A practice administrator needs a physician to update his schedule templates. By midmorning she’s asked him three times for an update. She sees templates that still aren't done and decides he's slacking again. He sees three check-ins before lunch, decides she has no confidence in him and quietly starts thinking about a transfer. 

Amy Lafko, MSPT, MBA, CEO of Cairn Consulting Solutions, used that scenario in "Disagree Better," her session at the 2026 MGMA Annual Conference. Neither can simply tell the other to change course. Practice leaders encounter the same problem with physician partners, peers in other departments, billing companies and vendors. 

Lafko's session and "Facilitation 101," led by Evan Brooksby, MBA, director of graduate healthcare programs at Clarkson University, focused on two settings where leaders need to gain cooperation: one-on-one conversations and group meetings.