The Healthcare Financial Practices team is responsible for the technical and content direction for HFMA, management of its thought leadership efforts, and leadership of its policy activities. Team members publish extensively on a wide array of healthcare finance and strategy topics. Key policy areas include payment reform, value creation, revenue cycle management, accounting and financial reporting, capital access, and other areas that drive healthcare practices and organizational high performance. Results of Healthcare Financial Practices initiatives have been used by hospitals, rating agencies, regulatory agencies, congressional committees, accounting standard-setting bodies, state hospital associations, and other government and industry leaders.
Rick Gundling
Senior Vice President
Healthcare Financial Practices
As Senior Vice President, Healthcare Financial Practices, Rick is responsible for overseeing HFMA’s technical and content direction, leading the organization’s Washington, DC activities, and managing the association’s thought leadership efforts. Results of HFMA’s policy initiatives have been used by hospitals, rating agencies, regulatory agencies, congressional committees, accounting standard setting bodies, state hospital organizations, and other government and industry leaders. Rick also serves as staff liaison to the HFMA Principles and Practices Board and has written an extensive number of published articles on broad topics within healthcare finance and the healthcare industry.
Prior to joining HFMA, Rick worked at the National Hospital for Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation in many leadership roles. In addition, he was Budget and Reimbursement Analyst for Prince William Hospital Corporation and served as Controller at the Visiting Nurse Association of Northern Virginia. Rick is a Fellow of HFMA, a Certified Management Accountant, and a member of the Institute of Management Accountants.
Andrew Donahue
Director, Healthcare Finance Policy,
Operational Initiatives
As HFMA’s Director of Healthcare Finance Policy, Andrew is responsible for creating content and providing expertise on a broad array of healthcare finance topics, particularly areas of great relevance to senior financial executives. He champions the collaboration, communication, and translation of financial information among financial, revenue cycle, and clinical leaders. Additional focus areas include accounting, costing, healthcare business trends, payment models, federal regulations, policy, capital finance, and treasury and cash management.
Prior to joining HFMA, Andrew served on Capitol Hill as a Senior Policy Advisor and Legislative Assistant for Health Policy. After Washington, Andrew held various senior leadership positions in accounting and finance with for-profit and nonprofit health systems across the United States.
Andrew earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Virginia Tech, a Master of Health Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, and he is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.
Katie Gilfillan
Director, Healthcare Finance Policy, Physician and Clinical Practice
As Director, Healthcare Finance Policy, Physician and Clinical Practice, Katie’s responsibilities include developing content and services that are significant to physicians, clinicians, and physician practices. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Prior to joining HFMA in 2014, Katie spent more than 12 years working in physician associations, including the Illinois State Medical Society and the American Medical Association, where she advocated for physician issues in the areas of public health, clinical practice and education. Katie also has extensive experience reviewing and analyzing legislative and regulatory activity at both the federal and state levels. Additional areas of focus include leadership and communication, staff development, and quality improvement.
Todd Nelson
Director, Healthcare Finance Policy, Partner Relationships and Chief Partnership Executive
As Director, Partner Relationships and Chief Partnership Executive at HFMA, Todd is responsible for developing and overseeing HFMA’s partnership strategy with academic institutions, associations, and industry partners. Todd develops collaborative relationships across all sectors of the industry, for both HFMA members and non-members.
Todd brings to this role more than 10 years of experience at HFMA, which include creating, leading, and executing the organization’s overall educational strategy; creating content in the areas of leadership, senior financial executives, and accounting; and providing staff support to HFMA’s Principles and Practices Board. Throughout his tenure at HFMA, Todd has consistently championed the collaboration, communication, and translation of financial information among financial, revenue cycle, and clinical staff.
Prior to joining HFMA, Todd was the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of a rural Midwest hospital for over 15 years, focused on finance and operational areas. He also served in a volunteer role on the HFMA Senior Financial Executive National Advisory Committee, as well as Chapter President, and Regional Executive.
Todd received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration, as well as his MBA from the University of Iowa. Todd makes his home in a window seat on United Airlines.
Shawn Stack
Director, Healthcare Finance Policy, Perspectives & Analysis
As HFMA’s Director of Perspectives & Analysis, Shawn is responsible for developing policies and positions on topics important to the Association’s mission into recommendations for content strategy and product services for HFMA membership. He serves as a subject matter expert and consultant to the membership on healthcare policy, finance and revenue cycle operations. Shawn previously worked as a consultant with HMA/Burns and Associates, where he served as Senior Consultant. Prior to that, Shawn was Director of Healthcare Policy and Economics for The Ohio Hospital Association and Director and Assistant Director of Access and Revenue Cycle at a major academic medical center and designated cancer hospital. Shawn is a graduate from Kent State University and holds an EPIC Resolute Certification.
Brad Dennison
Director of Content
Brad Dennison has served as HFMA’s Director of Editorial & Policy Affairs since 2019, when he was tapped to lead the Association’s content transformation efforts. A 25-year veteran of news media, Brad spent 15 years as a senior executive for publicly and privately held companies, including serving as Senior Vice President of Gannett Inc. (formerly GateHouse Media Inc.). In addition, Brad was a longtime board member of the Associated Press Media Editors and was elected President by the membership in 2013. At HFMA, Brad leads a team of editors responsible for hfm magazine, whitepapers, e-newsletters, podcasts, social media and other key content produced for members. HFMA’s editorial team has been recognized with 65 national and regional awards since 2020.
Karen Thomas
Director, Healthcare Finance Policy, Consumer Engagement and Director of Communications
As HFMA’s Director of Communications, Karen is responsible for coordinating and communicating HFMA’s perspective on critical forward-looking healthcare finance issues. She also takes the lead on media relations. In addition, Karen is Director, Healthcare Finance Policy, Consumer Engagement. Prior to joining HFMA in 2009, Karen was manager of medical communications at Walgreens Health Services. In that role, she developed educational materials for people living with chronic conditions and continuing professional education materials for clinicians. Karen previously served as associate director of the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development at the American Hospital Association (AHA) and managing editor of AHA’s series on health technology assessment, which sought to make healthcare technology issues relevant and accessible to nonclinical healthcare leaders. Karen began her career as director of administrative services for maternal and child health at a community hospital in Chicago.
Karen served as managing editor of Understanding Healthcare Prices: A Consumer Guide (HFMA, 2015). She is co-author of Consumer Health Resource Centers: A Guide to Successful Planning and Implementation and Crisis Communications in Health Care. Karen completed training at Stanford Patient Education Resource Center’s Chronic Disease Self-Management Program. Additional areas of focus include charity care and financial counseling, consumer-directed health care, and healthcare reform.