DUBUQUE, IOWA
In Iowa, the rising cost of healthcare is putting pressure on local businesses and families alike. Employers can no longer afford to sit back and watch costs spiral out of control. Healthcare supply chain management is a necessity - not a luxury - when it comes to controlling expenses, ensuring quality care, and keeping costs transparent. By taking a proactive approach, businesses can protect their bottom line while providing employees with the care they deserve. It’s time to take control of healthcare before it takes control of us.
NEXTGEN HEALTHCARE SUMMIT
The NextGen Healthcare Summit is designed to inspire and equip C-Suite leaders and HR professionals with cutting-edge insights through expert keynotes, interactive workshops, and dynamic networking opportunities. Whether you're starting out or looking to advance, the NextGen Summit is your gateway to shaping the future of business, leadership, and technology. Join us to learn, grow, and lead!
THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP: STRATEGIES TO CREATE HEALTH PLAN TRANSFORMATION
We’ll explore forward-thinking strategies that are reshaping the benefits landscape, including:
- Collaborations with independent pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and the revitalizing role of community-owned pharmacies
- Bundled and transparent surgical pricing through independent surgery centers
- Access to $0 primary care models
- Direct contracting with medical providers to eliminate unnecessary middlemen
- An employer panel discussion, where companies share real-world experiences transitioning to more sustainable, high-value healthcare models
Key Takeaways:
Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the root issues within the current healthcare system and, more importantly, with actionable strategies they can implement within their own organizations. Learn how to design a benefits plan that delivers cost control, employee satisfaction, and truly high-quality care.
WHY ATTEND
Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the root issues within the current healthcare system and, more importantly, with actionable strategies they can implement within their own organizations. Learn how to design a benefits plan that delivers cost control, employee satisfaction, and truly high-quality care.
ALIGNING FINANCIAL GOALS
Leaders will gain valuable insights into how to strategically align their organization’s financial goals with their employee benefits plan. Through expert-led discussions and real-world case studies, attendees will explore innovative approaches to cost management, risk mitigation, and long-term planning that enhance both the bottom line and employee satisfaction. This session is designed to empower executives with the knowledge and tools needed to make data-driven decisions that drive value, ensure sustainability, and support a thriving workforce.
PROVIDING QUALITY CARE
HR leaders will learn how to design a benefits strategy that not only supports organizational goals but also helps employees access higher-quality care. This session will focus on practical strategies for guiding employees to better care options—improving health outcomes while managing costs. Attendees will gain insights into benefits design, vendor partnerships, and communication tactics that empower employees to make smarter healthcare decisions, leading to a healthier, more engaged workforce and a stronger return on investment.
ALIGNING FINANCIAL GOALS
Leaders will gain valuable insights into how to strategically align their organization’s financial goals with their employee benefits plan. Through expert-led discussions and real-world case studies, attendees will explore innovative approaches to cost management, risk mitigation, and long-term planning that enhance both the bottom line and employee satisfaction. This session is designed to empower executives with the knowledge and tools needed to make data-driven decisions that drive value, ensure sustainability, and support a thriving workforce.
PROVIDING QUALITY CARE
HR leaders will learn how to design a benefits strategy that not only supports organizational goals but also helps employees access higher-quality care. This session will focus on practical strategies for guiding employees to better care options—improving health outcomes while managing costs. Attendees will gain insights into benefits design, vendor partnerships, and communication tactics that empower employees to make smarter healthcare decisions, leading to a healthier, more engaged workforce and a stronger return on investment.
OUR
SPEAKERS
Matt Ohrt is a nationally recognized healthcare leader and reform advocate currently serving as the National Executive Director of the Free Market Medical Association, where he advances market-based healthcare solutions and employer-driven reform across the U.S. He also leads DFTB Consulting, advising employers and organizations on high-performing, sustainable health plan strategies.
Ohrt is the co-founder of Self Fund Health, the fastest-growing employer health plan in the Midwest, and a co-founder of RiseUp Health, a Texas-based employer health plan launching in 2026 with plans to scale nationally. His work has helped position Wisconsin as a model state for direct-care healthcare, and he is a sought-after keynote speaker, having presented in more than 45 cities nationwide.
