welcome reception
Tuesday, October 14
3:00
Registration Opens
4:30 – 7:30
Welcome Reception
Kick off the conference with a warm welcome at one of New Orleans’ iconic establishments. This relaxed evening gathering is the perfect opportunity to connect with fellow attendees and build new relationships. Enjoy the city’s signature hospitality, local flavors, and vibrant atmosphere as we come together to network and celebrate the start of an inspiring event.
Conference • day one
Wednesday, October 15
7:00 – 8:15
Registration and Networking Breakfast
8:15 – 8:30
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Meggan Christman Schilkie, Chief Operating Officer, HMA
8:30 – 9:15
Keynote Address
The Policy and Politics of Making America Healthy
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson will challenge the true underpinnings of what makes people healthy and what it takes to achieve this goal. He will address the current anxieties felt by healthcare stakeholders regarding the changes to certain policies, programs, and initiatives. Our speaker will address strategies and opportunities to find a different path forward and achieve common goals. Drawing from his experience as governor, where he worked extensively to address obesity in his state, Hutchinson will present a vision of what is possible even in polarizing and partisan times to improve health in states and communities.
Speaker
Asa Hutchinson, 46th Arkansas Governor
9:20 – 10:30
Plenary Session
When the Ground Shifts: Publicly Financed Health Coverage and Policy in Motion
As federal policy continues to evolve, its ripple effects are reshaping state and local healthcare markets in real time. Our panel of multidisciplinary leaders—from government, health plans, hospitals, and private equity—are navigating these shifts from multiple vantage points. Together, they’ll explore how recent federal actions are transforming the payer mix, driving innovation, and creating new opportunities for collaboration and sustainability.
10:30 – 11:00
Break
11:00 – 12:15
Expert-Led Workshops
Medicare Models, Markets, and Momentum: What They Mean for Payers, Providers, and Investors
Medicare Advantage (MA) is entering a new era of transformation—and scrutiny. With the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services advancing sweeping changes across risk adjustment policies, audit strategies, and value-based care design, payers and their partners must recalibrate fast. This session will unpack the most consequential policy shifts reshaping the MA landscape, including the expansion of RADV audits, evolving expectations around coding accuracy, use of AI, and CMS’s push for more meaningful value-based arrangements. From the financial implications of increased oversight to the strategic opportunities in model innovation, this session will help attendees understand how to position themselves for success.
Making Medicaid Work Requirements Work
As federal work requirements reshape Medicaid eligibility, states face critical decisions in how these programs are designed and implemented. This session will focus on the key policy, strategy, and legal issues that influence program success—and the well-being of those served. Drawing on lessons from states like Georgia, panelists will explore what to watch for in program design, including strategies to support workforce readiness, reduce administrative burden, and maintain access to care. Join state officials and national experts for a grounded conversation on how to build work requirement programs.
Driving Digital Health Forward: Federal and Industry Enablers of Smarter, Connected Care
Through new regulations, stakeholder engagement initiatives and thought leadership, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), and other organizations are setting the stage for transformative change by promoting – and in some instances requiring – adoption of certain information technology standards. Speakers will unpack the framework and emerging “rules of the road” for data exchange and governance and examine how these developments can unlock the full power of population health management, care coordination, utilization and quality management, and program integrity. A multisector panel will highlight both opportunities and trade-offs and strategic implications of this changing landscape.
Policies Advancing the 988 & Behavioral Healthcare System: Exploring Lessons Learned from States
States, territories, and tribal nations are using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline as a springboard to transform behavioral health crisis systems. As of April 2025, 11 states have enacted a 988 fee, and five have secured recurring state funding, reflecting growing momentum to invest in sustainable crisis care. This workshop will explore how states are leveraging legislation, funding, and innovation to strengthen crisis response systems. Topics include lessons learned from recent policy efforts, strategies for building complex systems in changing environments, and examples of effective public and private sector collaboration that drive meaningful outcomes.
