July 2023 – Rural Healthcare

Alan Morgan , CEO at National Rural Health Association
Recognized as among the top 100 most influential people in healthcare by Modern Healthcare Magazine, Alan Morgan serves as Chief Executive Officer for the National Rural Health Association. He has more than 31 years experience in health policy development at the state and federal level, and is one of the nation’s leading experts on rural health policy. Mr. Morgan served as a co-author for the publication, “The Handbook of Rural Aging,” “Rural Populations and Health,” and for the publication, “Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care.” In addition, his health policy articles have been published in: The American Journal of Clinical Medicine, The Journal of Rural Health, The Journal of Cardiovascular Management, The Journal of Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology, Cardiac Electrophysiology Review, and in Laboratory Medicine. Mr. Morgan served as staff for former US Congressman Dick Nichols and former Kansas Governor Mike Hayden. Additionally, his past experience includes tenures as a healthcare lobbyist for the American Society of Clinical Pathologists, the Heart Rhythm Society, and for VHA Inc. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from University of Kansas, and a master's degree in public administration from George Mason University.

Beth O'Connor, M. Ed. , Executive Director at Virginia Rural Health Association
Ms. O’Connor has had the opportunity to work at a camp for persons with disabilities, a county health department and a small town transit service. Since 2005 she has served as the Executive Director of the Virginia Rural Health Association (www.vrha.org). A dedicated advocate, she is a past chair of the NRHA Government Affairs Committee and is the immediate Past-President of the NRHA Board of Trustees.

Debbie Voyles, MBA, HOM , Telehealth Service & Operation Consultant at Blue Cirrus Consulting
Debbie Voyles is a Telehealth Executive with over 24 years of experience building and operationalizing Telehealth across the country. She has built Virtual Health programs and services to address the access to care challenges currently faced by patients. Debbie has experience in the development of strategic plans, workflow assessment and development, and development of policies and procedures for inpatient services, outpatient services, and direct-to-consumer services. Debbie has been active in both Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, Virginia, Minnesota, and North Dakota in getting better legislation and reimbursement and was instrumental in getting Telehealth parity passed in Colorado. She has authored and presented on Telehealth topics across the country and is a past Chair of the Business and Finance Special Interest Group of the American Telemedicine Association. Debbie has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Lubbock Christian University, a Master of Business Administration from Texas Tech University, and a Certificate in Health Organization Management from Texas Tech University.

Cynthia Scheideman-Miller , Sr. Telehealth Consultant at Blue Cirrus Consulting
Cynthia Scheideman-Miller, MHSA, received her Masters in Health Service Administration from the University of Kansas. She has been active in all aspects of telehealth/ telemedicine program development since 1995, with a special interest in enhanced rural health care delivery. She served as project director of telemedicine grant projects that focused on testing, assessing, and implementing telemedicine applications as well as program sustainability for several years. She has been active in promoting telehealth integration and improved reimbursement through numerous presentations, publications, and special interest workshops. She led a 10-hospital consortium to successful implementation of a telemedicine program, led the establishment of a state-wide telehealth alliance, and serves as a state telehealth expert. She is part of the Center of Telemedicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center as well as the Heartland Telehealth Resource Center.