Speaking Invitations

Vaughn Barker delivers keynotes, panel appearances, workshops, and executive briefings on VA Foreign Medical Program throughput, VetsReady™ certification, federal healthcare revenue-cycle policy, and Lean Six Sigma applied to healthcare operations. This form routes to Barker and Barker Consulting with the current speaking topic sheet attached.

Independence disclosure. When speaking on the VA Foreign Medical Program, Vaughn Barker represents Barker and Barker Consulting LLC. His views are not endorsed by, funded by, or approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the VA Foreign Medical Program.

Speaking topics on offer

1. VA Foreign Medical Program throughput and the international provider

What it is. The GAO-25-107149 findings unpacked in plain English. Why 221-day average processing and 37.4% inside-goal performance is the operating context every international provider works inside. What direct-billing providers should expect on their receivables and what upfront-pay providers should build into the paperwork they hand veterans.

Best formats. 30-minute keynote. 45-minute workshop with case-example walkthrough. Panel discussion where the audience is international hospital executives or U.S. veteran service organizations.

Best audiences. International hospital executive teams (COO, CFO, VP Revenue Cycle). U.S. veteran service organizations with international members (Elks, VFW, American Legion posts abroad). Medical tourism industry associations. U.S. embassy and consulate business-liaison offices.

2. VetsReady™: A workflow certification for veteran-ready international providers

What it is. The problem VetsReady™ solves, why VA does not certify international providers under FMP, why a private-sector workflow certification is possible where a VA credential is not. The two dimensions VetsReady™ certifies: workflow core and veteran-experience adjacent. Why VetsReady™ complements Joint Commission International rather than competing with it.

Best formats. 45-minute executive briefing. 60-minute workshop with self-assessment exercise. Panel appearance alongside JCI, hospital COO, and veteran-representative voices.

Best audiences. International hospital executive teams considering FMP participation or already participating. Ministry-of-health delegations exploring U.S.-veteran-facing service lines. Medical tourism boards. Veteran service organizations advocating for improved international provider quality.

3. Federal healthcare revenue-cycle policy: The 2026 rule cycle in one hour

What it is. Three federal rule cycles on the horizon and how they land inside healthcare operating models. CMS-0057-F prior authorization interoperability. VA FMP throughput reform. State Medicaid data quality assessment through T-MSIS. What hospital operations teams should be doing about all three right now.

Best formats. 60-minute executive briefing. 90-minute half-day workshop. Panel discussion with a CIO, a CMO, and a hospital revenue-cycle director.

Best audiences. Hospital executive teams. Federally qualified health center leadership. State hospital association executive committees. Regional HFMA (Healthcare Financial Management Association) chapters. Healthcare CIO networks.

4. SDVOSB participation in federal healthcare procurement

What it is. How Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business set-asides work in federal healthcare procurement, what past performance actually gets a boutique firm on prime teams, how the small-business certification stack (SBA, state DVB, state MBE, NMSDC, WisDOT DBE) actually gets used in a live procurement, and what disqualifies veteran-owned firms who do not build past performance deliberately.

Best formats. 45-minute keynote at SDVOSB association meetings. 60-minute workshop with real teaming-agreement walkthrough. Panel discussion alongside prime-contractor business development leaders.

Best audiences. SDVOSB association chapters (National Veteran Small Business Coalition, Elite SDVOB Network, state chapters). Veteran entrepreneurship programs at business schools. Prime-contractor business development teams looking for teaming partners. Small Business Administration outreach events.

5. Lean Six Sigma in healthcare revenue cycle

What it is. Master Black Belt discipline applied to hospital revenue cycle: patient access, prior authorization, denial defense, claim submission, and appeals workflows. What actually gets DMAIC-defined, what does not, and where the four-Master-Black-Belt bench inside Barker and Barker Consulting has produced the highest-leverage results across 200+ projects.

Best formats. 60-minute keynote at ASQ (American Society for Quality) events. 90-minute workshop for hospital operations teams. Half-day executive certification session.

Best audiences. ASQ chapters. Healthcare quality-management associations. Hospital operations leadership. Healthcare consulting firms building internal Six Sigma capability.

6. International market entry for U.S. professional-services firms

What it is. How U.S. management consulting firms use the U.S. Commercial Service Gold Key Service, ITA industry-team engagement, and SBA international trade programs to enter foreign markets. What actually gets a boutique firm into a first international engagement. Where the friction is (banking, tax residency, legal entity, payment settlement) and how to plan around it.

