Detailed Agenda

This opening session will key off the day with comments framing the conference agenda, and the role State of Reform hopes to play in a new era of policy and politics.

DJ Wilson: Host, State of Reform

John R. Graham was recently appointed the Regional Director, Region 10 for the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to his appointment, he spent close to twenty years researching, analyzing, and testifying regarding the financial and economic implications of health policy. Mr. Graham will join DJ Wilson on stage to share the Trump administration’s vision for health care and health policy and discuss the its potential impact on Washington State.

John R. Graham: Regional Director, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Region X

The 2019 legislative session may be one of the most important sessions for health care since the passage of the ACA. With mental health issues, a looming 2020 election, and potential retirements among senior legislators, this may be the session to get things done. This session will talk through the shape of the session and the dynamics in place.

Ingrid Gourley Mungia: Director of Government Relations, MultiCare Health System

Jenn Muhm: Director, Government Relations, Washington State Nurses Association

Anne Bryant: Senior Director, Government Relations, Physicians Insurance

Strategies related to improving oral health at the community level have taken on new momentum in recent years. This session will review some of those initiatives highlighting lessons learned from experience and outcomes.

Hadley Morrow: Associate Director of Community Engagement, Better Health Together

Chuck Teegarden: Executive Director, Communities in Schools of Spokane County

Stacy Wenzel: Data Center Program Manager, Spokane Regional Health District

Maureen Finneran: Senior Program Officer, Arcora Foundation (moderator)

Employers continue to pay the bills for health care, but they are also more frequently demanding greater accountability from that spend. This session will review the new tools of transparency, accountability, and coordination that are coming from the commercial and group marketplace.

Craig Culbertson: Vice President, Pervidio Benefit Services

Merissa Clyde: Managing Director, Health Benefits Administration, SEIU 775 Benefits Group

Marcia Ridley: Director, Strategic Customer Engagement, Kaiser Permanente

ACHs were put into statute in 2014. They were supercharged with a waiver approved in 2016. How are they doing in 2018 now that they are almost two years through a five year funding program? This session will review the work to date, look ahead to the work to come, and discuss the lessons learned through this process.

Laurel Lee: Vice President, Member & Community Engagement, Molina Healthcare

Alison Poulsen: Executive Director, Better Health Together

Linda Parlette: Executive Director, North Central ACH

The nature of federal health policy is still uncertain following unsuccessful initiatives in 2017 that would have repealed the ACA. From Congress to the Courts, the initiatives ranged from the narrow to the extensive. This panel will address some of those trends, topics, and issues in federal policy today.

Jane Beyer: Senior Health Policy Advisor, Office of the Insurance Commissioner

John Culton: Eastern Washington Director, Office of Senator Patty Murray

Alex Scott: Eastern Washington Director, Office of Senator Maria Cantwell

Our understanding of what is appropriate for treatment at the end of life is changing, resulting in lower cost, better quality of life, and an improved care experience for our final days. This session will discuss the data, experience and observations driving a move to a new care model.

Jason Heffernan, MD: Medical Director, Horizon Hospice & Palliative Care

Bonnie Blachly: Assistant Program Director, Recruitment & Outreach, University of Washington, Bothell

Wendy Knowlton, DO: Physician, Providence St. Joseph's Eastern Washington

It is clear to most observers that, regardless of one’s opinion of the ACA, there remains work to be done in the commercial market on cost and access issues. Some advocates believe it’s time to launch a public option health plan in Washington State, or some version of Medicaid or Medicare for all. This session will take up the issue and talk through the policy and market options.

AnnaLisa Gellermann: Deputy Insurance Commissioner, Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner

Joan Altman: Associate Director, Legislative & External Affairs, Washington Health Benefit Exchange

Rep. Marcus Riccelli: Member, House Health Care & Wellness Committee

The idea of addressing the social determinants of health is now a mainstream notion. However, there isn’t yet a clear mandate or business model to support addressing them in a sustainable fashion. This group of experts will consider this challenge, and offer ideas for how to move this issue from conversation to implementation.

Patty Jones: Chief of Health Services, Community Health Plan of Washington

Julie Honekamp: Chief Executive Officer, Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners

Amina Suchoski: Executive Director & VP, Growth, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan

While the dynamics of the 2018 elections have yet to play out, Democrats in the legislature are already building a legislative agenda for the 2019 session. This panel will discuss the policy ideas taking shape, and what may become the legislative agenda you’ll be responding to next year. Bring your questions to an always lively discussion.

Rep. Nicole Macri: Vice Chair, House Health Care & Wellness Committee

Rep. June Robinson: Member, House Health Care & Wellness Committee

Sen. Annette Cleveland: Chair, Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee

While more awareness around disparities in health and outcomes exists, it’s not clear there have been many successful strategies to address those concerns. This panel of experts will discuss their work to address these issues, and point to some reasonable pathways forward for other organizations to follow.

Caitlin Safford: Director, Government Relations, Amerigroup

Nadine Van Stone: Director, Catholic Charities of Spokane

Torney Smith: Administrator, Spokane Regional Health District

Consumerism is one of a handful of ideas pushed in health care that has yet to gain the momentum its advocates thought it might. So, what does that mean for the role of the consumer in health care? Is the trend reversing or simply taking time to spread in the system? This session will review the implications of consumerism in health care and the success - and setbacks - to date.

