanced ophthalmic technologies (e.g., femtosecond lasers).

• Staffing Shortages: difficulties in recruiting, retaining, and credentialing clinical and anesthesia providers
• Regulatory & Compliance:

• Maintaining accreditation (e.g., AAAHC, Joint Commission) requires significant administrative effort.
• Compliance with CMS and state regulations is complex and evolving.

• Facility Constraints: Growing patient volume and more complex procedures require expanded operating and recovery areas for scalability
• Patient Experience & Competitive Positioning: differentiating your ASC in a tightening market

• ASCs must compete with hospitals for elective surgeries, making patient satisfaction and outcomes critical.
• Streamlining pre-op and post-op care while maintaining a personal touch is a balancing act.
• Office-Based Surgery (OBS) – when is it a viable solution? What are the considerations?

3:30pm–3:40pm

CEM 2026 Welcome & Introductions

William Wiley, MD; Robert Weinstock, MD; Carrie Jacobs

3:40pm–5:40pm

Joint Opening Session 1: Navigating Regulation, Reimbursement, and Growth in Eyecare

William Wiley, MD; Robert Weinstock, MD; Carrie Jacobs

• 3:40 MABA What Does it Mean for Eyecare? — James Loden, MD
• 3:50 MABA Panel Discussion — Andy Corley; Steven Dell, MD; James Loden, MD
• 4:15 2026 Practice Billing Update — Kirk Mac
• 4:35 The Evolution of the Vision Correction Industry; Past, Present, & Future — Charles Williamson, MD
• 4:45 Enhancing Your Elective Practice: The Future of IOLS & Refractive — Andy Corley; Charles Williamson, MD; Charles Williamson Jr.; Melissa Cicceralli, Neel Desai, MD

5:10pm–5:40pm

Sheets Martin Lecture

Speaker: Nicholas T. Curtis, Chief Executive Officer, LENSAR

5:30pm–7:30pm

Welcome Reception with Exhibitors

Saturday | February 7

7:00am–8:15am

Sponsored Breakfast Sessions

8:30am–10:00am

Joint Session 2: The Business of Better Vision: Models, Teams, and Technology

Robert Weinstock, MD; William Wiley, MD; & Carrie Jacobs

• 8:30 Interventional Glaucoma: A Collaborative Care Model for the Future of Glaucoma Management — Philip Garza, MD
• 8:40 Glaucoma Business Opportunities Panel — Philip Garza, MD; Lisa Feulner, MD, PhD; Kasey Gantz; Tom Powell
• 9:00 Refocusing the Patient Experience: AI and Team-Based Care in Ophthalmology — Scott Laborwit, MD
• 9:10 AI in Eyecare Panel Discussion — Ben Seals; Scott Laborwit, MD; Morgan Micheletti, MD; Gary Wortz, MD
• 9:30 Enhancing Ophthalmic Efficiency Through Physician Assistant Integration — Katie Mills, MD & Iwaz Barwari, PA
• 9:40 Practice Efficiency 2026 and Beyond Panel — Katie Mills, MD; James Loden,MD; Iwaz Barwari, PA; Mark Lindberg

10:00am–10:30am

Break with Exhibitors

10:30am–11:45Am

Admin Session 1: Key Business & Practice Operations

Moderator: Philip Isham

Panelists: Kirk Mack, Linda Georgian, Patti Barkey, Carrie Jacobs, Tom Powell, Alex Brown

Discover the operational strategies that keep practices thriving. Topics include revenue cycle management KPIs, health insurance trends, business intelligence, and delivering consistent standards of care for both outcomes and revenue capture. (two sections)

1. Best practices on utilizing business intelligence well (key metrics, KPIs, reporting):
2. Delivering to YOUR standard of care – discussion on how practices achieve consistent delivery of respective SOC to maximize patient outcomes and revenue capture:

11:45am–12:45pm

Admin Session 2: Beyond Patient Experience – Premium Procedures & Refractive Marketing

Moderator: Mark King

Panelists: Jesse Alvarado, Kasey Gantz, Charles Williamson, Jr., Emmett Bond, Amaan Khan

Explore growth opportunities in refractive and premium procedures. Learn from real-world RLE and EVO ICL case studies, tackle challenges in LASIK adoption, and review marketing and experience trends that resonate with today’s patients.

1:00pm–2:00pm

Lunch Session, Sponsored By Johnson & Johnson

6:30pm–9:30pm

Island Dinner

Sunday | February 8

7:00am–8:15am

Sponsored Breakfast Sessions

8:15am–10:00am

Admin Session 3: Recruitment & Retention – Leadership Challenges & Succession Planning

Moderator: Bill Rabourn

Panelists: Dan Chambers, Philip Isham, Patti Barkey, Mark Lindberg, Debbie Davis, Mark King, Nick Tavares, Tina Allen

Examine workforce challenges at the leadership level. Learn strategies for recruitment, retention, and navigating succession planning to ensure long-term practice stability.

1. Staying private vs. pursuing private equity, especially as practices face physician retirement and succession needs
2. The physician/administrator leadership dynamic and how it shapes retention and culture (without rehashing standard “culture” themes)
3. Recruitment strategies in a declining reimbursement environment including how to maximize the roles of optometrists, PAs, and NPs

10:00am–10:30am

Break with Exhibitors

10:30am–11:45am

Admin Session 4: Artificial Intelligence Applications

Moderator: Mark Lindberg

Panelists: Brian Polak, Ben Seals, Michael Dobkowski, Kade Wilcox

AI is transforming ophthalmology. This session explores applications across clinical care, business operations, scribing, marketing, and compliance—highlighting both opportunities and cautions.

11:45am-12:45pm

Admin Session 5: When Disaster Strikes – Preparing for the Unexpected

Moderator: Dan Chambers

Panelists: Patti Barkey, Kirk Mack, Nick Tavares

From cyberattacks to natural disasters, disruptions can happen anytime. This panel presents real-world scenarios and "what if" challenges including lawsuits, provider loss, Medicare changes, and market shifts - helping leaders build stronger contingency plans.

12:45pm–1:45pm

Lunch Session, Sponsored by Zeiss

6:15pm–8:00pm

Reception with Exhibitors