Best formats. 60-minute executive briefing at export council events. Panel discussion alongside U.S. Commercial Officer and SBA representative.

Best audiences. District Export Councils. State international-trade offices. Small Business Administration outreach events. Chambers of Commerce with international committees. Professional-services trade associations exploring exports.

Response commitment

• Substantive written reply inside two business days, containing:
• Fit assessment against the six speaking topics.
• Available formats and durations for your event.
• Speaker fee bracket and travel-expense policy.
• Available dates in your target window.

What to include in your submission

• Event. Name, host organization, and location.
• Format. Keynote, panel, workshop, briefing, roundtable, virtual.
• Duration. How long is the speaking slot.
• Date and window. Specific date, or a window of acceptable dates.
• Audience. Approximate audience size, primary audience segment, seniority.
• Topic interest. Which of the six topics fits, or a proposed hybrid.
• Format details. In-person, virtual, or hybrid. If in-person, whether the event covers travel expenses.
• Fee structure. Whether the event carries a speaker honorarium, and if so the bracket.
• Other speakers. Confirmed keynote and panel speakers, if any.

Standard terms for speaking engagements

• Travel policy. For in-person events more than 90 miles from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (measured from the firm's Milwaukee office), Barker and Barker Consulting requires round-trip business-class travel and one hotel night at the event property or equivalent. Events within 90 miles are treated as drive-in engagements with mileage reimbursement at the current federal rate. For international engagements, business-class round-trip and two hotel nights.
• Honorarium. Domestic engagements carry a standard honorarium bracket disclosed on request. Non-profit and veteran-service organization engagements are eligible for a reduced-fee arrangement.
• Recording and distribution. Barker and Barker Consulting authorizes event recording and post-event distribution within the host organization's membership. Public re-publication of session recordings requires written authorization on a per-engagement basis.
• Slide deliverables. Barker and Barker Consulting delivers a slide deck 48 hours before the event and grants the host organization a limited distribution license to circulate the deck to registered attendees.

Vaughn Barker speaker biography

Vaughn Barker is the principal of Barker and Barker Consulting, a Wisconsin-based Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business advisory firm. A Six Sigma Master Black Belt, he leads the firm's healthcare revenue-integrity, federal-proposal, and international-market-entry practices. He is the developer of VetsReady™, a proprietary workflow certification for international providers serving U.S. veterans under the VA Foreign Medical Program. He has co-presented at Manila Elks Club with VA Foreign Medical Program representation and has served on HRSA-sponsored panels on operational efficiency in federally qualified health centers.

Prior speaking history

• Manila Elks Club Expat Essential Information Seminar. VA co-podium. April 25, 2026. Manila, Philippines.
• HRSA-sponsored panel, "The Employee Support Triangle: How Leadership, Technology, and Workflow Design Sustain Evening Staff." May 28, 2025. Virtual (HRSA Health Center Program sponsored event, co-hosted by Veritas Management Group). Vaughn Barker delivered the Operational Efficiency segment alongside co-presenters on Leadership (Tonya Davis, Francesca Viola-Hamilton) and Staffing Solutions (Christine Callahan). Past performance page.
• HRSA-sponsored solo webinar, "Workflow Excellence: Standardizing Care Processes for Consistent, High-Quality Outcomes." July 9, 2025, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST. Virtual (HRSA Health Center Program sponsored event, co-hosted by Veritas Management Group). Vaughn Barker as sole presenter, one-hour session on Lean Six Sigma and PDSA-based workflow standardization for federally qualified health centers. Past performance page.
• HRSA Bureau of Primary Health Care Operations and Quality Improvement briefing. August 2026.

Related content

• Insights hub
• About: Leadership
• VetsReady™ overview
• Vaughn Barker on LinkedIn
• YouTube: Barker and Barker Consulting

The form

Required fields:

• Full name
• Title
• Host organization
• Event name
• Event date (or window)
• Format
• Duration
• Audience size and segment
• Topic interest
• Location and travel expectations
• Event email

Optional fields:

• Direct phone
• Honorarium bracket
• Recording and distribution intent
• Other confirmed speakers

Submit button: Send speaking invitation

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*Barker and Barker Consulting LLC. Vaughn Barker, principal. Wisconsin-based SDVOSB.*