Showcase Your Innovative Solutions and Quality Improvement Initiatives

> Why Speak
Themes & Topics
Content Tracks
Selection Criteria
Requirements
Timeline

Are you leading groundbreaking initiatives in healthcare quality? Do you have real-world insights, proven strategies and innovative solutions to share? The NCQA Health Innovation Summit seeks dynamic, insightful speakers to share proven strategies, real-world applications and data-driven innovations that are transforming healthcare quality.  

Why Speak at the NCQA Health Innovation Summit?

  • Position Yourself as a Thought Leader:
    Share your expertise with a high-impact audience of healthcare professionals, payers, providers, policymakers and innovators. 
     
  • Showcase Real-World Impact:
    Present evidence-based, actionable insights that demonstrate tangible improvements in healthcare quality and patient outcomes. 
     
  • Engage with Decision-Makers: 
    Connect with top industry leaders, potential collaborators and key influencers shaping the future of healthcare. 
     
  • Drive Meaningful Change:
    Contribute to discussions on critical challenges, innovations and best practices that can advance health equity, value-based care and digital transformation. 

Themes

Themes are the foundation of our program. They represent the big-picture priorities shaping healthcare today. This year’s conference explores key themes that reflect the most urgent challenges and innovative solutions in our field.

  • Making Quality Work for You
  • Integrated, Person-Centered Care and Population Health
  • Powering Quality With Digital Transformation
  • Aligning Accountability, Value-Based Care and Alternative Payment Models
  • Innovation, AI and the Future of Quality
  • Prevention and Wellness​

Each session proposal should align with one of these themes to ensure a cohesive and impactful experience for attendees. We’ve intentionally woven equity throughout every theme, recognizing its essential role in deepening impact and driving meaningful change.

 

Turn quality measurement into meaningful action. Learn how to align goals, data, and workflows to create measurable improvements that matter for patients and organizations. 

Topics: 

  • Quality Measurement

  • HEDIS®

  • Data Quality and Usability

  • Credentialing

  • Value-Based Care and Alternative Payment Models

  • Quality Improvement 

Break down silos to deliver whole-person care and improve health at scale. Explore models that integrate clinical, behavioral, and social support while addressing population-level challenges like chronic conditions and health equity.

Topics:

  • Care Integration

  • Whole-Person Health

  • Behavioral Health

  • Health Equity

  • Social Drivers of Health (SDOH)

  • Maternal Health & Birth Outcomes

  • Preventing and Managing Chronic Conditions

Modernize your quality ecosystem with digital tools that enable real-time insights and reduce reporting burdens. Discover how FHIR, digital measures, and automation can streamline processes and improve care delivery.

Topics:

  • Digital Quality

  • Data Quality and Usability

  • Quality Measurement

  • HEDIS

  • Interoperability

 

Build stronger payer-provider partnerships by aligning payment models with performance goals. Learn how shared data and accountability can unlock the full potential of value-based care.

Topics:

  • Value-Based Care and Alternative Payment Models

  • Care Integration

  • Quality Measurement

  • Quality Improvement

  • Virtual/Hybrid Care

  • Contracting Strategies

Harness the power of AI and emerging technologies to drive smarter decisions and higher-quality care. Explore real-world use cases and guardrails for responsible innovation.

Topics:

  • Artificial Intelligence

  • Digital Quality

  • Predictive Analytics

  • Virtual/Hybrid Care

  • Automation

Shift from reactive care to proactive health strategies. Learn how prevention, early intervention, and patient engagement can reduce costs and improve outcomes across populations.

Topics:

  • Preventing and Managing Chronic Conditions

  • Wellness Programs

  • Population Health

  • Chronic Condition Management

  • Behavioral Health

  • Health Equity

Content Tracks

Why We Are Introducing Tracks at the Health Innovation Summit 2026

To make the program more structured and relevant, the Health Innovation Summit 2026 will feature tracks. Tracks are designed to help attendees easily identify sessions that align with their roles, interests, and organizational priorities.

