All registered attendees are invited to participate in this complimentary scramble at the Camelback Golf Club in Scottsdale. Because we have a limited number of foursomes available, participation is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Fourth Annual Treatment Center Investment & Valuation Retreat Golf Outing will take place on Monday, December 10th, with an 8:00am shotgun start (shuttle departs at 7:15am). All registered Retreat attendees are invited to participate in this complimentary* scramble at the Camelback Golf Club in Scottsdale.

Your registration includes transportation between the Omni Montelucia and the Camelback Golf Club as well as morning coffee and a boxed lunch. You may also choose to rent golf clubs or shoes when you register. Prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the round.

This complimentary* event is made possible by support from our sponsors. Because we have a limited number of foursomes available, participation is on a first-come, first-served basis. Signing up for golf is easy--simply select the option when registering to attend the Retreat.

*NO SHOW FEE: Your participation must be guaranteed by Friday, December 7th. Retreat attendees who register to participate in the golf outing but do not cancel by December 7th or arrive at the Camelback Golf Club by 8:00am on December 10th will be charged a $145 no show fee.

Sponsored by Integrity Billing

Attendees, speakers and sponsors may pick up their badges and other Retreat-related materials.

Drawing from a decade of proprietary substance use disorder M&A transaction data, the presentation will tease out the latest trends and developments in sector consolidation. Has interest in high-end residential treatment finally given way to lower cost, community based services? Has medication assisted treatment regained the "mojo" it had in 2016? Are buyers finally beginning to see Medicaid for the opportunity it almost assuredly represents? In this session, we will discuss these topics and more to assess where the addiction treatment M&A market is today and where it’s likely headed tomorrow.

Upon attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Cite current trends in addiction treatment mergers and acquisitions.
• Describe the healthcare economic policy initiatives, consolidation strategies, and other factors driving these trends.
• Decipher go-forward consolidation strategies based upon these factors and anticipated new governmental, insurance coverage, and socio-economic developments.

Join your colleagues in evening prayer.

Meet fellow treatment center executives and those investing in the field at the popular evening networking reception.

Sponsored by The Braff Group

Everyone is welcome.

The core function of addiction treatment is to help clients raise their bottom. When we focus on that, as business leaders, we strengthen the foundation of the business itself. When we engage with the client, as our primary business function, the elements of growth and profitability can more clearly be defined and understood. 17 years of direct experience in behavioral health, including building two national platforms have informed this belief system and strategy.

Sponsored by Stoneridge Partners

Network with sponsors, speakers and colleagues.

Sponsored by Avea Solutions

Exit planning is likely the most consequential but least understood practice among business owners today. It involves planning for the greatest chance of an optimal exit - specifically, exiting the company on your terms and on your time schedule. This includes all aspects of exit planning, including tax, legal, financial, operational, familial and emotional considerations. In this session, we will dive deeper into the process of exit planning and discuss the steps you can take today to help ensure a successful transition.

Upon attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Define exit planning and why it's important to have a written plan.
• Define the key elements of an exit plan.
• Discuss what steps an owner can take immediately to help ensure a successful exit.

Increasing a business’s valuation through continuous, sustained growth is an overarching strategic goal of many organizations. Yet an organization’s worth is more than just a multiple of EBITDA—and that's especially important to consider when positioning for new investment or examining an add-on transaction target. In this session, the presenter will discuss how to satisfy different rounds of investors, position a company for long-term growth and profitability and create maximum value in a changing market.

As behavioral healthcare services become increasingly recognized as essential health benefits by stakeholders—particularly payer sources—performance measurement has become imperative for your business and your bottom line. Emerging financial, marketing, compliance and technology tools help ensure you’re operating effectively and efficiently. Use key performance indicators to identify performance, benchmark against the competition and create a process of continuous improvement that leads to greater sustainability and profitability.

Join Doug Edwards and a panel of experts to explore key performance indicators (KPIs) for behavioral healthcare providers. Upon attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify key performance indicators in the revenue cycle management processes.
• Benchmark marketing activities against those of other providers.
• Understand the role of technology in monitoring and optimizing key performance indicators.

