Spring 2026 Conference Agenda
April 22–24
Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor
NAACOS conferences are the only events organized exclusively by ACOs.
Schedule: Wednesday (pre-conference workshops): 1:00–5:00 pm ET
Thursday (Main Meeting): 7:30 am–6:30 pm ET
Friday (Main Meeting): 7:30 am–3:00 pm ET
Plenary Presentations:
Keynote by Jennifer Goldsack
MChem, MA, MBA, OLY
CEO
Digital Medicine Society
Plenary Session
AI in ACTION: New Solutions that Advance Accountable Care
Thursday, April 23
| 7:00 am | Registration Open Exhibits Open | Key Ballroom Foyers |
| 7:30 – 8:15 am | Business Partner Sponsored Breakfast – Premier Scaling Value-Based Care with Technology and Collaboration Speakers: Seth Edwards, Premier Inc. and Raymond Metzger, TriHealth The future of care relies on organizations’ ability to break new ground by seamlessly integrating innovative, data-driven solutions with cutting-edge technology. In this session, attendees will learn how combining their dedication to value-based care (VBC), utilization of HCC technology and participation in a population health management collaborative (PHMC) can drive successful outcomes. Discover the value organizations can unlock by leveraging: • The use of artificial intelligence technology to further their work in value-based care. • Services and technology designed to enhance HCC coding at the point of care, offering providers code suggestions, actionable alerts and support for the latest V28 updates. • Technology designed to drive improvements in the risk adjustment factor (RAF) score. • Implementation and rollout strategies to engage both primary care and specialist clinicians in population health initiatives, driving adoption, workflow alignment and measurable value-based care outcomes. | Key 3-4 |
| 7:30 – 8:15 am | Business Partner Sponsored Breakfast – Alliant VBHS Steering the Ship: Navigating your ACO through Policy Headwinds The MSSP program has helped ACOs make great strides towards improving care coordination, aligning primary care physicians around the shared goal of decreasing hospitalizations and unnecessary care, and improving quality and preventive services. However, recent policy decisions including the introduction of the Accountable Care Prospective Trend (ACPT) and the PY2025 REACH Retrospective Trend Adjustment (RTA), have meant that CMS’s prospective assumptions do not completely reflect increasing prices, utilization, and overall health care costs. Often referred to as “headwinds,” these changes mean that ACOs urgently need new strategies if they are to achieve shared savings. In this session, experts in actuarial science, ACO leadership, and on-the-ground care delivery will provide strategies to navigate these unusually large discrepancies and discuss how these policy-driven risks will evolve under the newly announced 10-year Long-term Enhanced ACO Design. Objectives: • Understand how the shift from medical to policy-based benchmarking impacts actuarial and participation strategy for 2027 and beyond. • Identify practical risk-mitigation considerations under the new benchmarking construct. • Gain peer insights on how organizations are adapting their clinical and population health strategies in response to benchmarking changes. | Key 9-10 |
| 7:30 – 8:15 am | Business Partner Sponsored Breakfast – Persivia | Key 11-12 |
| 8:30 – 10:30 am | Opening Plenary Welcome NAACOS CEO: Emily Brower Keynote Speaker: Jennifer Goldsack, MChem, MA, MBA, OLY CEO Digital Medicine Society Plenary Panel The Promise of AI-enabled Tools and Technology to Advance Accountable Care and Population Health Moderator: Arshad Rahim, Mount Sinai Health System Panelists: Tamra Ruymann, Physicians of Southwest Washington, Tesha Simpson, CEO, Millennium Physicians; Zachary Yoder, St. Anthony’s Health/OSF Healthcare Hear from leaders transforming healthcare delivery how they are incorporating AI into their work to improve the health of the populations they serve. You can count on this group to separate fact from fiction, promise from pitfalls, and add a dose of reality as they build out this work from pilot to production moving through governance, strategy, clinical delivery and back-end operations. This session will tee up a year-long series of forums to help NAACOS members get smarter, faster about tech-enable care use cases and enterprise solutions that can scale your work and improve outcomes. | Key 5-8 |
