NCQA President Will Participate in a “Great Debate” at the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting

NCQA will join the vibrant community of researchers, policymakers and practitioners at the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM) in Seattle, WA, from May 30 to June 2. This year’s theme, “Rigor and Relevance Driving Action,” reflects the urgency of ensuring that research not only meets the highest standards but also informs decisions that improve health and healthcare delivery.

The ARM is an opportunity for NCQA to share our research and perspectives on the healthcare system and engage in meaningful conversations about emerging research and innovations. This year, we will be participating in three panel discussions and two poster presentations.

Panel Presentations

NCQA’s President and CEO, Dr. Vivek Garg, will participate on a panel titled “Great Debates: Quality Measurement and Prior Authorization.” This discussion will examine these two key pillars of U.S. healthcare policy that are currently under intense scrutiny. National experts will debate whether these systems require evolution, revolution or elimination.

Rachel Harrington, NCQA’s Senior Product Strategist, will join a panel on “Leading Teams Through Times of Challenge.” This conversation will focus on best practices and practical leadership strategies for navigating times of significant disruption and change, especially for teams working to generate evidence that advances healthcare.

Harrington will also moderate a panel on “Interoperability in Health Services Research.” National experts will discuss opportunities to improve information flow at the organizational and systems levels, including the role of standards in integrating social risk factors into clinical treatment and prevention.

Poster Sessions

NCQA staff will share their research in two poster presentations.

Assessing Data Feasibility for Intimate Partner Violence Quality Measurement: Results from Two U.S. Health Plans. This study evaluates the feasibility of a proposed HEDIS^® measure related to intimate partner violence by testing the measure with two health plans.

Authors: Yuzu Saito Butler, Polina Lissin, Kaila Boyd, Adrianna Nava

Real World Evaluation of Methods for Measuring Equitable Quality of Care: Quantitative Findings and Qualitative Insights. This study evaluates four published approaches for building combined health equity scores that consider multiple factors and measures simultaneously in real-world settings.

Authors: Crysta Meekins, Rachel Harrington, Yazhini Ramesh, Polina Lissin, Shawn Trivette, Alana Burke

Join Us in Seattle

If you would like to hear our presentations in person, register for the 2026 AcademyHealth ARM. We hope to see you there!

HEDIS^® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).