Day 2 | Thursday, September 25
8:00 am - 8:20 am
Rise & Shine Breakfast
8:20 am - 8:30 am
Chairperson's Opening Remarks
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Q&A Panel | Voices From the Frontline: Closing the Loop in Home Healthcare
Carrie Koenig -
Vice President, Patient Experience & Communication,
MedStar Health
The transition from the hospital to home care can be a challenging one, leading to gaps in care, communication, and connection. Whether due to unclear expectations, limited follow-up, or a lack of personalized support, these moments affect not only a patient’s experience but their overall health and well-being.
Learn from two home health leaders who are elevating how feedback is gathered and acted upon, both from patients and caregivers. From integrating real-time caregiver feedback into mobile workflows to tackling persistent access and scheduling challenges, and utilizing AI to match patients and caregivers based on their cultural and linguistic needs, hear about how next level organizations are closing the loop.
Key Strategies & Lessons:
- Best practices communication gaps and scheduling issues through real-time updates and transparent workflows.
- Leverage AI and analytics to drive personalized care delivery and customer service, from patient-caregiver matching to ensuring all touchpoints meet patients where they’re at, regardless of generation, culture, language, and more.
- Equip providers with actionable insights to streamline administrative tasks and ensure consistent care continuity throughout each touchpoint.
9:00 am - 9:30 am
KEYNOTE CASE STUDY | From Scheduling to Scalability: Inside MetroHealth's Operational Overhaul
Arthur Price III -
Vice President of Access to Care,
Metro Health
Access to care starts with operational excellence, and Arthur Price, VP of Access at MetroHealth, is leading the charge. In this case study, he’ll unpack his approach to advancing access across a complex health system through optimizing ambulatory scheduling workflows, aligning contact center operations through ACD improvements, and building governance models that bring consistency to a decentralized system.
Strategies:
- Streamline ambulatory scheduling with decision trees and provider template optimization.
- ACD optimization for decentralized contact centers.
- Build governance models to ensure scalable, consistent access.
- CFTE mapping and analysis across clinical specialties.
9:30 am - 11:00 am
Business Meetings
11:00 am - 11:30 am
Networking Break
The term “digital front door” has become a fixture in healthcare conversations, but the move from ideation to implementation isn't quite as snappy as the phrase itself. In this expert-led session, we'll explore how to design digital pathways that reduce friction, meet patients where they are, and support scalable, omnichannel strategies.
From unifying fragmented systems to streamlining access workflows and driving personalized engagement, get the inside scoop from a technology partner who's been in the trenches. Packed with practical insights, real-world results, and a dynamic discussion, this session will give you a roadmap for building a front door that patients want to walk through.
The disconnect between payers and providers has long slowed care decisions, added friction, and frustrated patients. But what if smarter tech could finally bridge the gap?
This session explores the potential of advanced platforms to transform payer-provider collaboration through aligning teams, automating decision-making, and creating shared knowledge bases. Learn how organizations are leveraging data-driven tools to accelerate authorizations, reduce administrative back-and-forth, and unlock a more intelligent, cohesive, and impactful system of care.
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Networking Lunch & Learn
Expanding access takes more than opening up schedules – it requires intentional alignment across people, processes, and performance metrics. In this strategic discussion, Melba Ansah, Executive Director of Ambulatory Ops & Strategic Initiatives at UChicago Medicine, will walk through her organization’s TARGET (Template, Access, Realignment, Growth, Efficiency, Transparency) initiative, designed to drive enterprise-wide improvements in provider availability, operational efficiency, and access to care.
- What makes for strong scheduling template hygiene – and how do you define and enforce it?
- How can organizations better track and act on no-shows, cancellations, and unbooked slots?
- What benchmarks are most useful for ensuring new patients are seen within competitive timeframes?
- What operational blind spots – like unbooked appointment slots or poor exam room utilization – might limit access without us realizing it?
Melba Ansah
Executive Director, Ambulatory Operations & Strategic InitiativesUchicago Medicine
Today’s healthcare ecosystem spans a wide range of cultural backgrounds, generational perspectives, tech literacy levels, and communication preferences–not just for patients and members, but for the frontline teams who serve them. For an industry rooted in trust and human connection, it’s critical to design experiences that meet people where they are, whether through self-service, live agent support, or in-person care.
This session invites leaders to share challenges and best practices for building frontline strategies that are not only responsive to patient needs, but also supportive of a diverse, multi-generational workforce. Leave with actionable takeaways to better serve every patient and team member with respect, clarity, and consistency.
3:15 pm - 3:45 pm
Refresh & Re-energize Networking Break
1:45 pm - 3:15 pm
Business Meetings
3:45 pm - 4:15 pm
Expert Panel | Experience, Meet Access
As patient expectations change and operational complexity increases, healthcare organizations are redefining leadership roles. Patient Access is evolving from a transactional function to a strategic driver of experience, equity, and efficiency, earning its place in the C-suite.
In a dynamic panel, hear from a Chief Patient Access Officer and a Chief Patient Experience Officer who will share insights on reshaping systems, strategies, and cultures. Dive into the reality of operational workflows, differing priorities and functions, and collaboration aimed at improving outcomes for patients, staff, and the bottom line.
4:15 pm - 4:45 pm
Keynote | Beyond the Build: Establishing Sustainable Governance Frameworks for Digital Tools
Brandon Darrington -
VP for Internal Medicine, Executive Administrator for Clinical Affairs and Admin,
Emory Healthcare
Digital tools are transforming access and engagement, but without the right governance, even the most promising platforms can fall flat. Too often, organizations race to implement solutions without first establishing the oversight, evaluation, and cross-functional alignment needed to sustain them.
In this session, Brandon Darrington, VP of Internal Medicine, explores how to lay the groundwork for long-term digital success. From establishing shared evaluation frameworks to navigating stakeholder alignment, he’ll outline the governance pathways healthcare systems must build before hitting "go."
Key Takeaways:
- Understand the common gaps between digital implementation and sustainable success
- Explore governance models that align stakeholders and clarify accountability
- Learn how to build evaluation frameworks that ensure tools evolve with patient and organizational needs
- See how operational leaders can act as stewards—not just adopters—of digital transformation
Brandon Darrington
VP for Internal Medicine, Executive Administrator for Clinical Affairs and AdminEmory Healthcare
4:45 pm - 5:30 pm
Strategic Workshop | Maximize the Value of Your Tech Stack
We've explored the critical frameworks and governance structures that must be in place to ensure digital tools deliver long-term value. Now, let’s take it one step further and dive into the real-world impact of platform and tool integration. What happens after the launch? What’s been helpful, and where have the unexpected roadblocks popped up?
We'll kick off with a panel of digital transformation leaders who will share firsthand experiences and insights on the impacts of these emerging technologies. From streamlining and personalizing member experience to enhancing the operational efficiency of customer service teams, we'll explore key use cases and the challenges of scaling impact.
Attendees will then break into roundtable discussions to:
- Assess their current digital solutions: what’s truly working, and where are the gaps?
- Identify friction points that hinder broader adoption or the underutilization of features.
- Discuss strategies for optimizing digital tools to better serve both customers and frontline teams.
We'll conclude with a larger group share focused on actionable strategies for sustaining digital investments to ensure that tools maximize ROI.
