Detailed Agenda

This opening session will key off the day with some comments on the role of State of Reform and the day's content in a new era of policy and politics.

DJ Wilson: Host, State of Reform

Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber is one of America’s leading health policy thinkers. In this keynote address, Gov. Kitzhaber will update us on his work to shape the national policy debate among Democrats running for president. He will also offer comments on the state of Washington State’s reform efforts, and the lessons that might be taken from Oregon’s experience.

John Kitzhaber, MD: Former Governor, State of Oregon

Throughout the day, senior health care executives and health policy leaders will take the stage to offer quick insights into their thinking on Washington State health care and health policy in 2020.

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

From rulemaking and executive orders to campaign platforms and the 2020 elections, federal policy has become dizzying. This session will review Congress, CMS, and even the courts, with a review of the Democratic nomination process as well. Bring your questions to this smart panel of policy observers.

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

Billy Wynne: Chairman, Wynne Health

Scott Nelson: Partner, KL Gates

There is increasing awareness that the changing climate is impacting the health of our communities in new and somewhat novel ways. But, what does that look like? How does this move from the theoretical to the real? And, how can health care respond? This session will explore what we know and what we are learning on this new topic in health care.

Jeff Duchin, MD: Health Officer, Public Health - Seattle & King County

Robyn Rothman, JD: Climate & Health Policy Manager, Health Care Without Harm US

Ali Santore: Group Vice President Government Affairs & Social Responsibility, Providence Health Services (invited)

The most pressing topic in the public’s eyes is the cost of health care. And, while the data shows utilization of high cost services is level or down, the unit price of health care services - and thus the total cost - continues to rise. What policy and market responses ought we seek to promote to address this cost trend? This session will explore the topic.

David Grossman, MD: Senior Associate Medical Director, Market Strategy & Public Policy, Kaiser Permanente

Nancy Giunto: Executive Director, Washington Health Alliance

Hugh Straley, MD: Chair, Bree Collaborative

It’s clear that integrating behavioral health into a coordinated care model makes sense. It’s also easier said than done. This session will review the work to date, with a particular focus on how Medicaid’s integration work has been going since the authorizing legislation first passed in 2014.

Jon Brumbach: Vice President, Beacon Health Options

Victoria Evans: Director, Behavioral Health, Molina Healthcare

Katrina Egner, MA, LMHC, MHP: Vice President & Chief Programs Officer, Sound Health

With the demographic bolus of boomers moving into the long-term care system, the need to have coordination across silos is increasing. From transitions in care to understanding the dual eligible population, this group of thought leaders will explore how the long-term care setting offers lessons for the system as a whole.

Ingrid Ulrey: Policy Director, Public Health -- Seattle & King County

Kristin Byrne: Deputy Director -- Field Operations, Home & Community Services Division, Department of Social & Health Services

Elise Chayet: Director Affairs & Community Partnerships, Harborview Medical Center

Madeleine Foutch: Legislative and Campaigns Director, SEIU 775

With new medicine coming online, the promise of individual-specific treatments, there is a sense of hope about tackling some of our most painful diseases. This session will discuss what's on the horizon, and how a regulatory conversation can work in concert with those aspirations.

Keith Jerome, MD, PhD: Vaccine & Infectious Disease, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Marc Cummings: Vice President of Public Policy, Life Science Washington

Julia Terlinchamp: Governor's Sector Lead, Life Sciences & Global Health, Office of Economic Development & Competitiveness, Department of Commerce

Rozie McClay: Family Support Chair, Cure SMA

In what is always a popular session, these government relations professionals will discuss the upcoming session and how they anticipate the 60-day sprint to unfold. Bring your questions, as well as your own insights, to a session that is particularly interactive and forward thinking.

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

Chelene Whiteaker: Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Washington State Hospital Association

Matt Miller: Director, Government Affairs, CHI Franciscan

As our community has grown with new residents, particularly those from Latin America that support the Eastern Washington agriculture economy, immigration policy becomes more relevant. So, understanding how federal and state health policy applies to recent immigrants is particularly important with an equity lens. This panel will discuss the topic and surface some of the key considerations.

Leanne Berge: Chief Executive Officer, Community Health Plan of Washington

Eric Gonzalez Alfaro: Legislative Director, ACLU

Janet Varon: Executive Director, Northwest Health Law Advocates

It’s generally thought that how you pay for health services can direct the outcomes of those services, from quality to access. Is that true? Are there other consequences that arise from complexity in payment that impact care? These thought leaders will share their perspectives on a conversation where assumptions may be pierced with data.

