HIE Value Series at the Civitas 2026 Annual Conference

Event Description

The HIE Value Series is a focused working session designed specifically for organizations participating in the Civitas HIE Value Series initiative. To support productive discussion and action planning, attendance is limited to invited participants directly engaged in this work. However, insights and outcomes from the session will be shared broadly with the Civitas community to help inform and advance HIE value conversations across the network.

It will take place on Monday, September 21, 2026, from 12 – 5 p.m. ET at the Civitas 2026 Annual Conference, with a reception to follow from 5 - 6 p.m. ET. No additional registration fee is required to attend; however, RSVP is requested. An invitation will be sent directly to organizations involved.

*Sessions are subject to change

Thank you to our HIE Value series Sponsors

Track Descriptions

Each track will feature a session or sessions that include a 15-minute lightning talk followed by 30 minutes of audience and participant discussion, creating space for practical exchange, peer learning, and shared problem-solving. An Industry Panel will open the day with real-world perspectives on HIE priorities and partnership needs, framing and informing the day’s focused conversations.

Industry Panel

The Industry Panel will feature stakeholders from across the health data ecosystem—payers, federal and state representatives, researchers, and other partners—sharing their priorities and partnership needs with HIEs. Their insights will ground the day’s sessions in real-world demand for HIE capabilities and highlight opportunities for collaboration.

  • David Kendrick, Senior Advisor, Civitas Networks for Health® (Moderator)
  • Deven McGraw, Chief Regulatory & Privacy Officer, Citizen Health
  • Abigail Viall, Acting Lead, Technology Implementation Office, CDC Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology (OPHDST)
  • E. Noel Clarin, Public Health Informatics & IT Director, Fairfax County Health Department
  • Michael McEachern, Network Strategy Lead - Interoperability & Provider Engagement, Cigna Healthcare
  • Justin Weatherford, Regional Director, Interoperability Solutions, UnitedHealth Group (UHG)
  • Erin Holve, Chief Officer, Research Infrastructure & Innovation, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)

Data Quality Track 

Reliable, standardized data is the foundation for safe clinical care, trustworthy AI, and effective population health programs. This track brings together practical examples and frameworks for improving data quality across the HIE lifecycle: from ingesting fragmented feeds and remediating errors at scale, to assessing alignment with United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) and monitoring quality at different points in the workflow. 

Featured Sessions

  • From Interoperability to Data Delivery: How State HIEs Address Data Quality 
    • Henry Vynalek, Senior Director, HIE & IT Operations, Information Security Officer, Clinisync 
    • Shelley Wehmeyer, Senior Director, GTM Activation
  • Tools for Improving Health Data Quality: From Point of Care to Exchange 
    • Alison Kemp, Public Health Analyst, Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) 
    • Charlie Harp, CEO, Clinical Architecture
    • Russell Dexter, Director of Analytics & Data Quality, Connie
  • Lessons from an HIE’s Digital Measurement Journey 
    • Wendy Talbot, MPH, VP, Measure and Data Operations, National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) 
    • Kristan Malcom Jorgenson, Business Development Manager, KONZA Health 
    • Katrina Parrish, MD, Chief Medical Officer, The SSI Group 

Research Track

HIEs are being asked more often to provide data to universities, pharma for drug discovery and trial recruitment, AI developers, and public health agencies — placing substantial operational burdens on HIE teams to produce, de-identify, maintain, and export sharable datasets. This track showcases practical approaches to building secure, research-ready platforms that enable scalable clinical and translational research. 

Featured Session

  • Advancing Research with Next-Generation HIE Data 
    • Joyce Li, MHI, Director of Strategy & Reporting, Healthix 
    • Glenn Keet, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, Vitruvia Labs

Policy to Practice Track

As federal and state policies evolve, HIEs must turn regulatory requirements into practical systems without compromising clinical trust. This track explores governance, infrastructure, and operational approaches for meeting mandates — such as Medicaid reporting and eligibility verification — while maintaining data integrity and stakeholder confidence.

Featured Session

  • Designing HIE Infrastructure for Report Mandates
    • Maurine Gilbert, Chief Strategy and Engagement Officer, HealthInfoNet
    • Casey Silverthorn, VP, Delivery, Orion Health

This is an invite-only event with no extra registration fee. Please RSVP to confirm your spot. Need the link to let us know you're attending? Email contact@civitasforhealth.org.