LANCASTER & READING, PA, June 16, 2009  –  Joanne M. Judge and James W. Saxton, Co-Chairs of Stevens & Lee’s Health Care Department, were keynote speakers at the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs Annual Health Care Conference, June 1-3, 2009, in Hershey, PA.

Addressing an audience of health care CPAs and other health care financial professionals, Ms. Judge discussed the national health care landscape and the essential financial and legal issues affecting hospitals, physician practices, nursing homes and other providers.

In a separate session, Mr. Saxton discussed reducing health care liability risk. He talked about changes in the health care litigation environment and about how research confirms that focused risk management strategies and increased attention to patient satisfaction are successful at reducing professional liability risk.

Joanne M. Judge, one of the highest profile women in health care, brings over 20 years of health care and financial expertise to her representation of health care systems, long-term care organizations and physician practices dealing with transactional and regulatory matters.

Ms. Judge is a Certified Public Accountant and served as the President of Community Hospital of Lancaster for seven years and previously as its Chief Financial Officer. She is a Fellow in the Healthcare Financial Management Association, served as its national chairperson in 1992 and was honored with its national lifetime achievement award in 1999. Ms. Judge is the 2009 recipient of the Athena Award from the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce & Industry. She was also named one of Pennsylvania’s inaugural “Best 50 Women in Business” in 2000 for her significant contributions to job growth in Pennsylvania.

Ms. Judge is a Board member at Alvernia College and the Berks Workforce Investment Board and belongs to several other professional and civic organizations. She has taught at Franklin & Marshall College and Millersville University, speaks nationally on health care issues and writes articles for numerous publications. Ms. Judge has served in leadership capacities in community and professional organizations, including the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council. She is the past Chairman of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and the Lancaster United Way Campaign and past Chairman of the Board of the YMCA of Reading and Berks County and on the Board of Irex Corporation, where she is Chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Judge holds a J.D., cum laude, from Villanova University School of Law and a B.S. from St. Joseph’s University.

Mr. Saxton lectures frequently and is an invited speaker across the country on health care issues, including liability reduction and risk management. He presents to nationally prominent health care organizations, such as the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management and the American College of Surgeons.

Mr. Saxton is an active defense trial lawyer – a practice he has sustained for nearly 30 years – representing providers, including hospitals, physicians and retirement communities, in state and federal court and administrative proceedings. His practice includes litigation, licensing and medical staff issues. He uses his extensive experience as a litigator to advise hospitals, medical groups and retirement communities throughout the United States in connection with understanding and reducing their professional liability risk.

Mr. Saxton also develops risk reduction strategies for health care providers and organizations nationwide and has created innovative strategies and educational programs to support them. This includes the creation of complete customized loss control programs and event management systems for self-insured organizations and captive insurance groups. Mr. Saxton has published more than 200 articles, several handbooks and seven textbooks including most recently, Five-Star Customer Service: A Step-by-Step Guide for Physician Practices and the second edition of the popular text, The Satisfied Patient.

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