Our team was in Chicago this week for the Rise Member Engagement & Experience Symposium. The event brought together mid- to senior-level healthcare leaders to tackle CMS updates, Star Ratings volatility, AI, health equity, and rising member expectations.
What’s happening:
Rise is known for convening healthcare pros across quality, Stars, member experience, population health, and care management.
The symposium equipped attendees with tools to adapt quickly and build more equitable, measurable systems of care.
Our lessons learned:
Engagement = equity. Rick Whitted reframed engagement and health equity as one unified strategy—not separate initiatives.
Adapt in real time. Speakers unpacked how health plans can respond to shifting federal priorities, language, and CMS directives.
AI with empathy. A panel emphasized high-impact AI use in Medicare/Medicaid that enhances personalization while preserving ethics and compliance.
Access for all. Presenters addressed disability documentation, equity gaps, and practical steps to create inclusive care.
Beyond buzzwords. Matt Wallaert stressed defining engagement through measurable behaviors—not vague outcomes.
Response builds trust. Operationalizing member outreach preferences—not just tailoring messages—fosters trust and improves experience.
COVID’s lasting effect. New research showed how chronic patients’ attitudes toward care have shifted post-pandemic.
Engagement as a cost lever. Kathleen McQuade Ellmore positioned engagement as a tool to reduce utilization and costs through guided navigation and predictive interventions.
Why it matters:
Rise combined regulatory clarity, behavioral science, inclusion, and AI ethics into a pragmatic, high-impact agenda. Attendees left with frameworks to make engagement measurable, equitable, and cost-smart.
Enjoy the pics from Chicago