February 10, 2026 11:30 am
LVBCH 13th Annual Healthcare Symposium with Lehigh University
Tuesday, February 10, 2026 (Snow date: Tuesday, February 24, 2026)
Co-Sponsored by:
- Lehigh Valley Business Coalition on Healthcare
- Lehigh University’s Industrial & Systems Engineering | Health Systems Engineering Program
- Lehigh University’s College of Health
About the Healthcare Symposium
This annual event brings together expert presenters and local stakeholders to take a deeper dive into a healthcare topic with a systems’ approach and perspective.
Employer Navigation Strategies
This year’s symposium will combine expert presentations with a hands-on workshop diving into the factors impacting the cost landscape of employer-sponsored insurance and the navigation strategies real-world employers are implementing to drive cost savings while avoiding disruption. This session will explore what levers employers can pull virtually, with providers, and at the worksite; strategies such as virtual-first plans, advanced primary care, onsite/nearsite clinics, centers of excellence, and digital navigation tools; as well as considerations related to potential cost-savings, employee palatability, and administrative ease of each. The goal of the event is to empower exploration of new care navigation strategies and consider the first steps participants can take to prepare their organization.
- Daniel Robinson, Lehigh University Industrial Systems Engineering
- Elizabeth Dolan, Lehigh University College of Health
- Carl Seitz, LVBCH
How Employers Are Using Managed Care Navigation Strategies to Curate Network Performance
- Jared Landis, Advisory Board
Employer Navigation Strategies Panel Discussion
- Moderator: Jared Landis, Advisory Board
- Michael Carnathan, MD, Arrow Primary Care
- Tom Groves, Gallagher
- Mary Hahn, Experienced Health and Wellness Professional
- Jeannine O’Callaghan, C.F. Martin Guitar
Moving Toward Our Desired Future State: The Steps Needed to Evaluate, Adopt, and Execute on Managed Care Navigation Strategies
- Jared Landis, Advisory Board
EXPERT PRESENTATION: How Employers Are Using Managed Care Strategies to Curate Network Performance
Employer health benefits costs are skyrocketing. Coupled with new fiduciary responsibilities from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, employers are forced to reconsider their cost containment strategies. Key to these cost containment efforts is a renewed focus on network design and provider performance via managed care navigation strategies.
WORKSHOP: Moving Toward Our Desired Future State - The Steps Needed to Evaluate, Adopt, and Execute on Managed Care Navigation Strategies
Interact with your peers to assess today’s market status quo, envision tomorrow’s ideal future state and outline both the big picture and a practical steps that must be taken to reach that desired end state. This workshop will feature a mix of small group peer interaction and large group discussion, while prompting attendees to detail a set of recommendations for their organization and a set of personal next steps to carry forward the momentum generated today.
Jared Landis
Jared leads the firm’s health plan, post-acute and senior care research practices. In this capacity, he engages with C-Suite leaders on their key priorities and pushes forward Advisory Board research to ensure market-leading insights and actionable best practices. Jared’s research at Advisory Board has consistently focused on the intersection of business development and growth, strategic planning, and care transformation. His teams have supported clients across the health care ecosystem including health plans, hospital systems, post-acute providers, physician groups and vendors.
In his nearly two decades at Advisory Board, Jared has developed a reputation as one of the industry’s preeminent thought leaders, noted for his ability to pull executives out of the day-to-day to focus on the most critical priorities facing their organization. As a national spokesperson, Jared helps set the industry’s direction via keynote presentations at major conferences and client-specific strategy sessions.
Michael Carnathan, MD
Michael Carnathan, MD is a Board-Certified Family Physician who is excited to be practicing Direct Primary Care in the Lehigh Valley. He completed his undergraduate degree at St. Bonaventure University and received his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine.
After completing his residency at Chestnut Hill Hospital where he served as Chief Resident he briefly practiced in Rhode Island before moving to the Lehigh Valley. Dr. Mike has lived and practiced here since 2013. While working in the current “insurance-based” health system, he realized that what he loved most about medicine, spending time with patients in order to educate and treat them well, was becoming more difficult to achieve. That is why in 2019 Dr. Mike opened Arrow Primary Care, a Direct Primary Care practice to take back the doctor-patient relationship that way it was meant to be.
In Dr. Mikes free time, he enjoys spending time with his very supportive wife and 2 incredible sons traveling, sampling the cuisine throughout the Lehigh Valley, swimming and spending time with friends.
Tom Groves
Tom Groves serves as an Area Vice President at Gallagher, following Gallagher’s acquisition of Equinox Benefits Consulting in July 2025. Tom founded The Equinox Agency in 2005 with a clear focus on uncompromising integrity and exceptional client service. With more than 24 years of industry experience, he is widely regarded for his expertise in negotiation, self‑funding, and employee engagement.
As founder and principal partner, Tom led Equinox to become one of the region’s fastest‑growing firms, driven by his belief that the rapidly evolving world of healthcare insurance and employee benefits — accelerated further by the pandemic — demands continuous innovation to best support clients.
Tom’s commitment to community leadership has been recognized throughout the Greater Lehigh Valley. He received the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year Award in 2021 and has served on numerous community boards, including Chair of the Board of Governors at the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Chamber, and Treasurer of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation. He remains committed to volunteerism and strengthening the region he calls home. Tom is the proud husband of Haydemar Groves and father to Sofia (Gallagher) and Joseph Groves (Gallagher).
Mary Hahn
Mary Hahn is a team-oriented leader with 30 years’ experience in ambulatory services, health system operations, strategy and business development, and consulting. She then moved “upstream” and spent over three years working for a large employer in Central Pennsylvania developing and executing a strategy for creating an organization-specific culture of health through dedicated resources, training, shared connections, and coordinated efforts. Looking beyond traditional healthcare benefits, Mary implemented programs and resources that focused on the unique needs of the employed workforce and their families. She is passionate about access, cost, and quality of care for resource-limited populations and recognizes the role employers play in improving these factors for their workforce and the overall community.
Mary holds a MHA from The Ohio State University and a BA from the University of Rochester. She lives in Allentown, PA with her husband and has two college-age children.
Jeannine O'Callaghan
Along with Jeannine’s role of upholding C. F. Martin & Co., Inc.’s commitment to providing a safe and healthy work environment, she is an active participant in the company’s benefits committee whose goal is to provide comprehensive, cost-effective, quality healthcare benefits to employees. Jeannine also leads the company’s wellness initiatives. She is a LVBCH Board Member serving as Board Chair in 2014-2016
CO-SPONSORS:
PRESENTING SPONSOR
PREMIER SPONSOR:
PLATINUM SPONSORS:
LVBCH is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP recertification activities.