12:15 – 1:30
Networking Lunch
1:30 – 2:45
Expert-Led Workshops
Delivering on the Promise of Payment Reform: Operational Strategies for Success
As Medicare shifts toward prevention, person-centered care, and accountable innovation, the financial stakes are rising. This session explores how these priorities are shaping real-world models—especially for chronic conditions—and what they mean for payers, providers, and investors. Speakers will unpack the growing use of downside risk, capitation, and upfront investments, and make the case for why these models are worth backing. Speakers will make the case for why payers, and providers should invest in these models—and how to evaluate return on investment through both cost savings and improved outcomes.
Resilient by Design: Investing in Infrastructure to Support Community Health
What does it take to build lasting health infrastructure in communities that have historically been underfunded or overlooked? This session brings together a cross-sector panel of leaders—from philanthropy, Medicaid policy, care coordination, and disability services—who are tackling the challenge of building operational resilience in systems not traditionally resourced or structured like mainstream healthcare. Panelists will explore how strategic investments are supporting innovative models that meet complex needs without requiring organizations to fully medicalize. Through real-world examples across states and sectors, this discussion will highlight how targeted funding, flexible partnerships, and collaborations are reshaping what sustainable, community-driven health systems can look like.
The Digital Health “State of the Art”, Success Stories, Trends and Opportunities
This session brings together panelists from across the healthcare landscape to explore how digital health technologies are being adopted – and the value they are delivering. Panelists will share practical use cases and the measurable benefits they expect from tools such as AI, digital quality measurement (dQM), application programming interfaces (APIs) enabled by the interoperability rule, remote monitoring and other “Internet of Things” devices. Use cases will highlight functions including population health, care management, utilization and quality management, provider compensation, and program integrity. Attendees will engage in discussions and problem-solving activities focused on the impact of these technologies on patients, the healthcare workforce, and IT operations. This session will also explore critical change enablers of digital transformation beyond legal and regulatory mandates. Participants will have the opportunity to share their own experiences and challenges in advancing their organization’s “digital health maturity” and gain practical strategies for overcoming operational hurdles.
Discharging Patients with Complex Needs: Behavioral Health, Substance Use Disorders, and Coordinated Care
Hospitals are often the front door to the behavioral health system in their community, particularly for individuals who have co-occurring care needs including mental health, substance use disorders and complex health related social needs. These complex presentations compound existing challenges around length of stay, discharge planning, workforce needs, safety, and the associated costs. This panel will explore innovative solutions to addressing these challenges.
2:45 – 3:15
Networking Break
3:15 – 4:45
Plenary Session
Shifting the Paradigm: Transforming Value-Based Healthcare for Lasting Impact
As the healthcare system continues its shift toward value-based care, the question is no longer if change is coming—but how to lead it. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is laying the groundwork for a reboot of value-based care. This session will explore where CMS’ strategy is already reshaping the healthcare system and care delivery for patients, particularly the opportunities to revisit Medicare Advantage relationships with providers and to integrate technology to advance the prevention of chronic conditions and achieve population health goals. From payers and enabling organizations, to providers and community organizations, the healthcare sector must be prepared for new expectations for global risk and consumer engagement – and to articulate the return on investment when making this shift.
5:00 – 7:00
Sponsor Reception
conference • day two
Thursday, October 16
7:00
Registration
7:45 – 9:00
Coffee Conversations and Collaborations
9:15 – 10:15
Plenary Session
Maintaining Behavioral Health Innovation Momentum in a Complex Environment
In this dynamic environment, healthcare leaders must balance access to behavioral healthcare with payment and regulatory changes. This panel features experts from various healthcare sectors discussing unique perspectives and experiences in creating innovative frameworks and approaches. The discussion will cover the ways in which organizations are stepping up to fund and implement new initiatives, clinical improvements, parity, community care, and impacts on hospital systems and payers.
10:15 – 11:00
Networking Break
11:00 – 12:00
Plenary Session
From Gridlock to Growth: Advancing Population Health Through Resilient System Design
Through the lens of housing, transportation, and food insecurity, panelists—including payers, health system executives, and community experts—will share bold, actionable strategies for building a stronger healthcare ecosystem and improve population health. Discover how cross-sector collaboration can create resilient healthcare systems that deliver equitable, sustainable outcomes across communities.