When submitting your proposal, please select the track(s) that best fit your session. This helps us organize content effectively and ensures your session reaches the right audience.

  • Transforming Care, Elevating Outcomes​

    This track focuses on strategies, innovations, and standards for improving patient care delivery across provider organizations. It includes topics like PCMH (Patient-Centered Medical Home), APC (Advanced Primary Care), and other care models that enhance quality, coordination, and patient engagement. Designed for providers and health systems, it emphasizes practical solutions and evolving best practices.

  • Driving Value Through Smarter Health Plan Strategies​

    This track addresses the operational and strategic priorities of health plans, including utilization management, network development, credentialing, and quality improvement. It explores regulatory changes, government program requirements, and innovations that impact payer organizations. Ideal for professionals in health plans and policy roles.

  • Measure. Modernize. Maximize Quality​

    Dedicated to measurement and digital transformation, this track covers HEDIS updates, digital quality initiatives, and data-driven approaches to performance improvement. It’s designed for those focused on compliance, analytics, and leveraging technology to meet evolving quality standards.

  • Empowering Healthcare Through Technology

    This track explores the technology backbone of healthcare—interoperability, digital engagement, and IT solutions that enable better care and operational efficiency. It’s geared toward vendors, IT leaders, and innovators driving digital transformation.

Selection Criteria

Submitted proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Relevance & Strategic Fit  

The topic aligns with current trends and the needs of the field. 

Proven Practical Application & Impact 

The submission provides practical insights, proven strategies or real-world applications based on facts and on demonstrating how NCQA programs, measures and solutions are applied to drive results rather than theoretical concepts.  

We welcome both successes and challenges—what worked, what didn’t, key lessons learned—to provide actionable takeaways. 

Innovation & Originality 

The submission introduces new insights, innovations, techniques, initiatives or programs that drive meaningful change and excitement in healthcare—especially approaches that have not been done before.

Offering a fresh perspective, creative problem‑solving, or original applications that advance healthcare quality.

Target Audience & Collaboration 

The submission integrates patient and community voices. 

Clarity 

Key points are clearly articulated, well‑structured, and easy to understand.

The content directly supports the stated learning objectives.

Ethical Considerations & Bias 

The content is fair, balanced and free from commercial bias. 

What We're Not Looking For

Without real‑world results or customer implementation.

Without current deployment or measurable progress.

Without representation from a payer, a provider or an intermediary organization.

Without clear, current implementation pathway.


 

Submission Requirements

Submissions must include:
  • Session title (85‑characters, including spaces)
  • Full session description (up to 600 words) 
  • Promotional description (up to 200 words) 
  • Clear emphasis on new innovations, techniques, initiatives, and original approaches

  • Describe the real‑world partnership(s) involved in this work and how the organizations collaborated

  • List all proposed speakers, ensuring they represent the partnership(s) described, at the time of final submission
  • Session theme and target audience track
  • Audience learning level

  • Explanation of replication strategies and actionable steps

  • Session learning objectives and key takeaways

  • Speakers must upload a biography and headshot photo before final submission

  • Headshot photos should be high-resolution color and must be in JPG or PNG format

  • Please ensure that your photo is 400×400 pixels and that the file size is between 1 MB and 6 MB

  • Photos should not include borders. The person should be in the center of the frame

  • Proposal should include speakers representing a payer, a provider, and an intermediary organization

  • Submissions that do not reflect this cross‑sector collaboration may not be accepted

  • Submitters must attest that all listed speakers agree to, and have knowledge of, their inclusion in the submission

  • Submitters may present multiple proposals
  • Speaker proposals and supplemental materials submitted for review must be HIPAA compliant and must not include protected health information (PHI)

Timeline

Deadline for submission 

February 27, 2026

Summit registration opens 

April 1, 2026

Notification of acceptance 

Starting the week of April 13, 2026

For questions about submissions or selection, please send an email to NCQAsummitspeakers@ncqa.org.

Closes 11:59 PM EST on Friday, February 27, 2026