Here’s what you need to know to make the most out of our must-attend, three-day event, March 17-19, in downtown Nashville.
Editor's note: This article was updated March 11 to reflect a new time for the session on strategies to address cybersecurity issues.
Get your bags packed and be sure to bring a comfortable pair of shoes! RISE National 2024 will take over the Music City Center, Nashville’s convention center, March 17-19. Read on to find out just a few of the things we’ve planned. And don’t worry if you haven’t registered yet. There is still time!
Regulatory updates straight from the horses’ mouths
Get the latest information from the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of Justice (DOJ), and Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Inspector General Christi A. Grimm will kick off the main conference on Monday, March 18, with her vision for cultivating trust in Medicare Advantage (MA). After her warning last year about increased OIG enforcement, she’ll discuss what steps plans can take now to ensure managed care lives up to its potential. Grimm will explain how MA plans can use OIG’s oversight and program integrity tools to focus on gaps in managed care to reduce risk.
Her presentation will be followed by an address by the DOJ’s Edward C. Crooke, assistant director, civil division, fraud section, who will describe the statutory and regulatory tools available to the government in investigating and pursuing MA fraud and highlight recent settlements and ongoing enforcement actions pending in federal court. He will also focus on the application of the False Claims Act to unlawful business practices involving MA plans, providers, and vendors.
Two CMS representatives will then take the stage to discuss the latest HHS-operated risk adjustment and Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) updates that apply in the individual and small group markets. CMS’ Allison Wiley, health insurance specialist, and Daphne Letherer, management and program analyst, from the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, will discuss the risk adjustment policies in the proposed 2025 Payment Notice as well as the latest information on RADV.
During concurrent sessions later in the morning, attendees will have another opportunity to hear the latest from a panel of representatives from the OIG. Carolyn Kapustij, senior advisor for managed care, Office of Audit Services;
Brian Martens, director of strategic projects and initiatives; Miriam Anderson, subject matter expert; Alexis Mills, social science research analyst, New York Regional Office; and Christopher G. Bresette, director of Medicare Part C audits, Office of Audit Services, will discuss the watchdog’s priorities for 2024, as well as best practices for telehealth, strategies for identifying fraud, and a review of its toolkit for processing high-risk diagnosis.
Industry experts on the health care cybersecurity crisis; trends, strategies for 2024
In the wake of the cyberattack on Change Healthcare, we’ve gathered a rock-star team of experts to present a session on how plans can best react to the cyber crisis.
Ana Handshuh, principal, CAT5 Strategies; Melissa Newton Smith, founder and senior advisor, Newton Smith Group; and Rex Wallace, founder & principal, Rex Wallace Consulting, will be on hand at 11:15 a.m. Monday, March 18, to discuss strategies and proactive measures to safeguard patient care, mitigate financial strain, and ensure operational resilience in the face of cyber threats.
The closing session on Tuesday, March 19, will focus on health care trends and readiness strategies to succeed in 2024. The panel discussion, moderated by Vandna Bhrany, vice president, HEDIS strategy & analytics, AmeriHealth Caritas, will feature health care executives on upcoming compliance and regulatory changes, trends in technology and data affecting risk adjustment and quality, social determinants of heath, diversity, equity and inclusion, and practical advice to get you ready for the rest of 2024.
Panelists include Dr. Shannon Decker, principal, VBC One; Mikal L. Sutton, managing director, Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association; Liz Haynes MSN, RN, CCM, DVP, risk adjustment & stars government programs
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City; and Mark Wiacek, founder/consultant, Vihara Health.
Dynamic keynote addresses by a futurist, blind golf champion, and Harvard physician
We’ve got a blockbuster lineup of keynote speakers.
