June 12, 2025
Baltimore Marriott Waterfront
2025 Maryland State of Reform Health Policy Conference
RegisterConference Overview
The 2025 Maryland State of Reform Health Policy Conference will once again be taking place in-person on June 12th, 2025 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront!
Managing constant change in healthcare takes more than just hard work. It takes a solid understanding of the legislative process and knowledge about intricacies of the healthcare system. That’s where State of Reform comes in.
State of Reform pulls together practitioners, thought leaders, and policymakers – each working to improve the healthcare system in their own way – into a unified conversation in a single place. It is sure to be one of the most diverse statewide gatherings of senior healthcare leaders, and one of the most important events in Maryland healthcare.
Join the conversation with other healthcare executives, and help shape reform on June 12th, 2025! If you have any questions, please feel free to drop us a line!
Topical Agenda
Here is the agenda for the 2025 Maryland State of Reform Health Policy Conference. This represents input from hours of conversations with our Advisory Panel and stakeholders across the spectrum of Maryland healthcare over the last number of months.
If you have suggestions for speakers, please feel free to drop us a line. We would love to hear your thoughts on this! If you haven’t already, you can register here.
Please note that all agenda times are local.
Registration/Networking Breakfast
Opening Plenary
An Update on Developments with Maryland’s Medicare Waiver & the CMS AHEAD Model
Improving Behavioral Health for Youth & Families: Expanding Resources & Learning from National Successes
The Role New Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, & Artificial Intelligence Are Playing in Shaping the Healthcare Landscape
Payment Model Transformation: Considerations for Managed Care Plans
Improving Maternal & Infant Health: Strategies for Better Outcomes & Equity
Strengthening Prescription Drug Access & Lowering Costs
Networking Lunch
Bridging Silos: Advancing Population Health Through Cross-Sectoral Partnerships
Navigating the Opioid & Substance Use Disorder Crisis: Evaluating Strategies & Promising Solutions
Improving Public Health: Boosting Vaccination Rates, Responding to Dwindling Federal Funding, & More
Payment Model Transformation: Considerations for Hospitals & Health Systems
Strategies for Strengthening the Behavioral Health Workforce
School-Based Healthcare as a Critical Strategy for Improving Child Wellbeing
Closing Plenary
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See Sponorship DetailsNetworking Breakfast
Opening Plenary
Details coming soon.
An Update on Developments with Maryland’s Medicare Waiver & the CMS AHEAD Model
CMS has stated that it may modify or end Maryland’s longstanding Medicare Waiver while also implementing AHEAD in Maryland. Panelists will discuss how this might work and what the implications are for payers, providers, and patients.
Improving Behavioral Health for Youth and Families: Expanding Resources and Learning from National Successes
Addressing the behavioral health needs of children and families is a critical component to their overall wellbeing and is increasingly being viewed as an area of need. This panel will explore innovative approaches to expanding resources for youth behavioral health, discussing strategies to enhance access to care, reduce stigma, and support families in navigating the behavioral health system. The panel will look beyond Maryland to explore successful initiatives in other states that have made strides in addressing youth behavioral health.
The Role New Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, & Artificial Intelligence Are Playing in Shaping Maryland’s Healthcare Landscape
As healthcare systems across the nation evolve, new technologies are shaping the healthcare landscape. The pace of innovation of medical devices, pharmaceuticals, remote monitoring, and AI has increased rapidly in recent years. Panelists will discuss the major challenges they are facing with regard to coverage access and affordability. Panelists will offer lessons learned and insights into the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Payment Model Transformation: Considerations for Managed Care Plans
Maryland continues to work to improve the Medicaid program in an ever-changing federal landscape. With leadership changes at HHS and CMS, a change in perspective and focus of value–based payment models is likely. This change will disrupt current models and create new opportunities and risks for managed care plans. This panel will focus on those opportunities and potential pitfalls for payers.
Improving Maternal & Infant Health in Maryland: Strategies for Better Outcomes and Equity
This panel will explore innovative strategies and state-led initiatives aimed at improving maternal and infant health outcomes, with a particular focus on reducing disparities and addressing the social determinants of health that affect mothers and babies, especially in underserved communities.
Strengthening Prescription Drug Access & Lowering Costs
This panel will explore current efforts to strengthen prescription drug access and lower costs for individuals, with a focus on the 340B Drug Pricing Program and the work of Maryland’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB). Panelists will discuss how the 340B program has expanded access to discounted medications for safety-net providers and underserved populations, and the role the PDAB plays in monitoring and regulating prescription drug prices to protect consumers.
Networking Lunch
Bridging Silos: Advancing Population Health Through Cross-Sectoral Partnerships
Improving population health requires breaking down barriers and fostering collaboration across organizations and sectors. This vision is becoming a reality through strategic partnerships and innovative efforts to bridge the siloes in the state’s healthcare landscape. Panelists will explore the transformative power of collaboration in advancing population health improvement and the vital role that diverse stakeholders, from healthcare providers to community organizations, play in this process.
Navigating the Opioid and Substance Use Disorder Crisis: Evaluating Strategies & Promising Solutions
The opioid and substance use disorder (SUD) crisis continues to devastate communities, demanding a multi-faceted response that combines prevention, treatment, and recovery support. This panel will examine current strategies aimed at addressing the crisis, with a particular focus on Baltimore’s efforts under Mayor Brandon Scott’s comprehensive opioid response plan.
Improving Public Health: Boosting Vaccination Rates, Responding to Dwindling Federal Funding & More
Improving public health is crucial to ensuring the well-being of patients and addressing the growing challenges posed by infectious diseases, chronic conditions, and health disparities. Discussion will include strategies for keeping vaccination rates and responding to federal disinvestments in public health.
Payment Model Transformation: Considerations for Hospitals & Health Systems
With a change in leadership at HHS and CMS a change in perspective and focus of value-based payment models is likely. This change will disrupt current models and create new opportunities and risks for hospitals and health systems. This panel will focus on those opportunities and potential pitfalls for acute care providers.
Strategies for Strengthening the Behavioral Health Workforce
This panel will explore innovative strategies and ongoing efforts to grow the behavioral health workforce to meet the evolving needs of residents. Panelists will discuss initiatives aimed at expanding the pipeline for behavioral health careers, with a focus on recruitment, training, and retention of skilled professionals across a variety of disciplines. Speakers will talk through recent guidance regarding the reformation of Maryland’s behavioral health system and promising ways to address remaining gaps in the system.
School-Based Healthcare as a Critical Strategy for Improving Child Wellbeing
This panel will explore innovative strategies for institutionalizing and expanding school–based health as a strategy to improve health and behavioral health outcomes for students. Schools are in communities and easily accessible for parents and students, and school–based health centers are a key strategy to promote student wellbeing. CMS has recently been providing guidance on Medicaid and school-based health. Panelists will discuss the role that the Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports plays in this work.
Closing Plenary
Details coming soon.