Bob Poznanovich

In this town hall-style session to kick off Day 2 of content, provider and payer leaders will reflect on the behavioral health payment landscape and respond to insights from the previous day at VALUE. Speakers will then share further perspective on building strong provider-payer alignment and trust. The session will close with at least 10 minutes of audience Q&A.

Access to behavioral health care rarely fails because of clinical quality—it fails because organizations struggle to reliably move people from interest to care at scale. In this panel, Bob Poznanovich, Senior Fellow and Former Chief Growth Officer of Hazelden Betty Ford, Kelly Epperson, President and COO of Rosecrance, and Geoff Nudd, CEO of Anonymous Health, will discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming the front door of behavioral health into a strategic growth and access advantage. Designed for CEOs and Chief Growth Officers, this session focuses on how AI can help standardize the first conversation without commoditizing it—reducing variability, supporting human-centered engagement, and enabling predictable growth without simply adding headcount. Panelists will share real-world lessons from implementation, including what changed operationally, how teams adapted, and where AI delivered measurable impact across access, conversion quality, and continuity of care. Rather than replacing human judgment, AI is explored as a force multiplier—helping organizations engage people earlier, route them more appropriately, and build long-term relationships that extend beyond a single admission. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of where AI creates real value today, how to deploy it responsibly, and why the front door represents the highest-leverage opportunity for improving growth, access, and sustainability in behavioral health.