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Session | Mega Session: AHCA Update
Time: 8:30 to 10:00 a.m.
Type/Topic: Mega Session
Session Summary
Don’t miss the opportunity to hear from Shevaun Harris, Secretary, Agency for Health Care Administration and Kim Smoak, Deputy Secretary/ State Survey Agency Director, Agency for Health Care Administration, for this Mega Session. In the past, this session was standing room only, so get there early for a good seat and hear about the state of affairs, current regulations and survey trends impacting Florida’s long term care profession.
Presenters
Kim Smoak
Deputy Secretary, Division of Health Quality Assurance | Agency for Health Care Administration
About the Presenter
Kim Smoak has been with the Agency for Health Care Administration since August 1995. She is the Deputy Secretary of the Division of Health Quality Assurance. The Division licenses and/or certifies and regulates 40 different providers, including, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home health agencies. Ms. Smoak is also the State Survey Agency Director for the State of Florida. She holds a Master of Science in Health with a program emphasis in Aging Studies and is also a Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional (QIDP). In 2009 and 2017, she received Survey & Certification Achievement Awards, presented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for her work in Survey and Certification.
Shevaun Harris
Secretary | Agency for Health Care Administration
About the Presenter
Shevaun Harris was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to serve as the Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) in February 2025. Previously, Secretary Harris worked at the Agency from 2005-2021 where she focused on the administration of the Florida Medicaid program, implementing sound policy and quality improvement efforts for millions of Floridians, and serving as lead negotiator for the multi-billion dollar procurement of the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care program. Prior to returning to the Agency in 2025, she served more than four years as the Secretary of the Department of Children and Families (DCF). Through implementation of key initiatives that promote prevention and resiliency, Florida experienced a decrease in opioid and suicide deaths; improvements in child welfare prevention efforts resulting in fewer youth in foster care and increases in adoptions; and expanded service options for those contending with substance use and mental health disorders. Secretary Harris is a champion for children and families, and her leadership is marked by a belief in accountability-driven systems, innovation, and continuous quality improvement.