Sponsored by:
• Credible Behavioral Health Software
• Dreamscape Marketing 
• Mertz Taggart
• SAS Group, LLC

Network with sponsors, speakers and colleagues.

Sponsored by Avea Solutions

The current opioid crisis has created strong tailwinds for growth opportunities among organizations that either specialize in providing medication assisted treatment (MAT) services or have incorporated MAT into their practices. This session will give an overview of the different types of MAT service offerings and will discuss some of the lessons learned in adding different types of MAT modalities within different types of organizations. This session will also address billing nuances for MAT and accompanying services for different types of payers. In addition, this session will discuss the variables contributing to the tailwinds in this space and will provide an analysis of the potential future opportunities and threats within the MAT industry.

Upon attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Understand the different delivery workflows for each type of MAT.
• Understand the benefits and risks associated with different types of MAT treatment modalities.
• Understand the future potential for investing in or incorporating MAT services to existing models of care.

Where do you fit in the marketplace when it is changing so much? Today’s treatment business landscape features market disruptors in the form of lower cost models along with unethical and opportunistic operators, payer insurgency in the form of lower reimbursements, reduced lengths of stay and redefined admission criteria, and shifting consumer needs and expectations. All this and more are impacting providers in significant ways—but these developments are not new. Hospitals have already been through such turbulent times, and there is much to learn from their experience. To remain relevant and successful while maintaining your core values in an evolving marketplace, treatment offerings need to be more focused and tailored to community needs with the patient, program and payer mix better defined. Hear from key knowledge leader Matt Feehery on this topic at this year’s Retreat. Feehery has been working in hospital-affiliated behavioral health settings since 1992, including at Memorial Hermann in Houston and now as CEO of psychiatric hospital leader UHS’ Foundations Recovery Network division.

In this session, the presenter will outline why behavioral health treatment centers are uniquely suited to become employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) companies. The ESOP structure creates a transition strategy for owners, provides retirement benefits for employees, and helps to drive long-term business success. There are several reasons an ESOP can be an attractive ownership transition strategy for social services companies, including: preserving owner legacy; attracting and retaining employees; and taking advantage of favorable state regulatory environments where available. In some cases, there are tax advantages as well. As awareness increases, it is anticipated that more companies will turn to this succession planning strategy.

Upon attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Define what an ESOP is and how it can work as a transition strategy.
• Describe the reasons an ESOP is a favorable alternative for behavioral treatment centers.
• Discuss how an ESOP is a retirement benefit for employees.

Successful care providers now have a wide range of capital partners and liquidity options, and understanding how to access the full range of options can be a key strategic advantage. Among the new entrants are healthcare-focused real estate investment trusts (REITs). With over $100 billion in capitalization between top participants, relatively narrow industry focus, and a mandate to grow, REITs can provide growth capital and liquidity, without requiring operating control or assuming decision making for the organization. While REIT partnerships can be an attractive alternative to an outright sale, they come with their own constraints and considerations. This session will focus on REITs, their place in the transactional ecosystem, and the circumstances in which a REIT can be a suitable partner.

Upon attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Understand what a REIT is and how it differs from a lender or a private equity investor.
• Understand the REIT business model, objectives, and the key strengths and weaknesses.
• Understand the profile of an ideal REIT investment, what a REIT partnership will entail from a diligence and document standpoint, and the trade-offs and considerations in partnering with a REIT.

In April 2018, LegitScript announced a partnership with Google that would change the landscape of online advertising for addiction treatment providers: LegitScript drug and alcohol addiction treatment certification would be required for addiction treatment providers to advertise on Google. At the root of this effort was a desire to curtail online advertising opportunities for predatory and opportunistic addiction treatment providers that have been cashing in on patients’ recovery efforts and insurance billing opportunities. The certification program officially launched in July 2018, and soon after was adopted by Facebook as a requirement for advertising on that platform as well.

In this session, Caitlin Clark, LegitScript’s assistant director of operations for certification, will describe the standards behind LegitScript’s certification program and explain how these standards help to ensure facilities are operating in compliance. Participants will learn about the application process and get examples of how LegitScript’s expert analysts carefully vet those seeking certification. They will also hear about the latest updates to this new program and learn why it is important to get certified. Caitlin will explain how LegitScript addiction treatment certification has the potential to help shape the addition treatment industry for the better for years to come.

Join your colleagues in evening prayer.

Everyone is welcome.

Google is the number-one source of consumer research for those seeking residential addiction treatment. In fact, search traffic on seeking addiction treatment is at an all-time high. With over 83% of admitted patients performing a search on Google before making a call, market share is established or lost by the effective or ineffective deployment of digital marketing dollars, and the vast majority of treatment programs--large and small--are using digital marketing wrong. This session will share financial models, backed by the speaker’s proprietary data, to invest more accurately, hedge your risk, and grow your online footprint efficiently to gain market share. Accurate Business Intelligence can become a crystal ball for strategic marketing investment.

Upon attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Learn how to accurately deploy digital marketing dollars, considering all consumer market variables, and evaluate return on investment.
• Identify an adequately hedged approach to over-exposure on a single marketing channel and how to succeed online with a diversified approach.
• View the financial models for investing in, and gaining returns from, organic SEO and paid search channels.
• Consider examples of treatment programs/types that effectively navigate the digital market--and those who are out of business because of it.

Sponsored by Polsinelli Behavioral Health Law Group

Network with sponsors, speakers and colleagues.

Sponsored by Avea Solutions

The payer landscape is continuously changing--making keeping up to date on being in compliance and eligible for new reimbursement opportunities difficult. At the same time, many addiction treatment providers believe that the goals behind parity legislation remain elusive as pre-qualification requirements and denial of benefits remain common. In this presentation, the speakers will examine:

• Payer audits/common red flag issues and best practices in defense and prevention.
• In-network contracting/negotiation strategies that will help minimize risk and optimize your revenue stream.
• The implementation and enforcement of parity 10 years since its passage.

Upon attending this session, participants will be able to:

Today's business climate presents behavioral health providers with unprecedented challenges in maintaining and enhancing the bottom line. Programs that grew under the Affordable Care Act have encountered new obstacles and downward pressure on margins. Others are navigating a changing competitive landscape and substantial compliance responsibilities. The next several years portend new challenges, including pressure to advance evidence-based clinical protocols, closer regulatory scrutiny and a fundamental shift toward the emerging reimbursement models that aim to pay for value. How should behavioral health providers adapt and strategize for the future? This session will focus on the top 10 essential strategies for growth, smart innovation, performance and long-term sustainability.

Upon attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Understand the impact of reimbursement trends in the short-term and long-term.
• Name several key drivers of value in program operations.
• Understand the critical role of compliance as a fundamental driver and foundational element of quality and strategic growth.

As insurance coverage and benefits are expanding access to care, disputes have developed and escalated between treatment providers and Payers. Yet it is important that both groups work together to ensure the best outcomes for those that need treatment and to build collaborative relationships. To this end, the Treatment Center Investment & Valuation Retreat has convened a panel of payer representatives to offer providers their perspective on mental health and addiction treatment services. Focusing on quality and access, the panel will deliberate how do we expand access, reduce cost and maximize effectiveness.

This moderated panel will discuss where we are today, evolving payer standards on outcomes and measurement, what is the future of SUD care, and how the field is evolving to improve access and quality. The panel will offer practical guidance in addressing the Payer-provider relationship while focusing on solutions to evolving reimbursement challenges.

Upon attending this session, participants will be able to:
• Identify opportunities to build collaborative partnerships with payers
• Discuss challenges payers identify in providing behavioral healthcare benefits to their members—and how providers can respond
• Evaluate the current importance of outcomes measurement and prepare for evolving payer expectations