Beth Johnson: CEO, Coordinated Care of Washington

Claire Verity: CEO, Pacific NW States, UnitedHealthcare

Noah Taisman: Director, Informatics & Strategic Initiatives, Quest Diagnostic

For all of the talk in policy circles and marketing brochures about value based contracting and payment methodologies, fee for service models remain entrenched in Washington State health care. So, what does that mean about VBP in 2018? What is real about VBP and what is myth? This session of experts on the topic will offer their insights on the question.

Staici West: Director, Provider Network Management & Solutions, Premera Blue Cross

Joe Gifford: Senior Vice President, Population Health, Provider Markets, Lumeris

Karen Ferguson: Practice Administrator, Arthritis Northwest

Cathy McMorris Rodgers is running for re-election to Congress in a seat she has held since winning election in 2004. Prior to that she served in the Washington State Legislature from 1994 to 2004 where she held the position of Minority Leader for a time. McMorris Rodgers is the fourth most senior member of the US House of Representatives where she serves as the Chair of the House Republican Conference.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers: Chair, U.S. House Republican Conference

This diverse panel of senior executive leaders will take a critical eye to the challenges and opportunities facing health care today. In a time when neither the market nor policy makers seem to be making enough progress collectively as a whole towards a more stable, more coherent system, what does that portend for the future of health care in Washington State? This session will review the state of health reform in Washington and offer predictions for progress in the years ahead.

Daryll DeWald: Chancellor, WSU Spokane

Russ Myers: Chief Executive Officer, Virginia Mason Memorial

Peter Adler: Chief Executive Officer, Molina Healthcare of Washington

Whether they remain in the minority or take over either chamber, legislative Republicans will continue to provide a thoughtful alternative to Gov. Inslee’s administration and Olympia Democrats. Bring your questions to this session that will hear from some of Olympia’s most important Republican legislators.

Rep. Joe Schmick: Ranking Minority Member, House Health Care & Wellness Committee

Rep. Paul Harris: Member, House Health Care & Wellness Committee

Sen. Steve O'Ban: Ranking Minority Member, Senate Human Services & Corrections Committee (invited)

It’s clear that the health care system will need more providers able to meet complex, co-occurring health challenges. It’s not clear where those providers will come from. This panel of thought leaders will discuss workforce development strategies at play in 2018, and what impact those may have on Washington State’s health system.

Laureen O'Hanlon, PhD: Dean, College of Health Sciences & Public Health, Eastern Washington University

Patricia Butterfield, PhD: Associate Dean of Research, Washington State University

Dylan Dressler: Clinic Director, The Native Project

Reducing the challenge of variation in quality outcomes takes the right strategy, a supportive culture, and executive leadership. Without that combined intentionality, improving quality in care is practically impossible. This session of leaders will talk through their work to address quality variation, sorting through strategies that work from those that don’t.

Nancy Giunto: Executive Director, Washington Health Alliance

Diane Patterson, RN: SVP, COO, Virginia Mason Memorial

Brad Pope, MD: District Medical Director, Eastern Washington, Kaiser Permanente

The results from Washington State’s primary election signal a significant Blue Wave coming in November.  Or do they?  And what could that mean for policy in 2019?  This panel of observers and practitioners of policy and politics will take up the discussion.

Sen. Michael Baumgartner: Ranking Member, Senate Labor & Commerce Committee

Sen. David Frockt: Vice Chair, Senate Ways and Means Committee

DJ Wilson: Host, State of Reform (moderator)

From Facebook harvesting your data to hackers stealing it, the nature of what is private and what is not is changing dramatically. How do these trends shape the future of health care in Washington State? This panel of thought leaders and experts will take up the question and address your questions.

Stephen Rose: Managing Partner, Hall Render

Joe Gellatly: Owner, Medibeat

Tierney Edwards: Associate Director, Legal & Federal Affairs, Washington State Medical Association

Washington State now has an array of experience integrating behavioral health and primary care. From Medicaid health plans to Kaiser Permanente’s unique model, integration is now less about whether it’s possible to when it can be implemented. This session will talk through experiences and learning related to integrating behavioral health and physical healthcare, and future opportunities for providing integrated, whole person care.

Lani Spencer: Regional Vice President, Health Care Management, Amerigroup

Jeff Thomas: Chief Executive Officer, Frontier Behavioral Health

Anne Shields, RN: Associate Director, AIMS Center, University of Washington

From social determinants to alternate payment methodologies, CMS is not waiting for Congress to act to improve the system. This session will review the latest news out of CMS and explain what it could mean for the future of health care.

John Hammarlund: Regional Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Region V & X

Emily Rash: Washington Operations Director, Iora Health

Dorothy Teeter: Principal, Health Management Associates

The cost of care is increasingly becoming the paramount issue in modern American health policy, the blame for which spreads across practically sectors. So, is it time to have an honest conversation about reigning some of those cost drivers in through policy solutions? This session might be a start.

Mohit Ghose: Vice President, Government Relations, Beacon Health Options

Yusuf Rashid: Vice President, Pharmacy & Vendor Management, Community Health Plan of Washington

Steve Suter: President, Health Management Administrators 

Michelle Drozd: Deputy VP, Policy & Reserach, PhRMA

Lisa Brown is the former Chancellor of WSU Spokane and previously represented Spokane in the legislature where she retired as the Majority Leader. She is running for Congress from the 5th Congressional District. She is one of Eastern Washington’s leading figures in health policy and earned recognition as one of the primary advocates responsible for bringing a medical school to Spokane.

Lisa Brown: Candidate, U.S. House of Representatives