Health care leaders to share expertise

By Michael R. Malone [email protected] 01-26-2026

Health care reforms, pricing pressures, premium increases, and the reorganization of key government agencies are quickly reshaping health care in the country, and the specialists at the University of Miami Business of Health Care conference will share their expertise and perspective on the most effective strategies to address these changes.

"The tremendous upside of the conference is that it's typically the only time that all of these different stakeholders are convened and engaging in the same conversation at the same time," said Karoline Mortensen, professor and associate director of the Center for Health Management and Policy within the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School.

Steven Ullmann, professor and center director, emphasized the full spectrum of representation from the major industry sectors-physicians, nurses, insurers, hospitals, medical practices, financial professionals, and the pharmaceutical industry-as well as the opportunity for students from across the University and other local colleges to learn from these leaders.

"Through the conference and scholarships offered, we're giving the public and students access to all these organizations and thereby providing insights for improved outcomes over time," Ullmann said.

The 15th annual health care conference, hosted in person by the Miami Herbert Business School Center for Health Management and Policy and with a livestreaming option, takes place Friday, Feb. 6 in the Donna E. Shalala Student Center on the University's Coral Gables Campus. The half-day conference opens with a networking breakfast session open to the public, followed by three panels with specialists.

The opening keynote session, moderated by Brian Pieninck, president and chief executive officer of GuideWell Mutual Holding Corp./Florida Blue, will tackle complex issues such as how providers, insurers, drugmakers, and patients are managing shifting policy and public health priorities; balancing the drive toward lower costs with access and quality considerations; the impact of cuts to Medicaid expansion subsidies; and how AI and other technologies can improve clinical outcomes and operational efficiencies.

A midmorning live Q&A session, moderated by Ullmann and Mortensen, follows the opening panel.

The keynote late-morning panel includes Stephanie Carlton, deputy administrator and chief of staff, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Stephen Parente, professor and Minnesota Insurance Industry Chair of Health Finance and associate dean, Carlson Global Institute, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota; and Donna E. Shalala, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and professor emerita, Miami Herbert Business School.

Some 600 registrants attended the conference last year, and with the many, fast-moving changes in the industry and the participation of top health care leaders and scholars who will be present, Ullmann said he fully expects full attendance again this year.

To register and for more details, visit The Business of Health Care Conference.