Here at RISE, we spend a lot of time talking about RISE West before RISE West. The agenda, the speakers, the receptions. The little details that hopefully make 450+ people walk away saying, that was worth the trip.
But now that we’re less than two weeks out, the planning is (mostly) done. And we’re officially at the fun part: getting excited about actually being there.
So, what is the RISE team looking forward to most in San Diego? A few things immediately came to mind.
Welcoming the rookies
There’s something about walking into a conference where everyone else seems to already know each other that can feel a little intimidating.
Enter: The RISE Rookie Roundup.
We’re bringing together first-time RISE West attendees during Wednesday’s opening reception for 30 minutes of introductions, conversation starters, and a few friendly RISE veterans whose entire job is to make the room easier to navigate.
Our goal is simple: no rookie leaves without knowing a few new people. We piloted the concept at RISE National and loved watching strangers walk in and connections walk out. We can’t wait to do it again in San Diego.
San Diego. In September. Enough said.
We love a conference city that makes you want to actually leave your hotel room. Sunny skies. Temperatures in the 70s. Palm trees. The bay. Dinner within walking distance.
And, yes, we fully intend to enjoy it! The Manchester Grand Hyatt puts us right on the San Diego waterfront, which also happens to be a pretty great backdrop for kicking off RISE West with cocktails, coastal vibes, and a few hundred of our closest Medicare Advantage friends.
Which brings us to…
Seeing the RISE family again
Take the welcome cocktail reception, but make it coastal chic – we’re in! But some of our favorite networking at RISE West happens when no one calls it networking.
It’s running into someone you haven’t seen since RISE National in March or Qualipalooza in June. It’s the introduction that happens while waiting for coffee. It’s the hallway conversation that turns into, “Wait, we need to talk more about this.”
After 20+ years of RISE events, there are people who have been part of this community for a long time. Getting so many of them in one place is one of the things our team looks forward to most.
There will be plenty of scheduled networking. But we’re equally excited for everything that happens in between.
Starting with the Women’s Leadership Brunch
Before the opening session on the main stage, we’ll be gathering Wednesday for one of our favorite RISE West traditions: the Women’s Leadership Brunch.
This year’s conversation, Breaking into the Boardroom, brings together women who have been there to talk candidly about leadership, influence, and getting into the rooms where decisions are made. Good food, smart women, honest conversation. Not a bad way to start RISE West.
Giving you 1:1 access to the experts
Sometimes you don’t need another presentation … you need 15 minutes with someone who knows exactly what you’re dealing with.
That’s the idea behind Expert Office Hours, happening in our Work & Connect Lounge. Attendees can reserve one-on-one time with experts across quality, AI, RADV readiness, public speaking, and more.
Bring the question that’s too specific for a Q&A. Bring the problem your team keeps circling. Bring the thing you’d love to ask if you could get the right person alone for 15 minutes. This is your chance.
Having OIG in the room. Twice.
This one is a big deal for our team. RISE West will welcome four officials from the HHS Office of Inspector General across two sessions on Thursday.
Ann Maxwell and Carolyn Kapustij will open the morning with a conversation on current managed care oversight priorities. Later that day, Rosemary Bartholomew and Ivy Ngo will dig into OIG’s findings around Medicare Advantage prior authorization.
There are plenty of opportunities to hear people interpret what regulators are doing. This is an opportunity to hear directly from the people doing the work.
Hearing the story behind one of MA’s biggest headlines
This is probably the session we’ll still be talking about after we get home.
Dr. James Taylor, former Medical Director at Kaiser Permanente (and former Dr. Martin L. Block Award recipient!), will join whistleblower attorney Ari Yampolsky for an exclusive fireside chat about the case that resulted in the largest Medicare Advantage False Claims Act settlement to date.
But this conversation isn’t about rehashing a headline. It’s about what happens inside an organization before something becomes a headline. What do you do when you believe a line has been crossed? What happens when concerns raised internally go unresolved? And what can today’s risk adjustment, compliance, and revenue leaders learn from someone who lived it?
It’s a conversation you’re unlikely to hear anywhere else.
Finally sharing the AI results
Earlier this summer, RISE asked Medicare Advantage leaders how their organizations are actually using AI. We heard from hundreds of respondents across the industry.
At RISE West, we’re revealing the results.
Where is AI already delivering value? Where are organizations investing next? What’s holding adoption back? And perhaps most importantly: how does your organization compare?
We’ll share the new benchmarks exclusively in San Diego, along with insights from leaders putting AI to work inside Medicare Advantage organizations today.
Mostly, we’re ready to be together
We could keep going. The packed agenda, the regulatory conversations, the food packing event, the exhibit hall, the receptions…
But after months of planning RISE West, the thing we’re most excited about is pretty simple:
The people.
The people we know. The people we’re about to meet. The people we work alongside every single day to bring events like this one to life. The rookies coming for the first time and the RISE veterans we’ve known for years.
We’ll see you in the ballroom, in the hallways, at the Rookie Roundup, over cocktails and probably somewhere outside enjoying that San Diego weather.
See you September 2.
RISE West 2026 takes place September 2–4 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. Standard registration ends September 1. View the full agenda and register for RISE West 2026.