Wednesday November 18

5:30 – 7:30 PM | Welcome Reception

Thursday, November 19, 2026

8:30 – 8:50 AM | Networking & Coffee

8:50 – 9:00 AM | 15 Years Forward: Setting the Stage for What’s Next

• Tom Koutsoumpas, Founder & Co-Chair
• Bill Novelli, Founder & Co-Chair

9:00 – 9:20 AM | Shaping What Comes Next: The Federal Perspective

As the health care landscape continues to evolve, federal leadership will play a critical role in shaping the future of serious illness care. This keynote will explore national priorities, the evolving role of value-based care, and opportunities to advance more coordinated, person-centered approaches to care. The discussion will highlight how innovation, payment reform, and public-private collaboration can help drive meaningful improvements in care delivery and outcomes for people living with serious illness and their families.

• Introduction: Nancy Brown, CEO, American Heart Association
• Keynote: Abe Sutton, Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and Deputy Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

9:20 – 10:00 AM | Building on 15 Years: Advancing the Future of Serious Illness Care

As C-TAC celebrates 15 years of advancing person-centered care, this discussion will reflect on the policies, partnerships, and leadership that have shaped progress in serious illness care—and the opportunities ahead. Bringing together leaders who have helped shape federal health care policy and innovation, panelists will examine how the field has evolved, the role C-TAC has played in elevating serious illness care as a national priority, and the policy and delivery system changes needed to drive meaningful progress in the years ahead.

Moderator: Rani E. Snyder, President, The John A. Hartford Foundation

Panelists:

• Gary Bacher, Chief Strategy Officer, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
• Adam Boehler, Managing Partner, Rubicon Founders
  Former Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and Deputy Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
• Purva Rawal, Associate Scientist, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
  Former Chief Strategy Officer, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI)

10:00 – 10:20 AM | Leading from the Hill: Champions for Serious Illness Care

Remarks from Congressional champions

10:30 – 10:55 AM | From Vision to Action: Putting Patients and Caregivers at the Center of Care

Cancer offers a powerful lens for examining how the health care system can better center patients and caregivers. This conversation will explore how advance care planning, patient navigation, caregiver engagement, and supportive care can work together to ensure that people receive high-quality care aligned with what matters most to them.

Moderator: Erica Fortune, PhD, Vice President, Research, Cancer Support Community

Panelist:

• Bonny Morris, PhD, MSPH, RN,  Interim Senior Vice President of Cancer Treatment Support, American Cancer Society
• Mark Prentice, Director, External Relations, The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation

10:55 – 11:30 AM | State Solutions, National Impact: Transforming Serious Illness Care

C-TAC’s state coalition work demonstrates the power of bringing together patients, caregivers, providers, health plans, advocates, and policymakers to turn shared priorities into meaningful change. This session will explore how C-TAC has helped strengthen state-based coalitions, advance community-based palliative care and serious illness policy, and create pathways for sustainable, person-centered models of care. Panelists will share lessons from the states, highlight successful approaches that can be replicated and scaled, and discuss how state innovation can help shape the next generation of serious illness care nationwide.

Moderator: Torrie Fields, Senior Strategic Advisor, C-TAC
Founder and Managing Partner, TF Analytics

Panelist:

• Jennifer Balentine, CEO, Compassionate Care Coalition of CA
• Lori Feldstein, CEO & Executive Director, Goals of Care Coalition New Jersey

11:30 PM | Networking Lunch: Celebrating Impact & Opportunities

12:30 – 12:50 PM | VISION in Action: Data Driving the Next Phase of Impact

How do we know whether our health care system is truly delivering care that reflects what matters most to people and families?

This presentation will highlight C-TAC’s new VISION Index and its role in measuring progress toward person-centered care. We will explore how the Index can be applied at the state level, identify opportunities for national benchmarking, and demonstrate how data can help policymakers, advocates, and health care leaders identify gaps, track progress, and drive meaningful improvements in care for people living with serious illness.

Presenter: Kristen Hayashi, Senior Director, Research & Policy , Healthsperien

Partner Perspective: Diane Ty, Managing Director of the Future of Aging, Milken Institute

12:50 – 1:20 PM | From Model to Medicare: Scaling Community-Based Palliative Care

C-TAC’s work to advance a Community-Based Palliative Care Model represents a critical opportunity to build on state innovation and expand access to high-quality serious illness care through Medicare. This session will explore how lessons from successful state efforts can inform a national approach, how a new model could complement GUIDE and other CMMI initiatives, and the policy opportunities ahead. Panelists will discuss what it will take to move from concept to implementation and ensure more people with serious illness can receive coordinated, person-centered care in the community.

Introduction:

• Susan Ponder-Stansel, President & CEO, Alivia Care

Panelist:

• Kristofer L. Smith, MD MPP, Senior Medical Advisor, Coalition to Transform Advanced Care
• Cameron Muir, MD, Chief Medical & Innovation Officer, National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation

1:30 – 1:55 PM | People-Centered Care: What the Next 15 Years Demand

What does truly person-centered care look like through the eyes of patients, families, and caregivers?

This fireside chat will bring the conversation to life through stories and lived experiences that illuminate what matters most to people as they age and navigate serious illness. Together, they will explore how listening to patients and caregivers can reshape care in the home and community, strengthen support for families, and inform national policy priorities. The conversation will look ahead to a future where people’s goals, values, and experiences are not simply considered—but are at the center of how care is designed and delivered.

Introduction: David Jones, Chairman & Managing Director, Chrysalis Ventures

Panelist:

• BJ Miller, Co-Founder, Mettle & Founder, Common Denominator, Mettle Health
• Nicole Duritz, Government Affairs Director, Family and Caregiving, AARP

1:55 PM | Our Next Chapter Starts Now: A Call to Action

• Tom Koutsoumpas, Founder & Co-Chair
• Bill Novelli, Founder & Co-Chair

“Fifteen years of progress have brought us to this moment. The next chapter is ours to shape—one where bold ideas become action, innovation reaches every community, and care is built around what matters most to every person.”