Bob Crittenden, MD: Senior Fellow, Cambia Grove

Francois de Brantes: Senior Vice President, Business Development, Remedy Partners

Jeff Coopersmith: Principal, Coopersmith Law Firm

Now that ACHs have been up and running for a few years, what have we learned about connecting the community to our health care system? With the 1115 waiver set to expire in 2021, what should we pull from the regional approach that could be incorporated statewide in the next waiver? This session will discuss the recent past as well as the near-term future.

Hon. Linda Parlette: Executive Director, North Central ACH

Michael Arnis: Deputy Policy Director, Washington State Health Care Authority

Sarah Stacy, MSN, RN: Clinical Director, Care Continuum Network, Elevate Health

It’s clear the demand for health care services will far outweigh a traditional approach to workforce development. So, thinking through how best to adapt to this reality, from system-level approaches to expanded individual-level options, is important. This group of professionals will discuss the topic and explore what it means for a strategic approach to workforce questions.

Amy Persell: Training Partnership Managing Director, SEIU 775 Benefits Group

Liz Coleman: Health Workforce Policy Analyst, Workforce Training & Education Coordinating Board

Anita Monoian: Chief Executive Officer, Yakima Neighborhood Health Services

This session will feature Sue Birch, Director of the Health Care Authority, who will discuss the initiatives underway at the agency. From school employee benefits to Medicaid transformation, this conversation will be wide-ranging and informative. Bring your questions to what is often a standing-room only discussion.

Sue Birch: Director, Washington State Health Care Authority

Learn from some of the leading Democratic legislators about their plans for the upcoming legislative session. They will take up policy ideas, political realities, and the consequences of federal uncertainty, as well as reflect upon the conversations among policy makers since the end of the last session. Bring your questions and your ideas for the 2020 session!

Rep. Eileen Cody: Chair, House Health Care & Wellness Committee

Sen. Manka Dhingra: Chair, Behavioral Health Subcommittee to Health & Long Term Care

Rep. Tana Senn: Chair, House Human Services & Early Learning Committee

Sen. Emily Randall: Vice Chair, Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee

The role of community-based organizations is increasingly connected to positive quality outcomes in health care delivery. From the social determinants to transitions across silos, the links between health care and the community can often be the key to sustainable health. This panel will discuss those connections and what lessons we might take from that experience.

Maddy Shea: Principal, Health Management Associates

Michael Hatzenbeler: President & Chief Executive Officer, PROVAIL

Julia Bernstein: Chief Operating Officer, Tempest

Alison Mondi: Policy Director, Arcora Foundation

The impacts of the public option are yet to be fully determined. However, that it will be disruptive does not appear to be in question. Will that disruption have a net positive effect? Will it spread beyond the individual market? This group of thought leaders will discuss their thinking on the subject with a look ahead at what’s to come.

Pam MacEwan: Chief Executive Officer, Washington Health Benefit Exchange

Jennifer Hanscom: Chief Executive Officer, Washington State Medical Association

How well are we doing at viewing and addressing health status through a population lens? Have we learned something about a community-level approach to health, including financing that model, which can be scaled to the broader system? This panel will take up the topic and discuss the success and future of population health in the sector.

Varun Choudhary, MD: National Chief Medical Officer, Behavioral Health, Magellan Health

Drew Oliveira, MD: Medical Director, Regence BlueShield

Aric Coffman, MD: Chief Executive Officer, The Everett Clinic

We’ve learned some amazing stories about health care from some other states we cover. Like, what happens when ebola starts to spread in your community? Or, how can we integrate the community into a risk model? Or, how can policy makers drive down cost? This session will highlight some of those stories, which we’ve curated for you from across the nine states we cover.

Janet Meyer: Principal, Health Management Associates

Ruby Blum: Policy Advisor, Office of Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins

Gary Rosenfield: SVP,Business Development, ConsejoSano

It seems anachronistic that maternal health continues to be a challenge in the United States, and in Washington State in particular. However, health care’s performance in addressing maternal health, from prenatal care to the ‘fourth trimester,’ continues to produce mixed results. This session will explore the health of mothers and mothers-to-be in Washington State.

Patty Hayes: Director, Public Health, Seattle

Elya Prystowsky, PhD: Executive Director, Washington Rural Health Collaborative

Ginny Weir: Director, Bree Collaborative

Josh Green, MD, serves as the Lt. Governor in Hawaii. There, he has risen to national prominence as he has drawn a clear line between housing, health policy, and state finances. His approach, which would make housing a covered benefit for the chronically homeless, has shown promise for improved individual health and lower costs for Medicaid plans.

Josh Green, MD: Lietenant Governor, State of Hawaii

Throughout the day, senior health care executives and health policy leaders will take the stage to offer quick insights into their thinking on Washington State health care and health policy in 2020.

