This article, originally published in January 2024, has been updated for the 2025 RISE National conference, which will take place March 11-14, 2025 in San Antonio.
More health care organizations plan to send teams to RISE National 2025 to ensure they get the most out of the must-attend Medicare Advantage conference of the year. Here's why individuals traveled with their colleagues last year and why your organization may want to also send groups of employees for four days of learning and networking with their peers.
Health care organizations register teams ranging in size from three to 43 to attend RISE National and listen in on sessions in five tracks, hear from health plans and health care providers who will share insights and innovative strategies during Innovation Theater presentations, and walk the massive exhibit hall, and network with 2,000 of their peers from across the country.
“Attendees recognize RISE National as their trusted source to gain insights across disciplines and get it right as a team,” says Terrence Johnson, head of attendance and strategic partnerships at RISE. “Past attendees are returning, and bringing a colleague, or two, to take in what only a RISE experience delivers. There's a sense that I don't have the answer alone, but together we do at RISE National, and there’s value for us all to take back with us.”
Last year we spoke to individuals from three organizations who sent their teams to learn why they encourage others to register groups for the annual event.
1. ‘DIVIDE AND CONQUER’ SESSIONS, EXHIBIT HALL
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) registered 17 team members for last year’s event. One of its members, Kolette Cotropia, R.N., CPC, CRC, director of risk mitigation and coding, told RISE that going with a team allows her organization to “divide and conquer” sessions that occur in concurrent tracks.
“We can update each other at dinner or throughout the day and share what we learned,” she said.
HarmonyCares’ Greg Miller, chief growth officer, said the comprehensive, home-based health care services company follows a similar strategy. Miller joined seven other team members to attend multiple sessions, network, and later, gather as a group to share the information.
“I like my team coming because they are getting exposure to what’s going on outside of what we’ve been thinking and talking about,” said Miller, adding that individuals can then come back as a group to internally discuss opportunities the organization has to evolve its program to increase access and re-engage patients in their care.
For Amy Cleveland, MSHI, BSN, CCM, CPHQ, vice president, integrated care for CareSource, the divide and conquer mentality extends to the exhibit hall of hundreds of exhibitors and meeting with vendors that the nonprofit managed care organization already has relationships with as well as other service providers that offer new solutions that may meet their needs.
“It’s the mindset that we make sure that we’re holistically covering the needs and ramp up our knowledge,” said Cleveland, who was among a team of seven from CareSource who attended last year's RISE National. “The solutions we have today might not always work for us…Our populations are continuing to change, and some vendor solutions are leading in new directions. I was so shocked at the last conference at the new vendors that I have never even heard of.”
2. OPPORTUNITY FOR TEAM-BUILDING AND NETWORKING
Andrew Schweitzer, risk adjustment quality program manager for HarmonyCares, said last year that he was excited to reconnect with team members who work remotely.
“Everybody has been tucked away in their houses and with COVID we didn’t really get to connect with one another; so, it will be good to see people whom we haven’t linked up with in so many years.”
Cotropia agrees. “So many of us work remotely, it’s great to spend time with people that you work with daily or maybe even people you don't work with daily, and you get to actually meet with them face to face,” she said. “It’s a great networking opportunity.”
Schweitzer also sees the team-approach to RISE National as an opportunity to bring together those who work in the risk adjustment and quality departments. In many cases, he said, organizations have risk adjustment and quality teams and the two don’t often get the opportunity to talk with one another. By attending sessions, talking with vendors, and sharing information, he said it provides the HarmonyCares team with validation on what they do well and ideas on where to pivot and improve.
Furthermore, the team approach allows HarmonyCares to network at multiple levels with health plans and better understand their needs, Miller said. “It’s understanding what their pain points are and what types of solutions they have today and what they are looking for,” he said.
3. OFFERS PERSPECTIVES THAT BENEFIT THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION
Cotropia also sees the benefit of multiple people from BCBSM hearing the same messages from industry speakers, such as Ann Maxwell from the Office of Inspector General.
“I always love your guest speakers and how RISE has someone from the government speaking,” she said. “That’s the main reason I want to go every year.”
Cleveland believes it’s important to have the right balance of senior leaders, frontline leaders, and staff at the event. “I'm really cherry-picking leaders both from my clinical space as well as my quality space. I’ve typically had my directors coming, but we’ve actually planned for this and are making sure to bring some of those who work frontlines and in the weeds.”
RISE National 2025 will take place March 11-14, 2025 at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio. Click here for the agenda and roster of speakers. To register a group for the event and take advantage of group discounts, contact Terrence Johnson at tjohnson@risehealth.org or call 704.341.2647.