CMS Guidelines - Presenters

	Randy Deffenbaugh has over 20 years of experience in healthcare and 10 years specifically within Healthcare Consumer Advocacy. He is a past SHCA board and committee member and works to teach customer service and the importance of all staff advocating on behalf of their patients. Randy believes that as patients become more educated about their rights and their ability to file a grievance, the role of the Healthcare Consumer Advocate will increase and become more visible and needed. The professionals will need to step up to the plate and rise to the new challenges.
	Kevin Kasnick is a Customer Service Specialist for the VA Northern California Health Care System in Sacramento. He provides customer relations training and patient advocate supervision, compiles patient satisfaction reports, and assists in developing patient satisfaction surveys and improvement efforts. Kevin has a BA in Intergroup and Interpersonal Communications from Oregon State University. The fundamental principle of all of Kevin's presentations is that everyone can make a positive difference for themselves and especially others.
	Ruth Sullivan, MS, RNC, PAAPC, FSHCA is the Director, Patient/Family Advocacy at Shore Health System in Easton, MD. She began her 36 year career in healthcare as a graduate of a Macqueen Gibbs Willis School of Nursing in 1972. Ruth received her BSN in 1989 and her Master of Science in family nursing with a focus in rural healthcare from Salisbury University in 1998. As a nursing assistant, staff nurse, nurse manager, director and as an advocate, she can address the current state of healthcare to help us help our patients. She serves on the board of directors of many community boards focusing on child advocacy and social services to emergency medical services. She is a Past President of Potomac Chapter of SHCA, and the 2008 SHCA President.