First up is Aditi Nerurkar, M.D., MPH, a Harvard physician with expertise in the science of stress, resilience, and burnout. She’ll take the stage Monday afternoon with a presentation, sponsored by Veradigm, on how to rewire your brain for less stress and more resilience. She’ll outline strategies such as a media diet, sleep as a therapeutic intervention, monotasking, and cognitive retraining as resets for better brain health, less stress, and more resilience.
Jeremy Poincenot, a world champion blind golfer, performance coach, and inspirational speaker, will take the stage Tuesday morning for his keynote on the power of interdependence. The address, “Together we are limitless,” sponsored by Inovalon, will focus on Poincenot’s sudden loss of vision at the age of 19 and how the support of family and friends helped him to turn his despair into a journey he never imagined possible.
Later that morning, Ian Khan, a futurist who has been featured on CNN, The BBC, Fox, Bloomberg, Fast Company, and Entrepeneur, will present a visionary look at how artificial intelligence is set to transform health care by the year 2050. He’ll discuss groundbreaking changes in diagnosis, treatment, and patient care, driven by AI innovations, as well as ethical considerations and challenges in integrating the technology.
Interactive roundtables and a chance to walk away with Maui Jims
We’ve planned speed-networking roundtable sessions on both days of the main conference. Health plan and provider attendees who visit four, 20-minute roundtables and fill out their roundtable passports, will be entered into a drawing to receive a redemption code for complimentary sunglasses from Maui Jim. There will be 100 winners!
New this year: Innovation Theaters
Don’t miss your chance to hear insights from health plan and provider thought leaders at our brand-new Innovation Theaters during concurrent sessions. Placed in the center of the exhibit hall, we’ve lined up a series of presenters who will discuss their greatest lightbulb moments.
Topics include:
- Building and maintaining a strong risk adjustment program after the final rules with Capital District Physician Health Plan
- Advancing health equity with effective community engagement with Camden Coalition
- Building one regulatory quality program for your integrated health care system with Hometown Health
- Measuring what matters: Reframing health care experience metrics to drive value with the Journal of Patient Experience
- Point of care decision support to drive early diagnosis and improved treatment of chronic disease with Clover Health and Clover Home Care
- A provider perspective – What it takes to make VBC work with White-Wilson Medical Center, Central Florida Inpatient Medicine, and Healthcare Transformation
- Health confidence: A novel approach to patient education to reduce readmissions with UIHealth
- Developing a collaborative internal innovations program
- Using relationship-centered communication to coach my team to excellence with BAYLOR Scott and White Health
Fun in the exhibit hall: Specialty drinks, a Dolly Parton impersonator, photo opps, and a St. Paddy’s Day reception
Be sure to visit the exhibit hall featuring 182 sponsors! In addition to information and swag at each booth, be sure to make a beeline for these goodies:
- Enjoy a champagne wall by Summus
- Order a drink at reception bars at Apixio, Pareto, and Secondwave Delivery Systems
- Play cornhole at Vatica
- Get a smoothie at the fresh smoothie bar by MRO
- Grab a cup of coffee at the coffee cart by DUOS
- Munch on popcorn offered at Wolters Kluwer
- Look out for the Dolly Parton impersonator walking the halls
There will also be lots of photo opportunities so make sure your cell phone is charged. You won’t want to miss a chance to pose with the oversized guitar by Cognisight and the Light up RISE National letters outside the exhibit hall.
And be sure to pack green outfits and accessories for our legendary St. Patrick’s Day welcome reception on Sunday, March 17.
Keep track of it all with our mobile app!
There is a lot to keep up with as the conference will feature 50 sessions. Download the RISE mobile app before or at the start of the conference to access the agenda, pre-select the sessions you want to attend, rate and view presentations, and connect with your peers. Instructions on how to download the app will be sent to registered attendees by March 7.
Haven't registered for the conference yet? It's not too late. There are still seats available. RISE National 2024 will take place March 18-19, with preconference workshops on March 17, at the Music City Center, Nashville’s convention center. Click here to see the full conference agenda, roster of speakers, and how to register.