By Ryan Mackman
In early May 2024, while I was still with the Medical College of Wisconsin, I was contacted by the Business Research & Intelligence Network regarding a speaking opportunity for the relatively new “Value-Based Healthcare Congress.” At the time they were looking for executives with VBC experience, and they were primarily focused on academic medical centers. I happily accepted, and on September 16th and 17th, I spent time with Dr. Adam Kern of Chesapeake Urology Associates in Phoenix, AZ.
Together we presented “Leveraging Price Transparency Data for Provider Organizations Pursuing Valued-Based Payment Arrangements” to an auditorium of about fifty people at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa. It was a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas and cover price transparency with regards to fair market value, compensation design, and contract negotiation with other executives from excellent institutions such as Stanford, UW-Madison, and Vanderbilt University.
For being new, the Value-Based Healthcare Congress was a pretty engaging event. While small, there was more opportunity for engagement with other speakers and attendees. We had the opportunity to connect with Sergio Wagner, the new Chief Strategy Officer for Salient Healthcare.
It should also be noted that BRI Network had three smaller conferences running congruently. Alongside the Value-Based Healthcare Congress, there was also the Medicare Advantage Congress and the Star Ratings & Quality Improvement Summit.
Topics of interest ranged from:
· “Remote Patient Monitoring in Value-Based Care Systems” by Carla Moore Beckerle of Esse Health
· “Trends to Watch as APMs Evolve” by Halima Ahmadi-Montecalvo, PhD, MPH, of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University
· “Workforce Transformation” by Sean Nelson, MHA of MUSC Health
· “Engaging Providers & Optimizing Performers in Value-Based Care” by Dr. Seth M. Dubry of Equality Health
Those were just a few of our favorites. I appreciate that the Medicare Advantage Congress also had a few important topics. Including one that is not covered as often as it should be: “Innovations in Servicing Special Needs Members: Why Medicare Advantage and Managed Medicaid Plans are Turning to Telehealth to Revolutionize the Way they Provide Access to Specialty Health Services like Audiology” by Dru Jeffery of Audicus (and it’s nice to know that Dr. Kern and I didn’t have the longest presentation title, either).
Overall, the Value-Based Healthcare Congress was a wonderful event. Dr. Kern and I enjoyed our experience, and we both got a lot out of our time in Phoenix. While BRI Network has yet to determine where next year’s conference will be located, I think we would both be interested in returning. Particularly if this conference continues to grow and scope. There is always something new, and especially with regards to price transparency and value-based care, we are sure there will be plenty to discuss.