Fall 2025 Preliminary Conference Agenda
October 8–10

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

Keynote Presentations:

Keynote by Pippa Shulman

Medically Home

Keynote

Health Care Investor Roundtable

Thursday, October 9

Time	Session	Location
7:00 am	Reg Opens Exhibits Open	Liberty and Independence Foyer
7:30 – 8:15 am	Business Partner Sponsored Breakfast	Capital/Congress
7:30 – 8:15 am	Business Partner Sponsored Breakfast	Archives
7:30 – 8:15 am	Business Partner Sponsored Breakfast	Shaw/LeDroit
8:30 – 9:15 am	Opening Plenary CMS Speakers: Chris Klomp and Abe Sutton	Liberty Ballroom
9:15 – 9:30 am	Break Exhibits Open	Independence Ballroom
9:30 – 10:30 am	Plenary Excellence Awards Keynote Speaker: Pippa Shulman	Liberty Ballroom
11:00 am – 12:30 pm	Shared Savings Distribution Models Chair: Stephen Nuckolls, Coastal Carolina Quality Care	Capital/Congress
11:00 am – 12:30 pm	NAACOS Excellence Awards: Learn from Leaders in Value-based Care Chair: Alyssa Neumann, NAACOS Join this session to hear from the recipients of the second annual NAACOS Excellence Awards. The Excellence Awards recognize high performing organizations that have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to and accomplishments in value-based care. Panelists will share how they have demonstrated success across three domains: performance, including improved quality and reduced cost, innovative use of data and technology, and commitment to partnership and collaboration.	Archives
11:00 am – 12:30 pm	Triple Threat: Winning at Stars and Clinical Outcomes with High-Impact Quality Measures Chair: Tori Bratcher, Trinity Health Join this dynamic session to learn how leading organizations are aligning Medicare Advantage and ACO efforts to drive performance on triple-weighted quality measures—delivering measurable results in medication adherence, hypertension control, diabetes management, and more. Presenters will share real-world success stories, practical implementation strategies, and data-driven outcomes that highlight both the clinical and financial impact of targeted interventions. Discover the strategic investments that made it possible, the ROI they delivered, and the lessons learned in optimizing provider performance and improving population health. Learning Objectives Understand the impact of triple-weighted Medicare Advantage measures on overall quality and revenue performance. Identify practical, scalable strategies that have led to measurable improvements in key clinical areas such as medication adherence, blood pressure control, and diabetes management. Analyze the return on investment (ROI) achieved through aligned quality efforts across Medicare Advantage and ACO populations. Apply real-life lessons and tools to improve provider engagement, care team workflows, and population health outcomes.	Shaw/LeDroit
11:00 am – 12:30 pm	Navigating the Dementia Care Landscape: Insights from CMMI GUIDE for ACO Success Chair: Jennifer Houlihan, Wake Health The CMMI Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, launched in July 2024, offers a unique opportunity for ACOs to enhance dementia care, support caregivers, and drive value within the healthcare system. This session will provide a comprehensive look at the GUIDE program, drawing on experiences from both established and new participant tracks. We will delve into the critical aspects of program implementation, discussing key pain points encountered by participants and the valuable lessons learned in navigating this complex model. Furthermore, the presentation will illuminate how GUIDE programs can seamlessly interact with existing Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), demonstrating their alignment with broader cost-saving initiatives and robust risk capture strategies. Finally, we will explore forward-thinking approaches and experiences in scaling dementia care beyond traditional Medicare, considering the implications for commercial and managed care populations. Attendees will gain actionable insights to optimize their participation in GUIDE, foster collaborative partnerships, and ultimately improve outcomes for individuals living with dementia and their caregivers. Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to: Analyze the CMMI GUIDE Model’s structure and differentiate between the established and new program tracks, identifying the unique considerations for each. Identify common operational challenges and key pain points in GUIDE program implementation, and articulate lessons learned from early adopters to mitigate these issues. Explain the synergistic relationship between GUIDE programs and ACOs, illustrating how integrated dementia care can contribute to overall cost savings, enhanced quality metrics, and improved risk capture within value-based care models. Discuss strategies and considerations for extending the principles and successes of the GUIDE program beyond traditional Medicare, exploring applicability and potential pathways for scaling dementia care in commercial and managed care environments	Chinatown
12:30 – 2:00 pm	Networking Lunch Exhibits Open	Independence Ballroom
2:00 – 3:30 pm	Recognizing Fraud, Activating Your Network and Negotiating Contracts for the Long Term Chair: Henish Bhansali, Medical Home Network	Capital/Congress
2:00 – 3:30 pm	Innovative or Advanced Payment Design Chair: Mark Gwynne, UNC	Archives
2:00 – 3:30 pm	Unlocking Value in Post-Acute Care: Strategies for Optimized Transitions and Outcomes Chair: Herbert Druilhet, Ochsner Health System As the healthcare landscape shifts toward value-based care, post-acute settings are no longer just a step down—they’re a strategic opportunity. This provocative session explores how forward-thinking providers are reimagining post-acute care as a driver of clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and financial performance. Attendees will gain an insider’s view into innovative models, data-driven strategies, and overlooked levers that can radically increase value across the continuum. Whether you’re a clinician, executive, or operator, this session will challenge assumptions, expose inefficiencies, and spark actionable ideas for immediate impact. Learning Objectives: Identify key metrics and performance indicators that define “value” in post-acute care under emerging payment models. Analyze the economic and clinical impact of optimized care transitions from hospital to post-acute settings. Explore real-world strategies for reducing readmissions, shortening length of stay, and improving patient outcomes in SNFs, LTACHs, HHAs, and IRFs. Evaluate innovative care models—including episodic models (TEAM, Bundled Payments), hospital-at-home, and preferred provider networks—that enhance post-acute value delivery. Formulate an action plan to align post-acute care strategies with broader organizational goals in quality, compliance, and financial performance.	Shaw/LeDroit
2:00 – 3:30 pm	TEAM Chair: Eloy Sena, Signify ACO	Chinatown
3:30 – 4:00 pm	BREAK Exhibits Open	Independence Ballroom
4:00 – 5:30 pm	Affinity Group Meetings These meetings offer ACO employees in similar professional roles an opportunity to discuss the challenges they face and share strategies for success. Only ACO employees may attend. They are not open to vendors. Operations and Executive Data and Analytics Clinical and Performance Improvement Compliance and Legal	Capital/Congress Archives Shaw/LeDroit Chinatown
5:30 – 6:30 pm	RECEPTION Exhibits Open	Independence Ballroom

