BIOGRAPHIES OF FACULTY

THEODORE GIOVANIS, FHFMA, MBA
Theodore Giovanis, FHFMA, MBA, is president, T. Giovanis & Company (Health Policy & Regulatory Consultants), Highland, MD. Established in 1990, T. Giovanis & Company is a health policy and regulatory consulting firm located between Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC. The firm provides broad-based policy, advocacy, and regulatory consulting services and has had engagements with clients in about half the states. The company is experienced in rate system design, reimbursement, and advocacy. Founder and President Theodore Giovanis has experience in government relations, health policy development, and management of healthcare organizations across more than 30 years. He has been involved in the development of many Medicare regulatory and legislative policy changes, including the creation of the Medicare Geographic Classification Review Board and the payment system for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. Mr. Giovanis assists many organizations in developing and executing strategies to capitalize on or respond to government-initiated laws and regulations. He is a recognized expert in Medicare and Medicaid regulation and has been an expert witness in numerous court cases.

STEVEN M. MIRIN, M.D.
Steven M. Mirin, M.D., is a strategic partner with Best Practice Inc. He is also the former medical director, American Psychiatric Association; and former president and psychiatrist-in-chief, McLean Hospital, MA.

From July 1997 to December 2002 Dr. Mirin served as Medical Director of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in Washington, D.C. The APA is the nation’s oldest medical specialty organization, with approximately 38,000 physician members in 75 district branches nationwide. As Director, Dr. Mirin was responsible for overseeing approximately 260 full-time staff in the work of the Association and its three corporate subsidiaries (the American Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education, the American Psychiatric Foundation and American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.). Among his areas of responsibility were public policy development and advocacy, legislative and regulatory affairs, public education and media relations, continuing medical education, health services research, and member services. He has testified frequently before congressional committees and other governmental bodies on these and other subjects.

Prior to coming to APA, Dr. Mirin was President and Psychiatrist-in-Chief of McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. McLean is an affiliate of the Massachusetts General Hospital, a member of the Partners Health Care System, and a major teaching hospital of the Harvard Medical School where Dr. Mirin was appointed a Professor of Psychiatry. At McLean he was administratively responsible for the hospital’s clinical care, research and training programs, as well as management of its operations facilities and a $100M budget. Dr. Mirin is a fellow of the APA and the American College of Psychiatrists and a member of numerous other professional organizations. He served as President of the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the APA, the American Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education, the American Psychiatric Foundation, American Psychiatric Publishing Inc., and on the boards of a number of other health care and civic organizations. He also chaired the Governing Council of the Section for Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Services of the American Hospital Association, and has served on the Council on Neuroscience and Behavioral Health of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) as well as on several IOM committees. He was a member of the National Advisory Council of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the Board of Directors of the National Mental Illness Screening Project. He is currently a consultant to the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center at McLean Hospital and lecturer on psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Mirin has been a principle investigator, or co-investigator, on numerous research projects focused primarily on the biological and psychological aspects of substance use disorder and on the outcomes of treatment for psychiatric patients. He is the author of approximately 140 professional papers and the author or editor of seven books. He has served as a reviewer and/or editorial board member for numerous professional journals, and was co-founder and co-Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

MARK COVALL
Mark Covall is executive director of the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems. Founded in 1933, NAPHS advocates for behavioral health and represents provider systems that are committed to the delivery of responsive, accountable, and clinically effective prevention, treatment, and care for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults with mental and substance use disorders. Its members are behavioral healthcare provider organizations, including more than 400 specialty hospitals, general hospital psychiatric and addiction treatment units, residential treatment centers, partial hospital services, behavioral group practices, youth services organizations, and other providers of care.

Prior to becoming the Executive Director of NAPHS, Mr. Covall served as the director of the American Managed Behavioral Healthcare Association (AMBHA)—an association representing 19 of the nation’s leading managed behavioral healthcare companies. Mr. Covall also served for nine years as the Director of Government Relations for NAPHS. Mr. Covall has worked on Capitol Hill for the House Aging Committee’s Health and Long-Term Care Subcommittee. Overall, Mr. Covall has over 25 years of experience in healthcare policy.