Peter Adler: President, Molina Healthcare of Washington

Diane Oakes: President & Chief Executive Officer, Arcora Foundation

Nichole Maher: President, Group Health Foundation

This panel of Republican legislators will discuss their vision for the 2020 legislative session, and plans for working through key policy questions in the 60-day convening. This is always a well-attended session with some of the most important policy makers in Olympia. Bring your questions and expect a good dialog.

Rep. JT Wilcox: Minority Leader, House of Representatives

Sen. Keith Wagoner: Ranking Member, Behavioral Health Subcommittee to Health & Long Term Care (invited)

Rep. Kelly Chambers: Assistant Minority Whip, House of Representatives (invited)

As awareness increases about the role social determinants play in health status, it’s also clear that not all social determinants can or should be addressed by the delivery system. So, what role should healthcare play in this area, and where should Washington State empower non-health care actors to step in? This panel will discuss this complex and nuanced topic.

Mark Maddox, MD: Chief Medical Director, Coordinated Care

Ben Danielsen, MD: Medical Director, Odessa Brown Children's Clinic

Marcie Rohleder: Partner Development, Studer Group

The ERISA market is both one of the most opaque and most reform-minded markets in health care. This panel will talk through some of the innovations taking shape among employers and how those reforms are spreading into other lines of business.

Lindsay Harris: Chief Growth Officer, HMA

Amy Fossum: Senior Vice President, Alliant Benefits

Chris Thomas: Human Resources Director, City of Kirkland

Notable gaps remain in health care as one moves from one silo to another: between inpatient and long-term care, acute to chronic care, or from health care to community-based providers. This session will explore the experience of bridging those gaps, and how those lessons can be spread throughout the system of care delivery.

Kellie Meserve, MSN: Director, Care Transition Services, Virginia Mason

Eric Gratias, MD: Chief Medical Office, eviCore Healthcare

Patrick Browning, MD: Vice President, Medical Director, Specialty, Magellan Health

As new medicines come onto the market, cost and access pressures will continue to require attention. As PBMs, pharmacies, and health plans all grapple with the challenge, it’s clear a solution will require a multi-sector approach. Bring your questions to a topic that blends both cutting edge policy discussions with market innovations.

Chris Blackley: Chief Executive Officer, Prescryptive

Lonnie Johns Brown: Legislative Director, Policy & Legislative Affairs, Office of Insurance Commissioner

Leigh Anne Leas: North America Head of Public Policy, Novartis

As CMS continues to drive innovations to the Medicare market, health plans and providers are responding with reforms that are rippling across lines of business. This session will explore what changes CMS has brought to the market, and what that will mean for the system overall.

Mary Hsieh: Managing Principal, Health Management Associates

Bill Barcellona: Executive Vice President, America's Physician Groups

Eric Shulz: Vice President, DataDx

The connection between stable housing and health status is clear: one can’t be well if one is housing insecure. How can regulators, policy makers, and market actors align to coordinate housing and health benefits, particularly in the Medicaid space? This panel of experts will discuss the topic.

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

Benjamin Miksch: Washington State Housing Specialist, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan

Mark Ellerbrook: Division Director, Housing, Homlessness & Community Development, King County

From reimbursement and contracting to cultural and organizational affinity, the state of relations between plans and providers is constantly evolving. This panel of experts will run down the current state of those relationships, and put them in some historical context.

Jacquie Owens: Regional Vice President, Provider Solutions, Amerigroup

Kristie Putnam: Vice President, Provider Partnership Innovation, Regence BlueShield

Dhyan Lal: Vice President, Payer Strategy & Accountable Care, CHI Franciscan

The changing nature of our economy has elevated the importance of schools as more than just a center of education. From mental health to vaccinations, schools are growing to try to meet the needs of families they serve. This panel will highlight some of the lessons, the opportunities, and the policy questions that result.

Gina Sucato, MD: Adolescent Medicine Service Line Chief, Kaiser Permanente

Amy Brackenbury: Lobbyist, Washington State Nurses Association

Camille Goldy: Program Supervisor, OSPI

What does the tech world think of health care? How are the investments made in new tech companies attempting to re-shape the industry? This diverse group of speakers will offer a range of perspectives on the topic, and highlight the learnings from these attempts to disrupt and improve the system.

Ian Shakil: Chief Executive Officer, Augmedix

Heather Redman: Managing Partner, Flying Fish Partners

Robbie Cape: Chief Executive Officer, 98point6

Dr. Unützer is Professor and Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. Jürgen Unützer, MD, MPH, MA, is an internationally recognized psychiatrist and health services researcher. His work focuses on innovative models of care that integrate mental health and general medical services, and on translating research on evidence-based mental health care into effective clinical and public health practice. He has more than 300 scholarly publications and is the recipient of numerous federal and foundation grants and awards for his research to improve the health and mental health of populations through patient-centered integrated mental health services.

Jurgen Unützer, MD, MPH, MA: Professor & Chair in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington