HFMA Michigan Great Lakes Chapter Update – June 2025 Chapter President’s Message Courtney Guernsey, President, Michigan Great Lakes Chapter of HFMA Dear Michigan Great Lakes Chapter Members, As I step into the role of President for the Michigan Great Lakes Chapter of HFMA, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for the outstanding leadership and dedication demonstrated over the past year. First and foremost, I would like to extend a sincere thank you to our outgoing President, Michael Felczak. Under Michael’s leadership, our chapter has continued to thrive, innovate, and deliver exceptional value to our members. His steady guidance, collaborative spirit, and unwavering commitment to HFMA’s mission have left a lasting impact, and we are truly grateful for his service. I would also like to thank the entire FY2025 Board of Directors and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to drive our initiatives forward. Your collective efforts resulted in a successful year of education, engagement, and connection within our chapter and across the national HFMA community. It has been inspiring to witness your passion and dedication to advancing healthcare finance in our region. As we welcome our incoming FY2026 Board, I am filled with optimism and excitement about the opportunities that lie ahead. Together, we will build on the strong foundation laid before us—continuing to foster professional development, thought leadership, and collaboration within our community. This year, I look forward to exploring innovative ways to engage with our members, support one another in navigating the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, and champion excellence across all that we do. Thank you for the honor of serving as your chapter president. I am eager to work alongside this incredible group of leaders and volunteers to make this a year of continued growth and success. Warm regards, Courtney Guernsey Spring Fling 2025 Our Spring Fling Events in Grand Rapids and Troy started the warm weather months with a SPLASH! (listed left to right) Katerina Serdenkovski of McLaren Health Care, Bill Bollinger of Americollect, Mitch Ulrich of H.E.L.P Financial, Ariana Raymond of Trinity Health, and Heather Velaga of University of Michigan Health-Sparrow at the Yard House Networking Event on May 21st in Troy, Michigan.  Spring Fling began on May 20th at Corewell's Grand Rapids Headquarters, filled with engaging seminars from Blue & Co., LLC, Health Management Associates, Enviah, and J.P. Morgan. The Spring Fling Dream Team took off to Troy, MI, on May 21st to reach our chapter members at Henry Ford's HAP Building. A heartfelt thank you to Bill Bollinger, Heather Velaga, Tom Matonican, Hannah Perez, and the Revenue Cycle and Reimbursement Committees for ensuring the success of Spring Fling. Left: Decorations to commemorate the festive event; Right: Spring Fling held on May 21st at Henry Ford's HAP Building Summit 2025 The Michigan Great Lakes Chapter's FY26 Board and select members ventured to Nashville, Tennessee, from May 3rd-6th for the Annual HFMA Summit. A highlight was our team-building and LTC planning session, hosted by Courtney Gurnsey at Pinewood Social. It was a perfect blend of collaboration and bowling that helped us align on our key chapter goals for the year, leaving the board feeling incredibly energized. Throughout the summit, we not only gained valuable insights from other chapters and attended best practice seminars, but also participated in some fun Cinco de Mayo trivia! We're especially proud that Region 6 received an Engagement Award for its submission, "Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Healthcare." Volunteer Spotlight Jeff Berkowitz, Enterprise and Education Membership Committee Member Jeff has worked at Trinity Health for the past 6 years. He is currently the Director of Trinity's Performance Management Team, a group focused on identifying and addressing revenue cycle improvement and optimization opportunities to increase net patient revenue for the organization. Prior to his role at Trinity Health, Jeff supported several different healthcare systems across the country to increase accountability, establish benchmark performance, and streamline operational processes. Jeff has held numerous leadership roles in both Patient Access and Patient Financial Services, giving him a comprehensive understanding of Revenue Cycle operations. He's also supported multiple Epic implementations and has achieved a formal certification in Epic’s Clarity Reporting module. Jeff has been actively involved in HFMA since 2021, volunteering on the Michigan Great Lakes Chapter 's Education Committee, as well as their Enterprise Membership Committee. He's also been participating as a recurring, active mentor in the Central Ohio HFMA Chapter's formal mentorship program. Jeff says that his participation in HFMA has helped to increase his industry knowledge, enhanced his leadership skills, and also significantly expanded his personal and professional network. Jeff has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan - Dearborn. He and his wife have two incredible children (girl - 5 yrs / boy - 4 yrs). As a licensed contractor in the State of Michigan, Jeff spends his free time renovating and selling residential property. His other hobbies include hunting, fishing and spending time with his family. Sponsor Spotlight Thank you to our Enterprise Sponsor, Corewell Health, for your continued partnership and engagement within our chapter. We are lucky to have Courtney Guernsey, Nichole Niesen, and Hannah Perez leading the Michigan Great Lakes Chapter - all employees of Corewell Health. Matthew Cox, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Corewell Health, serves on the National HFMA Board of Directors as the Chair-Elect. We are fortunate to have the involvement of so many additional Corewell Health employees in our committees and attending educational events. Read more about Corewell Health below: People are at the heart of everything we do, and the inspiration for our legacy of outstanding outcomes, innovation, strong community partnerships, philanthropy and transparency. Corewell Health is a not-for-profit health system that provides health care and coverage with an exceptional team of 65,000+ dedicated people—including more than 12,000 physicians and advanced practice providers and more than 16,000 nurses providing care and services in 21 hospitals, 300+ outpatient locations and several post-acute facilities—and Priority Health, a provider-sponsored health plan serving more than 1.3 million members. Through experience and collaboration, we are reimagining a better, more equitable model of health and wellness.   Request for Volunteers - Sponsorship Committee We are currently seeking interested individuals for our Sponsorship Committee. This role offers a unique opportunity to work with HFMA members and external partners to enhance our sponsorship efforts.  All interested parties should reach out to Tom Matonican at tom@cbmservices.com for additional details. Upcoming Events - MGL Chapter Michigan Great Lakes HFMA/MCACHE 70th Annual Fall Conference - Lansing - September 11, 2025 Michigan Great Lakes HFMA 2025 Annual Sponsorship (Register Here) Upcoming Education and Programming - Region 6 Central Ohio HFMA New Member Reception - July 16, 2025 (Register Here) Northwest Ohio HFMA Mudhens Networking Night - August 13, 2025 (Register Here) Northeast Ohio HFMA Networking at the Cleveland Guardians Game - August 27, 2025 2025 Biennial Tri-State Conference - Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio - September 17, 2025 - September 19, 2025 Northeast Ohio HFMA 2025 Denials Defense: What's in Your Playbook? - October 9, 2025 Sponsorship Opportunities We have built a sponsorship program to hopefully meet all of your needs. Our business partners are critical to our success. We value your support of our chapter and look forward to working with you in 2025 and beyond. If you need any additional items or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at any time. Thank you for your continued support! To become a 2025 sponsor for the Michigan Great Lakes Chapter HFMA, please complete this form. Tom Matonican, Michigan Great Lakes HFMA Sponsorship Chair, tom@cbmservices.com If you no longer want to receive emails from No Campaign, please Opt-Out.