An author and thought leader, Matt has written multiple books on employer-sponsored healthcare, including Save Your Company, Don’t Feed the Beast and Good Care Feels Different. With more than 25 years of executive HR leadership experience, he brings a practical, employer-focused perspective to healthcare transformation and continues to champion innovative solutions that improve outcomes while lowering costs.
MATT OHRT
FREE MARKET MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Wes Hartig is the Chief Executive Officer of MedOne Pharmacy Benefit Solutions, a role he has held since 2016. MedOne is a nationally recognized pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) committed to delivering transparent, cost-effective prescription benefit solutions to employers and health plans across the country. Under Hartig’s leadership, MedOne has experienced exceptional growth, achieving a compounded annual growth rate of 45% over the past seven years. He has driven the company’s innovation and expansion strategy, focusing on aligning incentives, improving access to medications, and providing superior service. As CEO, Hartig is responsible for setting MedOne’s vision, overseeing operations, managing profit and loss, and cultivating a workplace culture centered on employee engagement and retention.
Hartig’s leadership at MedOne builds on a strong foundation of experience in healthcare finance and technology. Prior to MedOne, he was part of Martin Ventures, a healthcare-focused venture capital firm, where he developed investment strategies and supported early-stage companies working to modernize healthcare delivery and decision-making.
WES HARTIG
MEDONE, CEO
Carl Behne serves as President and Chief Strategy Officer at Hy-Vee Health | Exemplar Care. He brings over 15 years of executive healthcare experience in both rural hospital and health system settings where he was a system VP and a rural hospital CEO. In 2023 Exemplar Care became owners in Aplos Health Plans where it leads the focus to continue the commitment to making healthcare delivery better. Behne is passionate about healthcare access, transparency, and patient experience. In 2013 he was named the Iowa Hospital Association Young Executive of the Year, and has been awarded the IHA Grassroots Advocacy Award, to name a few accomplishments.
CARL BEHNE
HY-VEE HEALTH EXEMPLAR CARE, PRESIDENT & CSO
Dr. Joshua Johnston is an anesthesiologist, co-founder and chief of operations at Renovo Health, a direct pay surgery, endoscopy, and infusion center that is transforming the specialty health care experience for patients and businesses across the upper Midwest. Prior to founding Renovo he presided over a solo anesthesia practice, worked as an employee in a large health system, a partner in an independent anesthesia group, and as a flight surgeon in the Air Force. He is a director on the Wisconsin Society of Anesthesiologists’ Board and a member of the Free Market Medical Association. He resides in Green Bay, WI along with his wife and some of their children.
DR. JOSHUA JOHNSTON
RENOVO HEALTH, CO-FOUNDER & COO
Dr. Sabol is a dedicated leader in K-12 education, serving as a veteran District Administrator for Wisconsin’s rural public schools since 2010. With a Ph.D. in Leadership and a Master’s in Education, he blends academic expertise with practical leadership to drive innovation and student success.
Under his leadership, his district achieved its highest school report card performance and passed a $24.5 million referendum, transforming learning spaces. He also led a comprehensive COVID-19 reopening plan, strengthened community engagement, and enhanced district transparency through a strategic improvement plan.
A Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Dr. Sabol manages a $14.5 million budget and secures grants for school safety and efficiency. He previously facilitated a historic three-district consolidation, showcasing his strategic planning skills.
Passionate about student-centered learning, he champions PBIS, mental health services, and intervention models while advocating for the arts in education. Dr. Sabol remains committed to fostering growth, innovation, and excellence in education.
SCOTT SABOL, PhD
WISCONSIN RURAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS
April is a dedicated HR professional with a heart for helping others. She found herself drawn to the world of employee benefits, recognizing how they shape the well-being, financial security, and overall trust in an organization. Over the past year, April has expanded her expertise, working to create a workplace where employees feel genuinely supported and empowered. Understanding the financial difficulties many face with health benefits, she and her team actively listened, learned, and pushed for meaningful changes to their offerings. This process has been a continuous journey of learning, where both employees and leadership have embraced new insights and adaptions along the way. April has a strong commitment to ensure employees have access to the right support, tools, and education to navigate these changes effectively.
