Ask the Experts: Advocacy & Public Policy (Archive 9/13/21)

1.0 CME / 1.0 CMD Management

Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in an in-depth facilitated question and answer (Q&A) session with leading policy experts in PALTC. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions on any topic of their choosing including COVID-19, coding, broader payment models, telehealth, risk management and other Society priorities. The goal of this Q&A session is to provide attendees with the knowledge, confidence, and tools necessary to advocate for their patients and be successful in their practice.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the webinar, participants should be able to:

  • Identify current policy issues impacting PALTC.
  • Gain new perspectives on relevant aspects of fiscal issues, health care policy, payment models, risk management and the Society’s policy priorities.
  • Apply new tools to successfully advocate on behalf of your patients, your profession and your practice. 

Moderator: Alex Bardakh, MPP, PLC

Panel: Michele Bellantoni, MD, CMD, Christian Bergman, MD, CMD; Charles Crecelius, MD, PhD, CMD; Suzanne Gillespie, MD, RD, CMD, Rajeev Kumar, MD, CMD; Dallas Nelson, MD, CMD

abAlex Bardakh, MPP, PLC, is the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for AMDA – The Society. Mr. Bardakh works for the Society’s extensive Public Policy agenda through Advocacy in Congress and numerous Federal Agencies. A graduate from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in Political Science/Psychology and master’s degree in Public and Legal Policy, Mr. Bardakh has extensive experience in health policy with a specific focus on areas such as payment models and quality of care initiatives. He has been a recognized national speaker on healthcare policy and has spoken at national conferences throughout the country.


mbMichele Bellantoni, MD, CMD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Clinical Director of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She serves as Medical Director of the Specialty Hospital Programs of the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and the Johns Hopkins Medicine Post-Acute Care Collaborative. Dr. Bellantoni is the former chair of the AMDA Annual Conference Program Planning Subcommittee and is currently co-chair of the Public Policy Committee.



cbChristian Bergman, MD, CMD, is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine. His clinical practice is academic post-acute and long-term care medicine. He is assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA where he is focusing on improving transitions of care throughout the VCU Health System. Dr. Bergman is actively involved in teaching medical students, residents, and geriatric fellows at the state and national level where his involvement focuses on improving the educational experience for trainees in geriatric medicine. He is vice-chair of the Transitions of Care subcommittee and a member of the CPG and Clinical Tools subcommittee.


ccCharles Crecelius, MD, PhD, FACP, CMD, is the Medical Director, Post-Acute Care Services for the BJC Medical Group ACO, multi-facility medical director for Delmar Gardens Enterprises, and Associate Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at Washington University School of Medicine. He is a Past President of AMDA – The Society for PALTC Medicine, represents the Society in the American College of Physician’s Subspecialty Advisory Group on Socioeconomic Affairs and the AMA Relative Value Update Committee, and is on the Steering Committee of their Practice Management Section. 



sgSuzanne Gillespie MD, RD, CMD, is Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics/Aging and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. She is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine and Hospice & Palliative Medicine. Dr. Gillespie is Chairman of the House of Delegates of AMDA - The Society for PALTC Medicine and serves on the Board of Directors. Dr. Gillespie is Associate Chief of Staff for Geriatrics Extended Care and Medical Director of the Community Living Center of the Canandaigua VA Medical Center where she is also a Lead Physician of their Palliative Medicine and Hospice Care program and Lead Physician for Patient Safety.


rkRajeev Kumar, MD, CMD, FACP, is a Geriatrician, skilled nursing facility medical director, working as Chief Medical Officer for Symbria. He serves on AMDA board as secretary and co-chair of Practice Group Network.




dnDallas Nelson, MD, CMD, FACP, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of the Rochester in the Division Geriatrics and aging. She is medical director of the UR Medicine Geriatrics Group, a group that serves about 3000 patients across the spectrum of long-term care in the Rochester Metro Area. She also serves as the medical director of two nursing facilities. Dr. Nelson is the primary care physician for residents in across the long-term care continuum. Dr. Nelson’s main interest are improving health care delivery to the frail older adult and educating practicing providers in geriatric medicine.


Credit Information:

Activity Created 9/2021

Credits Available Until 9/2024

Credit Statements: 

CME: AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

CMD: This self-study activity has been pre-approved by the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (ABPLM) for a total of 1.0 management hours toward certification or recertification as a Certified Medical Director (CMD) in post-acute and long-term care medicine. The CMD program is administered by the ABPLM. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit actually spent on the activity.

Visit the Continuing Education page for information on if and how you can claim credit/hours for AMDA’s education.

Disclosure Information:

The Society requires the disclosure of all speaker/faculty/planner’s relevant financial relationships; presence of off-label use of a device or medication; and discussion of any experimental, new or evolving topic prior to each accredited education activity.

If the learner perceives any bias toward a commercial product or service, advocation of unscientific approaches to diagnosis or therapy, or recommendation, treatment, or manners of practicing healthcare that are determined to have risks or dangers that outweigh the benefits or are known to be ineffective in the treatment of patients please report this to the Society’s staff.

All relevant financial relationships have been identified, mitigated, and resolved.

All speakers do not have financial relationships to report.

The following AMDA Online Education Committee members have financial relationships to report: Robert Zorowitz, MD, MBA, CMD – United Health Group: Stock Shareholder; all others have no relationships to disclose.

AMDA staff have no relationships with ineligible companies.