Eddie Cates

National Sales Manager

Texas Medical Distributors

Eddie Cates is the National Sale Manager for Texas Medical Distributors (TMD). He has been in this role with TMD for over six years and has helped grow TMD to be the largest stocking wholesale distributor of retail HME products in the US. Eddie grew up in the homecare industry as his mother bought a DME in 1987 and Eddie worked there after school cleaning rental equipment. As the Cates family sold the DME and started TMD in 1990 Eddie spent his summers and after school working in the warehouse shipping HME products across Texas and beyond. Eddie attended Texas A&M University on a track and field scholarship before returning to the family business in 2008 to work as a sales representative for the Central Texas market.  As a sales representative for TMD he gained an interest in consumer behavior and returned to Texas A&M in 2020 to gain certification in Applied Behavioral Economics. With this expanded knowledge Eddie has been able to provide insight into the buying habits of the everyday HME consumer.

Steve Cela

President

Strategic Office Support

Steve founded Strategic Office Support to provide a much-needed service to clients and at the same time, make a difference in the lives of his employees. In addition to Strategic Office Support, Steve owns Apnix Sleep Diagnostics, Houston’s leading sleep diagnostic center, and Apnix CPAP Equipment and Supplies, a medical equipment supplies company.

Steve holds an MBA from the University of Texas, Dallas, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Biochemistry from Baylor University.  He is a recognized member of the Whitehall Club and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.  Steve is a Houston native, and when not working, he enjoys time with his family, exercising, racing cars, and nutritional education.

Kim Cuce'

Director, Business Optimization

VGM & Associates

With an impressive 24 years in healthcare, Kim has dedicated her career to the durable medical equipment (DME) industry since 2010. Prior to joining VGM as the Director of Business Optimization, she owned a comprehensive medical billing company catering to a diverse clientele of family practitioners, rehab centers, orthopedic surgeons, pediatricians, emergency room physicians, and urologists. As the managing partner of a small full-service DME company in 2010, she orchestrated remarkable revenue growth from through a strategic blend of organic expansion and targeted acquisitions. In 2011, she was sought after by a large provider to provide consulting services, addressing reimbursement challenges for healthcare practices. Her expertise in revenue cycle strategies, analyzing workflow processes, policies, compliance, company structure, reimbursement, and denials culminated in the development of a successful restructuring plan, including the creation of new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and the establishment of performance benchmarks. Notably, she has served as the Director of Operations and Director of Reimbursement and Payor Relations for very successful DME companies. Her commitment to the industry extended to board service with several state associations. 

Kelly Grahovac

General Manager

The van Halem Group

Kelly Grahovac serves as the General Manager for The van Halem Group where she focuses on audits, appeals, education and training across multiple lines of business and various specialties. Kelly is a known lecturer in the DME industry, speaking at national conferences, state associations, and for private events. Kelly’s past experience includes nearly 10 years at one of the nation’s leading Medicare contractors, working at the DME MAC, QIC and A/B MAC contractors. She has since brought this knowledge and experience over to The van Halem Group, where she has been working since 2013 to assist providers as they navigate the ever-changing healthcare payor landscape.

Michael Hanna, MPA, CDME

Provider Relations Senior Analyst

CGS

Michael Hanna, MPA, CDME, is a Provider Relations Senior Analyst for CGS Administrators, the DME MAC for Jurisdictions B and C.  Michael has been involved in the Medicare program since 2007.  He is the CGS liaison for both the Jurisdiction B and Jurisdiction C councils.  He is the Community Coach for multiple states in Jurisdiction C where he is active in their state association meetings and other educational events held in those states.  Michael also participates in several CERT initiatives, working with CMS staff and other MAC staff to help reduce the overall CERT error rates.  He holds two degrees from the University of Missouri.

Trey Holterman

CEO

Tennr

Trey Holterman is the CEO and Co-Founder of Tennr.  He studied Computer Science with a focus on Machine Learning at Stanford. Prior to starting Tennr he focused on applying his research in the health technology world at HealthIQ and Strava.

Ike Isaacson

SVP, Government and Regulatory Relations
Senior Leadership, Government Relations, VGM & Associates

Mike Isaacson is the Senior Vice President of Operations for VGM & Associates and oversees the continued development, growth, and enhancements of VGM & Associates Communities.  Working with each Community Leader, he seeks out additional solutions for our partners and new opportunities to improve services and support. 

Prior to joining VGM & Associates, Mike was Vice President of Business Development for VGM/HOMELINK.  This opportunity afforded Mike an in-depth knowledge and understanding of provider pain points being met with innovation and technology.  Before making his way to VGM, he spent 23 years as a state and national leader in community healthcare settings, creating services for individuals, families, and communities alike.  These experiences created opportunities to develop and grow several service companies with a focus on government relations, provider relations, cross-system integration, and challenging the status quo. Mike and his wife Teresa spend their time raising and following their four children in all of their activities and directions they take in life.  He has a Bachelor’s of Social Work and a Masters of Public Policy from the University of Northern Iowa where he was a letter winner for the Panther football program.

Miriam Lieber

Lieber Consulting

Miriam Lieber is an independent consultant and trainer specializing in operations management for homecare providers.  Her extensive experience with Medicare and other third party payers has brought her national recognition in the homecare industry.  With over 20 years in the homecare field, Miriam is a featured author of many articles in the areas of operations and accounts receivable management, regulations and compliance.  Additionally, she is a nationally known speaker for many homecare trade associations.  In her consulting practice, Ms. Lieber’s clientele includes home health care companies, pharmacies, manufacturers, Medicare and other third party payers, investment firms, and hospitals.  She has worked with over 375 homecare providers. Lieber is known to have practical approaches to complex operational matters and assists her clients with the nuts and bolts of running a profitable business. 

Tim Safley, MBA, RRT, RCP

Program Director

Accreditation Commission for Health Care

Tim Safley is the DMEPOS & Sleep Program Director for the Accreditation Commission for Health Care, responsible for the development and implementation of the DMEPOS, Sleep Accreditation Programs. He began his career with ACHC as a surveyor for many years and joined the staff in 2006.  Tim has over three decades of experience in the respiratory care profession, including twenty-five years in the DMEPOS and Sleep industry. Tim was the Regional Vice President for a national home care provider for over twelve years and Director of Respiratory Development for a large regional home care operation. He has served on several boards which include: The North Carolina Respiratory Care Board and the North Carolina Medical Equipment Association. He has also work with several payors in the development of protocols for DME, Sleep and the pharmacy industry.

Tim understands the requirements for Medicare, Medicaid and private payors and has established procedures for home care providers to meet these requirements in order to participate in payor networks.

Andrea Stark

Owner

MiraVista

Andrea Stark is a Medicare consultant and reimbursement specialist for medical equipment suppliers, hospitals, and pharmacies. As of 2023, she has over 25 years of experience in the DME industry, including 20 years as an independent consultant. Stark founded MiraVista, LLC after working for the Region C DMERC, and now provides consulting, education and data analysis services to suppliers throughout the country. Stark is the former Chair of the Jurisdiction C Council and collaborates with numerous state and national associations. 

Jeff Woodham

VP of Operations

Mandry Technology

Jeff is the Vice President at Mandry Technology Solutions, an IT Managed Services Provider (MSP) and Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) located in Texas. Prior to Mandry, he held multiple leadership roles in the Post-Acute and Homecare industries with companies such as The MED Group, Managed Health Care Associates and Stratice Healthcare. He holds multiple certifications within the areas of leadership development and team building. In addition, he is a certified Healthcare Information Security & Privacy Practitioner with expertise in HIPAA Privacy and Security regulation.

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