APRIL MOLDENHAUER
RAINBO OIL
Tony is a seasoned business and operations leader with over 20 years of experience driving growth, efficiency, and customer-focused innovation in the branded apparel, graphics, and promotional products industry. He currently serves as the Director of Operations at 1-800-TSHIRTS, a full-service provider of custom apparel and promotional products solutions, where he is focused on scaling the business, strengthening operations, and positioning the company as a strategic branding partner for its clients. Prior to 1-800-TSHIRTS, Tony spent more than 16 years with The Vernon Company, where he served as Vice President of Graphic Operations. In this role, he led three independent business units across Newton, IA; Unionville, MO; and Carlstadt, NJ, with full P&L responsibility. He oversaw all aspects of sales, production, HR, and on-time delivery, while driving key initiatives in cost reduction, revenue growth, and capital investment. At 1-800-TSHIRTS, Tony leverages this experience to modernize operations, implement scalable systems, and build a high-performance culture across both office and production teams. He is passionate about helping clients bring their brands to life through high-quality custom apparel and promotional products, backed by strong service, reliability, and strategic insight.
TONY OBERMAN
1-800-TSHIRTS, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Lynette Montes is the HR and Accounting Manager at 1-800-TSHIRTS, where she has served for the past five years. In her role, Lynette manages the team member lifecycle and some of the accounting responsibilities. Lynette dedicates much of her time to supporting the team members, ensuring they feel heard, valued, and supported. She enjoys contributing to a positive workplace culture while advocating for 1-800-TSHIRTS as they assist clients in elevating their brands and telling their stories through custom branded products.
LYNETTE MONTES
1-800-TSHIRTS, HR & ACCOUNTING MANAGER
PAST
SPEAKERS
"I’ve made it attractive by embedding AI into almost every aspect of my work. When I write or review an important email or document, I immediately run it through Claude for grammar, clarity, and even next-step suggestions. It’s like having an assistant who predicts my needs and sharpens my ideas. The same with programming. Supermaven predicts the line of code I'm writing faster than I can type it."
JAMES PADEN
FOUNDER OF PRAGMATICO
Garner Health is a technology-driven platform providing healthcare services and helping people search for doctors.
STEVE SANTANGELO
SVP SALES, GARNER
"Leaders can leverage technology to help challenge team-members. Automating parts of the job that are not challenging opens people up to focus on new challenges and growth. It's what I find so exciting about technology."
JASON BEUTLER
CEO, ROBOSOURCE
"Marshall Allen built an incredible legacy of transformative healthcare content, and we’re committed to carrying his work forward with new innovations and insights."
SONJA ALLEN
MANAGING DIRECTOR, THE MARSHALL ALLEN PROJECT
"Indiana employers and their employees paid 292% of the prices hospitals charge Medicare for the same services, placing the state seventh highest in the country for total hospital prices (hospital inpatient, outpatient and physician payment). The result is a more expensive healthcare market than any of our neighboring states."
GLORIA SACHDEV
PRESIDENT OF THE INDIANA EMPLOYERS FORUM
"These conglomerates (The six biggest hospital systems in Indiana) are so lucrative that just last year, one of them made a nearly half-billion-dollar donation to Indiana University to mask its profits and still was more profitable than Walmart."
MICHAEL HICKS
PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT BALL STATE UNIVERSITY
"Most people are familiar with Mayo Clinic. It's one of the premier healthcare facilities in the country. So they did a peer reviewed study of exactly what outcomes they saw when they did their second opinions. What percentage of original opinions did Mayo Clinic determine to be one hundred percent wrong?
Twenty one percent.
That means that one in five doctors completely misdiagnosed their patient."
NELSON GRISWOLD
FOUNDER OF NEXTGEN BENEFITS NETWORK
(Discussing GLP-1 Medications) "That's a problem. Patients losing weight too quickly. That leads to gallbladder dysfunction. It leads to the body fat percentage staying the same, but they are muscle wasting because they are losing weight too quickly."
ERIC BARKER
CHIEF GROWTH OFFICER AT TRUERX
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