Friday, October 10

Time	Session	Location
7:00 am	Reg Opens Exhibits Open	Liberty and Independence Foyer
7:30 – 8:15 am	Business Partner Sponsored Breakfast	Capital/Congress
7:30 – 8:15 am	Business Partner Sponsored Breakfast	Archives
7:30 – 8:15 am	Business Partner Sponsored Breakfast	Shaw/LeDroit
8:30 – 9:30 am	Plenary Investor Panel	Liberty Ballroom
9:30 – 9:45 am	Break	Independence Ballroom
9:45 – 11:15 am	The Dollars and Cents of Value Based Care Chair: Rebecca Adkins, Jefferson Health Learning Objectives Learn about ways to structure value-based business cases Understand finance cycles and basic concepts of value-based finance Understand what structures, teams, and skills you need to manage value-based finances Learn how different provider organizations manage value-based finances	Capital/Congress
9:45 – 11:15 am	Risky Business: Inside the Movement to Modify Risk Adjustment Chair: Katie Boyer, aglion health Risk adjustment is a critical element of risk-bearing models like MA, MSSP and ACO REACH to ensure benchmarks adequately capture patient complexity. However, the controversy over its role in increasing Medicare spending places VBC models in a precarious position. Skepticism and scrutiny are increasing across the federal policy landscape, prompting many to begin exploring alternative models. Learn from those leading the way on novel risk model development and hear multiple perspectives on how a new approach would impact risk-based VBC models. Learning Objectives Learn why policymakers believe a new model is needed. Become familiar with the leading proposals currently circulating in the industry. Engage in dialogue about the potential impacts of proposed novel risk adjustment models.	Archives
9:45 – 11:15 am	Geriatric EDs to Improve Outcomes Chair: TBD	Shaw/LeDroit
9:45 – 11:15 am	Deploying Tech Driven Solutions to Reduce Clinician Administrative Burden Chair: Anna Taylor, PSW	Chinatown
11:15 – 11:30 am	Break Exhibits Open	Independence Ballroom
11:30 am – 1:00 pm	Strategies for Future Financial Modeling (unmasking the CMS black box of final risk adjustment) Chair: Sean Cavanaugh, Aledade	Capital/Congress
11:30 am – 1:00 pm	Strategies from the NAACOS Specialty Care Guidebook: Optimizing Specialty Care in Accountable Care Chair: Diwen Chen, NAACOS As value-based care (VBC) models expand across clinical conditions, integrating specialty care in VBC models remains a critical component of success in accountable care. This session introduces the NAACOS Specialty Care Guidebook that serves as a “how-to” guide to unlocking the full potential of specialty care alignment. Participants will gain insights into key strategies for identifying high-value specialists through data, engaging providers around delivery transformation, and understanding clinical pathway standards across various specialty care VBC models. Using real-world applications, presenters will share their best practices to drive cost-effective, timely, and high-quality specialty integration. Learning Objectives: Discuss the role of VBC models in specialty care engagement and identify best practices in adoption and implementation Discuss common challenges to specialty care engagement and opportunities for care delivery innovations in specialty care Understand effective provider engagement strategies including leveraging performance scorecards and analyzing referral strategies	Archives
11:30 am – 1:00 pm	A Discussion in the Keys to Leading a Large Multi-TIN Network Chair: Grayling Yarbrough Learning Objectives A few keys for leaders seeking to bring alignment in a large multi-TIN Network amongst your board and physician leadership. Key strategies for operational alignment for large multi-TIN networks. A few lessons learned for creating alignment between independent and employed physicians within ACO and CIN agreements.	Shaw/LeDroit
11:30 am – 1:00 pm	Late Breaking Policy Update Chair: NAACOS Policy and Advocacy Team	Chinatown
1:00 – 2:30 pm	Lunch Closing Plenary	Liberty Ballroom

Fall 2025 Preliminary Conference AgendaOctober 8–10