| 10:30 – 11:00 am | Coffee Break Exhibits Open | Key Ballroom Foyers |
| 11:00 am – 12:30 pm | Community Health Centers: Putting the “Value” in VBC Chair: Joe Pierle, Missouri Primary Care Association Speakers: Henish Bhansali; Stephen Houghland; Leslie Southworth, MontanaHealth+ Objectives: • Explore advantages of including CHCs in your VBC network and how to engage and partner with CHCs • Understand how CHCs drive improved outcomes and efficient spending for Medicaid populations • Learn how CHCs, community care hubs, and VBC organizations can work together to amplify success • Learn how CHCs use technology and analytics to drive performance | Key 1-2 |
| 11:00 am – 12:30 pm | Radical Collaboration: Building Payer-Provider Partnerships for a Stronger Health Ecosystem Chair: Robert Millette, Astrana Health Speakers: Nick Lefeber, BlueCross BlueShield Rhode Island; Kevin Spencer, Millennium Physicians; Tyler Tracewski, Astrana Health Objectives: • Design partnership frameworks that yield results and embrace collaboration to scale VBC across multi-payer strategies • Discuss strategies for maintaining strong payer-provider partnerships and contract sustainability through policy changes and market shifts | Key 3-4 |
| 11:00 am – 12:30 pm | Breaking Down the Alphabet Soup: MSSP, LEAD, TEAM, ACCESS, ASM Chair: Aisha Pittman, NAACOS Invited Speakers: Gary Bacher, CMMI; Jacob Schiff, CMMI; Sarah Fogler, CMMI; Jake Quinton, CM Join senior leaders from the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) and the CMS Innovation Center (CMMI) for an in-depth conversation unpacking the latest federal value-based care initiatives shaping the future of accountable care. As the number of models and acronyms—LEAD, TEAM, ACCESS, ASM, and more—continues to grow, this session will decode the “alphabet soup” and highlight how these models support the Administration’s goal of Making America Healthy Again through evidence-based prevention, patient empowerment, and increased competition. | Key 9-10 |
| 11:00 am – 12:30 pm | Revolutionize Home-based Primary Care Chair: Rebecca Adkins, Jefferson Health Speakers: Vineesh Bhatnagar, Veterans Affairs New Jersey; Anna Flattau, Jefferson Health; Tom Lally, Bloom Health Network; Stephen Nuckolls, Coastal Carolina Quality Care Objectives: • Newest advances in home-based primary care with a positive outlook sustainability • Payment models to best support advanced home-based care models • Challenges and considerations for new home based primary care programs • Highlight 4 successful models across the U.S. | Key 11-12 |
| 12:30 – 2:00 pm | Networking Lunch Exhibits Open | Key 5-8 Key Ballroom Foyers |
| 2:00 – 3:30 pm | Leveraging Risk for Reward: Navigating a Shifting Payment Environment Chair: Mark Gwynne, UNC Health Objectives • Analyze current trends shaping risk-based and value-based payment models and their implications for ACOs, providers, and payers. • Discuss actionable approaches to align clinical and financial incentives to achieve success with payment changes | Key 1-2 |
| 2:00 – 3:30 pm | Pumping Up Heart Failure Prevention Management in the Era of Technology Chair: Ashish Parikh, Summit Health/VillageMD Speakers: Gregg Kimmer, Circadian Health; Mathew Philip, Duly Health and Care; Fred Taweel, Privia Objectives: • Explore high-value strategies for managing heart failure at the population level • Evaluate how to design, implement, and sustain initiatives to address key chronic conditions through your VBC network • Discuss the impact of early interventions in the new ACCESS model on HF prevention and outcomes | Key 3-4 |
| 2:00 – 3:30 pm | Innovative Outpatient Strategies to Prevent Hospitalizations and Improve Health Chair: Gene Quinn, Envoy Integrated Health ACO Speakers: Tori Bratcher, Trinity Health; Robert Fields, Beth Israel Lahey Health; Anjali Kakwani, Atlantic Health ACO Objectives: • Describe ACO-based outpatient strategies used to reduce preventable hospital admissions and emergency department utilization • Compare different organizational approaches to chronic disease management, care transitions, and whole-person health aimed at keeping patients in the outpatient setting • Explain the role of pharmacists in improving medication adherence, safety, and chronic disease outcomes to reduce avoidable hospitalizations • Identify how community health workers can be integrated into care teams to support patient navigation and address social drivers of health • Apply practical lessons from ACO leaders to their own clinical or organizational settings to improve outcomes and reduce total cost of care. | Key 9-10 |
| 2:00 – 3:30 pm | Engaging Specialists in Care Delivery Transformation: Applications from NAACOS Specialty Care Guidebook Chair: Erin Hurlburt, Lumeris Speakers: Ramsey Abdallah, Northwell Health ACO; Kevin McNeill, Lehigh Valley Health Network Objectives: • Identify change motivators unique to specialty care when advancing VBC and driving care transformation • Apply lessons and best practices from specialist engagement toolkits to drive alignment | Key 11-12 |
| 3:30 – 4:00 pm | Break Exhibits Open | Key Ballroom Foyers |
| 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Affinity Group – Compliance and Legal | Key 1-2 |
| 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Affinity Group – Clinical and Performance Improvement | Key 3-4 |
| 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Affinity Group – Operations and Executive | Key 9-10 |
| 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Affinity Group – Data and Analytics | Key 11-12 |
| 5:30 – 6:00 pm …………………………………. | Reception Exhibits Open | Key Ballroom Foyers …………………………………. |
Friday, April 24
| 7:00 am | Registration Open Exhibits Open | Key Ballroom Foyers |
| 7:30 – 8:15 am | Business Partner Sponsored Breakfast – Milliman | Key 3-4 |
| 7:30 – 8:15 am | Business Partner Sponsored Breakfast – Wellsky Value-Based Care 2.0: Navigating the New Reality of Accountable Care As accountable care enters its next phase, organizations are navigating new financial pressures, policy shifts, and rising expectations for performance. This session explores what “Value-Based Care 2.0” looks like in practice—highlighting how one organization is adapting their strategies, capabilities, and approach to succeed in today’s evolving landscape. Attendees will gain perspective on common challenges and practical considerations for sustaining value in the new reality of accountable care. | Key 9-10 |
| 7:30 – 8:15 am | Business Partner Sponsored Breakfast – Infor Oh, the Gaps You Will Close! With FHIR Measures That Compute and Compose Speakers: Joerg Schwarz, Infor and Anna Taylor, MultiCare Connected Care If you’re trying to improve outcomes while your data lives in five different places (and none of them agree), it’s hard to move fast—or feel confident in what you’re seeing. This session shows how MultiCare turned fragmented clinical data into a single, trustworthy view that helped them spot care gaps early and act with purpose. You’ll learn how Infor Population Health Analytics (IPHA) uses FHIR data to uncover care gaps and strengthen value-based care (VBC) performance—without adding more manual work to already-stretched teams. We’ll walk through a FHIR-native approach that automates standardized quality measures like HEDIS and eCQMs, reducing the spreadsheet grind, improving accuracy, and making reporting far less painful. Join us for a practical look at real-time analytics and automated calculations that bring clarity to the noise—so you can focus on the right interventions, close gaps faster, and improve outcomes with confidence. | Key 11-12 |
| 8:30 – 9:15 am | Plenary | Key 5-8 |
| 9:15 – 9:45 am | Break Exhibits Open | Key Ballroom Foyers |
| 9:45 – 11:15 am | Applying Successful VBC Strategies across Duals Populations Chair: Franke Elliott, Bloom Healthcare Speakers: Genevieve Caruncho, Family Caregiver Alliance; Kim Phan, CareConnectMD; Rachel Pryor, Jefferson Health Plans Objectives: • Apply lessons from high-performing MA dual-eligible special needs plan (D-SNP) programs to dual-eligible populations in accountable care • Explore operational, financial, and clinical opportunities for integrating Medicare and Medicare benefits | Key 1-2 |
| 9:45 – 11:15 am | Cost, Capitation, and Care Accountability: Leveraging Cohesive Payment Strategies that Align Meaningful Incentives Chair: Natalie McGann, Tandigm Health Speaker: Brandon Webb, OneHealth Nebraska Objectives: • Explore downstream payment model design and provider compensation models, assessing their impact on performance, cost, and care accountability • Understand the operational challenges and approaches for aligning incentives between upstream and downstream risk | Key 3-4 |
| 9:45 – 11:15 am | End of Life Care in a Value-based World Chair: Mark Angelo, Tandigm Health Speakers: Magen Calland, Aledade; David Cassaret, Duke; Tara Lagu, Alliance Health; Nathan Moore, Washington University in St. Louis Objectives: • Identify opportunities for integration of primary and specialty palliative care into risk contracts and value-based care models for delivery of goal concordant care • Outline key components of effective palliative care programs in accountable care • Demonstrate the impact on quality and utilization outcomes as well as financial performance through delivery of goal-concordant care at the end of life | Key 9-10 |
| 9:45 – 11:15 am | The Future of Fraud, Waste and Abuse: Tech-enabled Solutions for Early Detection and Reporting Chair: Joyce Colton, Ascension Speakers: Adam Hearn, Milliman; Amanda Larschan, Palm Beach ACO Objectives: • Learn about the recent Crushing Fraud Chili Cook Off Competition and what that means for your ACO • Understand Center for Program Integrity and how they are collaborating with ACOs on combating FWA in Traditional Medicare • Learn key talking points on educating executives, providers and patients on FWA. | Key 11-12 |
| 11:15 – 11:30 am | Break | Key Ballroom Foyers |
| 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Maintaining Independence in a World of Consolidation Chair: Stephen Nuckolls, Coastal Carolina Quality Care Objectives: • Provide insights and strategies for provider groups to maintain their independence with payment and operations challenges today • Evaluate joining a convener or utilizing PE funding in risk arrangements | Key 1-2 |
| 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Advancing Value-Based Care in Rural Communities: Partnering with States to Leverage Rural Health Transformation Grants Chair: Rick Goddard, Lumeris Objectives: • Understand the unique challenges and opportunities in implementing value-based care (VBC) models within rural healthcare systems • Explore how state-led rural health transformation grants and initiatives can support sustainable VBC infrastructure, innovation, and financial stability | Key 3-4 |
| 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Decision 2027: Is LEAD a REACH? Chair: Jordan Hall, SentryMed Speaker: Purva Rawal Objectives: • Comparison of ACO LEAD and MSSP models for 2027 to make strategic decisions. • Discernment of Full TIN vs TIN NPI participants in ACO on operations an outcomes • Impact of LEAD 10 year participation term and potential benchmark implications. | Key 9-10 |
| 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Cross-Payer Strategies in the Move to Digital Quality Chair: Megan Reyna, Bon Secours Mercy Health Speakers: Wilson Gabbard, Advocate Health; Mark Marciante, Leavitt Partners Objectives: • Understand what the transition to digital quality reporting approaches means for your organization • Evaluate how organizations are designing quality strategies to drive alignment across contracts while preparing for the shift to digital quality measures • Explore effective strategies to prepare your VBC organization for the digital quality shift, including through provider education and data analytics | Key 11-12 |
| 1:00 – 2:45 pm …………………………………. | Closing Plenary AI in ACTION: New Solutions that Advance Accountable Care Panelists: James Barr, Atlantic Health; Sherri Onyiego, Equality Health; Tim Puri, Curana; Brian Sikora, Duly Health and Care; John Supra, Cone Health; Tina-Ann Kerr Thompson, Emory AI promises a world of efficiencies, with the power streamline clinical burdens and enhance patient experience, but what tools and use cases align with the principles of accountable care to drive value in health care? Hear from your fellow members how they are incorporating AI into their work to improve the health of the populations they serve. Moving beyond clinical documentation and population segmentation, these leaders will share specific solutions they have put in place and the results they are seeing, with key learnings for you as you explore and implement tools and build out AI use cases. This session is the first in a year-long series of forums to help NAACOS members get smarter, faster about tech-enable care with use cases and enterprise solutions that can scale your work and improve outcomes. | Key 5-8 …………………………………. |