Leading experts from cross-sector health care organizations will share insights to address challenges related to social determinants of health (SDoH). If you’re a professional involved with community-based organizations (CBOs), payers, hospitals/health systems, funders, manufacturers or government entities, you’ll want to be a part of this drive for social good.

RISE continues the conversation around SDoH throughout two-and-a-half jam-packed days as leading experts discuss actionable, tactical, and scalable initiatives to tackle the social, economic, and environmental factors that influence health outside the medical setting. The RISE National Summit on Social Determinants of Health will be held virtually on June 9-11 instead of in Nashville. Here are five can’t-miss features of this year’s summit:

1. Unparalleled cross-sector collaboration

This year’s summit will bring together cross-functional leaders and provide the opportunity to forge community partnerships to achieve better outcomes, lower cost, and a better member experience.

More than 40 speakers from the public and private sector representing backgrounds in government, academia, health plans, hospital/health system, CBOs, and pharma, will offer insights and lessons learned in operationalizing SDoH initiatives.

Experts plan to discuss best practices for cross-sector collaboration; health equity and policy; data and technologies; funding and financing; and implementing SDoH initiatives. Participants will gain an inside-scoop of all aspects related to SDoH, including:

  • What works and what doesn’t
  • Lessons learned from industry mistakes
  • The role data does and doesn’t play in this transition
  • Components of a good SDoH business proposition
  • How to avoid the “wrong pocket problem”
  • The importance of removing the misconception that SDoH is a medical problem
  • Challenges with using clinical dollars to pay for social services

2. Virtual attendance combines live experience with convenience

This year, RISE will offer the virtual conference so there is no need for attendees, speakers, sponsors, and staff to travel. The event will feature the high-quality content attendees are accustomed to but from the comfort of your home offices.

Participants will receive a link to the live conference (credentials can’t be shared or used simultaneously with another user). Simply log in via your computer, sit back, and learn and network virtually.

The virtual conference software is compatible with desktop computers, iPads, tablet computers, and iPhone cellular devices with wireless internet connection. Click here to check for system compatibility with the live stream platform in advance.

Presentations will remain available online for approximately 90 days after the virtual conference has taken place. Attendees can re-watch sessions or catch any sessions they missed during the live event.

3. Deep dive pre-conference workshops

The conference will kick-off with three half-day workshops on Tuesday, June 9:

The CBO Readiness Bootcamp will be led by Keshana Owens-Cody, senior director of partner success, Alliance for Better Health, and Jane Pirsig, MSW, MBA, member consultant, Alliance for Strong Families and Communities. CBOs will learn how to meet the demands of health care partners and will leave with key takeaways to apply to their business. Owens-Cody and Pirsig will discuss the importance of “speaking the same language,” the creation of a value proposition, effective data presentation to health care stakeholders, and initiative impact measuring, grant writing, and CBO staffing.

A hands-on Payer Preparedness course will be taught by Kevin Moore, vice president, policy–health and human services, UnitedHealthcare Community & State. Moore will discuss how to overcome roadblocks when organizations don’t “speak the same language,” relationship building, and how to identify potential CBO partners.

Cristal Gary, principal, Leavitt Partners, will lead a two-part deep dive around Designing your SDoH Roadmap. The course will focus on how to develop a SDoH test pilot and build a business case. The first half of the workshop will offer company self-assessment best practices, data-driven decision-making tactics, and cross-sector collaboration and partnership opportunities. The second half will focus on the importance of organizational values, KPIs, and internal buy-in.

4. Keynote fireside chats

The first full day of the conference on Wednesday, June 10, will feature a fireside chat moderated by Jacob Reider, M.D., chief executive officer, Alliance for Better Health, former deputy national coordinator for health information technology at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), who will be joined by Kelly Cronin, deputy administrator, innovation and partnership, HHS Administration for Community Living (ACL). Cronin will share strides made by HHS at the community and state level, insights into key issues such as intersection with data and technology, potential payment scenarios for the future, and the future state of a culture of accountability, improvement, and outcomes.

On Thursday, June 11, seven-time Emmy Award winner and ABC news veteran, John Quiñones, will deliver an inspiring keynote fireside chat. As host and creator of What Would You Do?, the highly-rated, hidden camera ethical dilemma newsmagazine, Quiñones has become “the face of doing the right thing” to millions of fans. The broadcast journalist and host will share his personal connection to health care access and the significant role it played in his life.

5. Interactive panel discussions

The main conference will feature seven different panel discussions between leading experts:

Learn about perspectives across the ecosystem and what it takes to develop and maintain cross-sector partnerships. Leaders in the SDoH ecosystem will have a panel conversation regarding challenges and opportunities in “speaking the same language,” explore the roles of distribution in SDoH, and best practices for collaboration.

Evaluate the intersection of the public and private sector–discussion on health equity, policy, and public health. Panelists will discuss the effectiveness of the top down policy, bottom up community alliances, the public and private sector’s role in intervention, and public health official’s case examples.

Examine funding streams for SDoH interventions and the distribution of funds and incentives across the ecosystem. Learn about alternative payment models, creative financing systems to sustain and enable such interventions long term, and how CBOs can tap into different funding streams.

Hear CBO leaders spotlight strengths, challenges, and opportunities as well as programs in the works, firsthand perspectives on data issues, and how to navigate tensions between private sectors and public good.

Receive direct feedback from SDoH clients as part of a candid conversation around the biggest issues that impact their access to health care. Learn how patients prefer being contacted and current gaps in services that don’t meet their needs. RISE is the only conference providing this open discussion between health care professionals and clients.

Listen to Medicaid leadership perspectives on treating vulnerable populations, experiences working with organizations supporting SDoH, and how metrics will impact SDoH initiatives.

Discover keys to operationalize and scale SDoH initiatives as panelists share personal experiences in how they plan and execute health equity goals, recap key themes addressed throughout the conference, and walk away with actionable solutions to implement SDoH initiatives within your organization.

The RISE National Summit on Social Determinants of Health will take place virtually on June 9-11, 2020. Click here to see the full agenda and here to register.