The State of Healthcare Conference 2026

Time

Session

8:00 AM - 8:50 AM

Registration and Networking

8:50 AM - 9:00 AM

Welcome

• Valerie Cohen, Partner, Venable LLP

9:00 AM - 9:50 AM

Session 1: Cybersecurity in Healthcare: Understanding the Current Threats and How to Manage Them

Moderators:

• John Banghart, Senior Director of Cybersecurity Services, Venable LLP

Speakers:

• Jennifer (Jen) Daskal, Partner, Venable LLP

• Errol Weiss, Chief Security Officer, Health-ISAC

Description:

Delivering safe and effective healthcare depends on technology across nearly every facet of the sector. From medical devices to patient records, making healthcare resilient is a never-ending battle against increasingly sophisticated and aggressive adversaries and a rapidly evolving landscape that involves everything from protecting systems that are decades old to addressing the latest advances in AI. This panel will take a sector-wide look at the current threats impacting hospitals, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals and provide insights on how organizations can defend themselves and what to do when things go wrong.

10:00 AM - 10:50 AM

Session 2: Digital Health, Telehealth and AI - Moving Faster Than the Regulatory Framework

Moderator:

• Ari Markenson, Partner, Venable LLP

Speakers:

• Emily Durfee, Partner, Corporate Venture Capital, Healthworx Ventures I CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

• Tina Olsen Grande, President and Chief Executive Officer, Healthcare Trust Institute

• William (Bill) Sheahan, Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, MedStar Health/Executive Director, MedStar Institute for Innovation

Description:

Technology doesn't just evolve-it accelerates. And in healthcare, innovation is racing ahead of the legal, regulatory, and policy frameworks meant to guide it. The result? A fast-moving landscape filled with opportunity, but also complex gray areas and emerging risks that demand sharp insight and strategic navigation. This panel brings together leading stakeholders and experts to unpack the realities of today's tech-driven healthcare ecosystem. From digital health platforms and wearable devices to AI-powered tools, telehealth, and web-based care models, panelists will explore how these innovations are reshaping the industry-and challenging existing rules.

10:50 AM - 11:10 AM

Coffee Break

11:10 AM - 12:00 PM

Session 3: Care Coordination in Practice: Persistent Gaps and the Path Forward

Moderator:

• Deepti Loharikar, Senior Policy Advisor, Venable LLP

Speakers:

• Alex Bardakh, Senior Director of Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships, Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association (PALTmed)

• Maeghan Gilmore, Vice President Government Affairs, Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW)

• Kayla McFeely, Vice President, Health & Wellness Strategy and Policy at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) and Vice President of Research at the NACDS Foundation

Description:

Care coordination has long been a policy priority, but fragmentation persists as patients move between providers and settings. This panel will explore how policy and incentives shape care delivery across the continuum, where coordination continues to fall short, and what it will take to better align the system. Drawing on perspectives from across the healthcare landscape, the discussion will focus on key pressure points, evolving approaches, and opportunities to improve coordination at scale.

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

Break

12:30 PM - 1:25 PM

Lunch - Session 4: Healthcare as the Pay-For: Federal Policy Opportunities and Threats

Moderators:

• Ilisa Halpern Paul, Senior Policy Advisor, Venable LLP

Speakers:

• Alicia Bissonnette, Director, Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC)

• Lawson Mansell, Health Policy Analyst, Niskanen Center

• Leonard (Len) Marquez, Senior Director, Government Relations and Legislative Advocacy, American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC)

• Nancy Vu, Senior Washington Correspondent, National Journal

• Jonathan Williams, Vice President, Federal Government Affairs, Sutter Health

Description:

Nearly a quarter of federal spending goes to healthcare (Medicare, Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Affordable Care Act) with additional spending on the Indian Health Service, the Veterans' Administration, and military health. Given healthcare's role in federal spending and the nation's gross domestic product, healthcare is inextricably linked to fiscal policy and vice versa. This closing discussion will focus on recent federal policy developments that are reducing resources for the healthcare system and elevating the expectation for "more to be done with less" and what that means for providers, patients, and policymakers.

1:25 PM - 1:30 PM

Closing Remarks

• Ari Markenson, Partner, Venable LLP