Topic Descriptions 2026

This document includes the following: 

• Ethics course description
• Computer lab descriptions
• Workshop & Concurrent Session descriptions.

Please do not sign up for sessions that say FULL. If you sign up for a session that says FULL, you will be moved to another session at the discretion of event management. All sessions will be recorded and will be available after the event. We appreciate your cooperation!

Ethics

Workshop 1a & 2a -  Ethics in Healthcare Finance: AI, Internal Controls, and Professional Judgment in a Time of Change

Robert Ryan, BA, CGA, CPA Professor, Okanagan College

Healthcare organizations are facing increasing pressure to do more with limited resources while adapting to rapid technological change. Artificial intelligence, automation, workforce constraints, cybersecurity concerns, and ongoing efforts to reduce administrative costs are creating new ethical challenges for finance professionals.

This interactive session will examine how healthcare finance leaders can apply professional judgment, ethical principles, and sound governance practices when navigating these complex and often competing demands.

Topics will include:

Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and Decision Support

As healthcare organizations increasingly adopt AI-enabled tools and automation technologies, finance professionals are being asked to evaluate investments, manage risks, oversee implementation, and rely on information generated by automated systems.

Discussion topics include:

• Ethical considerations surrounding AI adoption in healthcare environments
• Privacy, confidentiality, and data governance concerns
• Bias, transparency, and accountability in automated decision-making
• Appropriate reliance on AI-generated analysis and recommendations
• The role of professional skepticism when technology influences decisions
• Governance considerations for emerging technologies

Internal Controls, Fraud Risk, and Administrative Reductions

Healthcare organizations continue to face pressure to improve efficiency and reduce administrative costs. While efficiency initiatives can generate important savings, they may also create unintended risks if key oversight functions, segregation of duties, or control activities are weakened.

Discussion topics include:

• Balancing cost reduction with effective risk management
• Internal control challenges in resource-constrained environments
• Fraud and misconduct risks arising from organizational change
• Ethical considerations when reporting savings or efficiency gains
• The finance professional's role in protecting public resources
• Identifying and responding to control weaknesses before they become significant issues

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify emerging ethical risks associated with AI and automation in healthcare organizations
• Evaluate the governance and control implications of new technologies
• Recognize situations where efficiency initiatives may create unintended control or fraud risks
• Apply CPA ethical principles to complex operational and financial decisions
• Strengthen professional judgment when facing competing organizational priorities
• Discuss practical approaches to maintaining public trust, accountability, and stewardship in healthcare finance

Format

The session will include case studies, facilitated discussion, practical examples, and opportunities for participant engagement. Attendees will be encouraged to apply ethical decision-making frameworks to realistic scenarios drawn from healthcare and public-sector environments.

Note to registrants:

If you register for this session please download the Workbook provided by the instructor as soon as access to the Chime event platform is provided. The Workbook contains case studies which are each a single paragraph only. It also contains space to make notes and the CPA code of conduct for easy reference.

This seminar meets the CPA requirement for 4 hour ethics as required every three years by CPA BC. The seminar consists of a 3.5 hour online session, with short breaks every hour along with a pre-reading and a writing assignment.

Bio

Robert Ryan, CPA, is a Professor of Business at Okanagan College and has more than 20 years of leadership experience in accounting, finance, and executive management. Prior to entering post-secondary education, he served in a variety of senior financial and operational roles, including Controller, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Executive Officer across multiple industries.

For the past 14 years, Robert has taught courses in accounting, economics, behavioural finance, financial decision-making, and organizational leadership. His teaching and research interests focus on professional judgment, decision-making under uncertainty, risk management, behavioural finance, and ethics in organizational settings.

Robert’s presentations combine practical business experience with current research and are designed to help participants navigate complex decisions involving competing priorities, limited information, accountability, and ethical considerations.

Drawing on both executive and educational experience, Robert brings a practical perspective to discussions of ethics, governance, risk, and professional responsibility.

Computer Labs

Frank Byl, PowerConcepts Training

Bio

Frank Byl has been a career educator and a Microsoft Master Instructor for over 26 years. He has helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies to be able to better utilize the Microsoft tools that they are using every day. He has a passion for learning and exploring new ideas and new tools and finding ways to make work more rewarding. You will find his presentations engaging and practical. Come prepared to practice and experiment along with Frank to discover new and better ways to accomplish your goals. Frank loves to explore nature and technology and prefers to do that while sailing his fully solar-powered sailboat whenever he has the opportunity.

NOTE ABOUT CONNECTING REMOTELY: Participants connecting remotely should have two monitors or two devices, so that they can watch on one screen and practice on the second screen. The second device must be a tablet or another computer, a phone will not be sufficient. A link to download any required files will be provided prior to the workshop and at the start of the workshop.

RECORDING OF LABS: We will record the presentations and allow the videos to be accessed via the conference website after the conference closes for those who wish to review the presentations or for members that were not able to attend.

Workshop 1b: Power Query

Excel’s Power Query tools allow for automated uploading of data from multiple sources and types. We will work with real (sanitized) data in various forms including PDF, Text files, CSV, and Excel formats to show how data can be automatically uploaded, converted, and organized into useful Excel tables. Further to creating the original query, participants will learn how to append and remove data using the same queries. Power Query will be utilizing some of the skills and functions taught in the first session.

Workshop1c: Advanced Excel for Accountants 

Excel is constantly creating new functions that provide faster, easier, and more powerful ways to compile and analyze information. Initially we will build key skills of understanding the importance of building expandable named ranges in functions. Then we will spend some time discovering useful functions and how to apply them and to use the built-in help features. Along the way we will reveal some of the new “Spill” functions and some of the unique syntax required to work with them. Finally, we will also develop some tools to automate repetitive functions that might be done daily, weekly, or monthly.

Workshop 2b: Power Pivot

Many times, data is not provided in a single table but is in multiple tables that are related. Perhaps a table of Physician Info, Client Info, and Service Info. While related, each table contains unique information. Power Pivot allows users to connect those tables and create meaningful reports and even charts. This workshop will provide data sets to be used in the workshop. For continuity, that data will be the same data that was created in the Power Query workshop so that participants will understand the full flow of data from raw data to final reports. The final portion of the presentation will be devoted to a presentation on PowerBI that will demonstrate the potential, benefits and challenges of using PowerBI to present data. The presentation will use similar data as was created from the Power Query so that participants can again note the progression of information compilation and presentation.

Concurrent 1a & 2a: Using CoPilot in Excel

CoPilot is like having a really smart and useful assistant helping you with your Excel. This could be very useful but how do you communicate what you would like your CoPilot to do? Learn how to apply a structured prompting framework and how to modify and improve your instructions. Then experience how Copilot can clean and organize financial data, analyze results looking for variance, trends and KPI’s. Finally, learn how Copilot can Generate reports and summaries.

Workshops & Concurrent Sessions

Information coming soon!

See 2026 Event Overview>>

See Event Schedule>>