​Tuesday, April 14, 2026 (Times Shown in CST)

​​ 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM  NCHN Board of Directors Meeting

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Exhibit Set Up

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ​Registration

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM   Welcome Reception ​

​​

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 (Times Shown in CST)

7:15 AM - 8:15 AM    Networking Breakfast

7:30 AM - 8:30 AM  Registration

10:30 AM - 3:15 PM ​ Exhibits Open

8:30 AM - 8:45 AM      Welcome  - Erin Kochan, IL, 2026 Conference Chair, NCHN Associate Member

​8:45 AM - 9:45 AM  Keynote: Leadership: From the Gridiron to the Workplace- Greg Thomas, Southeastern Conference Football Official, retired

9:45 AM-10:15 AM Digital and Health Disparities in Rural Communities: Issues and Solutions– Davia Smith, Chief Community Relations Officer, Palmetto Care Connections

10:15 AM-10:45 AM Networking Break in Exhibit Area - [Sponsored by Pinnacle Healthcare Consulting]

10:45 AM-11:15 AM One Minute Name Memory – How to Remember Every Name, Every Time, Forever! - Brian Lee, CEO and Founder, Custom Learning Systems Group Ltd.

11:15 AM-11:45 AM High Value Specialty networks and why they are going to become increasingly important – Kelly Conroy, Principal, Pinnacle Healthcare Consulting

11:45 AM-12:15 PM Navigating the insurance marketplace: Lessons from a network of hospitals in Washington State - Elya Prystowsky, Executive Director, The Rural Collaborative, Leslie Hiebert, CEO, Rural Health Enterprise, Jim Chesemore, COO & Senior Vice President, IMA

12:15 PM - 1:45 PM Networking Lunch 1:45 PM - 2:15 PM             2:15 PM - 3:00 PM               ​ 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM 3:30PM - 4:00 PM    4:00 PM - 4:30 PM  ​ 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM 5:00 PM - 5:10 PM Day 1 Wrap-up - Erin Kochan, IL, 2026 Conference Chair, NCHN Associate Member 5:10 PM - 5:30 PM NCHN Annual Membership Meeting Ward VanWichen, MT, NCHN President ​

Thursday, April 16, 2026 (Times Shown in CST)

9:45 AM-10:15 AM Joy: Building Resilient Teams, Inspiring Innovation, and Improving Patient Care, ​Bill Auxier CEO, Center for Rural Health Leadership

​ 10:15 AM-11:00 AM How can AI adopt drive profitability in rural healthcare? ​Nathan Myers, President, AccuCodeAI & ​Scott Roper, VP of Business Development, AccuCodeAI

Unlocking Collaboration: Strategic Communication with Community Leaders Matt Bancroft, Development Specialist, National Rural Health Resource Center Alyssa Meller, COO, National Rural Health Resource Center

Networking Break in Exhibit Area

​ Get off of My Lawn! Benchmarking, Goals, and other things from the 80s that Still Honk Me Off! Phillip Ellis (Network Director, Indiana Rural Health Association) 

​ Pass the Mike NCHN Members, Opportunity to briefly share your events, news, & successes

Landscape of Rural Health, Brock Slabach, Chief Operations Officer, NRHA

​​Networking Break in Exhibit Area ​ The Rural Collaborative MCO Administrative Simplification Initiative  Brad Becker, Senior Director Payer Strategy, The Rural Collaborative ​ Managing Board Dynamics: Turning Challenges into Opportunities  Kara Witalis, Principal, Kara Witalis LLC ​​​​Networking Break in Exhibit Area ​ Awards Ceremony Luncheon Table Top Topics ​​​Networking Break in Exhibit Area

Reignite the Patient Experience - Fully Staffed, Brian Lee, CEO and Founder, Custom Learning Systems Group, Ltd  

​Optimizing Patient Engagement & Intervention Management to Improve Quality Scores & Reduce Cost of Care, Riya Pulicharam, CMO, Caret Health  

​ NCHN's Next 30 Years of Impact, (NCHN Board of Directors & Conference Planning Committee) ​​ Conference Wrap-Up - 2026 NCHN President 

Networking Event -  TBD - Sponsored by TRS Managed Services ​