FY2026 Annual Report

18 75 th Anniversary T he CFO Practice Group kicked off FY2026 with a presentation by Edward Flanagan, Founding National Practice Partner at the ERA Group, on cost containment at its September 2025 meeting. The group’s focus on carve-in related issues continued, with NJAMHAA serving as a primary conduit to bring provider issues to Medicaid and the managed care organizations (MCOs) and, in turn, provide informational updates to its members. NJAMHAA has been at the forefront of advocacy on policies and system fixes that assist its members in the prior authorization and claims reimbursement processes. NJAMHAA regularly hosts key state personnel at the CFO Practice Group meetings, giving members a unique opportunity to provide input and feedback that impact state policy. In December, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) CFO Gordon Horvath, Jr. and Deputy CFO John Fogliano attended and discussed New Jersey Statewide Initiative (NJSI) and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Initiative (SAPTI) funding, including changes the State had been looking at to improve access to these funds. How these are encumbered was one issue being explored, which also applied to all contracts, as DMHAS has found that full encumbrances often tie up dollars that do not get spent. At the same meeting, John Ehresman, AAI, Sr. Vice President of Brown and Brown Insurance Services, NJAMHAA’s exclusive insurance vendor for nearly 35 years, presented on The Insurance and Legal Climate for Behavioral Health Providers. Most recently, the focus of the group has been on the proposed FY2027 State Budget with NJAMHAA’s advocacy campaign discussed at length at the March 2026 meeting. The group also continued discussing a potential salary benchmarking survey with the hope this can be done in 2026. The group will begin planning for a new survey at the fall meeting. Adult Mental Health Practice Group (continued) CHAIR: Jacques Hryshko, LPC, ACS NJAMHAA Board Immediate Past President President and CEO, Family Connections While most presentations focus on clinical, legislative and policy issues, the Adult Mental Health Practice Group had a unique presenter this year: Rabbi/ Cantor Lenny Mandel from the Congregation B’Nai Israel and Chaplain at Overlook Medical Center, provided comic relief and shared insights into the healing power of laughter. Other presentation topics included Staging Cultural Change through Implementation of Safewards in a New Jersey State Psychiatric Hospital Setting by Laura Painter, LCSW, Director of Social Services, Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital; Social Determinants of Health in the Digital Age by Lisa Lawson, MBA, MSW, LCSW, who was Executive Director of Forge Health New Jersey at the time and is now NJAMHAA’s Associate Executive Director; State and Federal Telehealth Flexibilities for Medicare and Medicaid by John W. Kaveney, Partner, Healthcare and Litigation, Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP; and Community Support Services at Alternatives, Inc. by Christina DeMetro, Associate Vice President of Services, Scott Minchello, Director of Community Support Services and Heather Bielefeldt, Licensed Associate Counselor. Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Practice Group VICE-CHAIR: Jared Levy, MBA, CPA Chief Executive Officer Maryville Integrated Care