On this episode of Healthy Outcomes, our host Mark Ross interviews Krista Pankop, the leader of Baker Tilly’s behavioral health practice, as well as senior managers Melissa Hicks and Michael Wascura about the major themes at NatCon 2022. In part one of this two-part series, Pankop, Hicks and Wascura discuss issues facing the behavioral health industry that were addressed at this leading behavioral health conference. 

Topics of discussion include:  

• Increased demand for behavioral health services and its impact on workforce capacity 
• Reimbursement streams for funding and subsidizing the increase in demand of behavioral health services  
• Increases in certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs) and how they are funded  
• Financial reporting and compliance best practices for CCBHCs and other behavioral health entities 

Connect with us to hear more about our healthcare team.  

About our guests

Krista Pankop, CPA, Partner  

Krista serves as the leader of Baker Tilly’s behavioral health practice. She has been with the firm since 1995 and specializes in numerous not-for-profit industries including, but not limited to, healthcare, senior living, voluntary health and welfare organizations, associations, religious orders and their ministries, and behavioral health organizations.  

Melissa Hicks, CPA, Senior Manager 

Melissa is an audit senior manager in Baker Tilly’s New York not-for-profit/healthcare services practice with more than 17 years of experience in public accounting. Along with overseeing audits, Melissa also has significant experience serving entities regulated by NYS OPWDD, OMH, SED and DOH, and is actively involved in engagement planning, financial report analysis and presentations to management and those charged with governance  

Michael Wascura, CPA, Senior Manager 

Michael is an assurance senior manager and has more than 16 years of diversified public accounting experience in a variety of industries including not-for-profit, higher education and employee benefit plans. Michael has a significant amount of experience working on a variety of technical accounting and auditing issues for clients and is also a member of a firmwide not-for-profit industry technical committee.