Since 2018, the Institute for High Quality Care (IHQC), in partnership with the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC), has proudly hosted the Quality Improvement Summit—a dynamic annual conference dedicated to QI professionals, providers, and leaders working across California’s safety net.
Now in its eighth year, the 2025 QI Summit will take place on September 17, 2025, in Burbank, CA, and carries special significance as we celebrate IHQC’s 10-Year Anniversary. This milestone marks a decade of advancing quality improvement, supporting transformative change, and empowering community-based organizations to deliver high-quality, equitable care.
The Summit will continue to spotlight QI’s essential role in strengthening care delivery across the safety net. Through timely, interactive sessions, participants will explore strategies to improve population health, value-based care, equitable access, and operational efficiency while applying QI methods to reduce disparities and improve health outcomes.
Attendees will benefit from expert-led presentations, real-world insights from safety net peers, and targeted networking opportunities designed to foster collaboration, support best practice exchange, and celebrate a decade of shared commitment to quality in healthcare. Please check this page to stay up-to-date with speaker announcements and other event notifications. We hope to see you at the QI Summit!
Registration
Safety Net Care Providers and Staff
$350
Discounted registration rate for all staff from community clinics (FQHCs, look-alikes, or low-income/free clinics), county health systems, community clinic consortia members that provide direct patient services, and public hospitals.
General Public
$450
Registration rate for IT solutions or technical assistance providers, insurance agencies and health plans, consultants, non-profits, or companies and organizations that do not provide direct care services to patients.
Summit Agenda and Topics:
8:00 am - Breakfast and Check-In
If you have specific dietary requirements, please let us know during the registration process on Eventbrite, or email Sharon Lau at slau@ihqc.org.
9:00 AM - Welcome Remarks
Bridget Hogan Cole, MPH
Executive Director
Institute for High Quality Care (IHQC)
Louise McCarthy, MPP
President and CEO
Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC)
9:30 AM - Keynote Address: Luis Padilla, MD
We are very excited to have Dr. Luis Padilla deliver the keynote address at the 2025 Quality Improvement Summit. Register today to hear from him and other safety net leaders and colleagues on September 17th!
Dr. Luis Padilla is the Chief Health Officer at the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). He comes to NACHC from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). There he served for nearly a decade as the Associate Administrator for the Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW), responsible for over 70 workforce programs and 478 staff, and Director of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), BHW’s largest program of over 18,000 clinicians.
A key focus for Dr. Padilla at HRSA was improving primary care across the nation and developing, recruiting, and retaining a diverse and culturally competent health workforce; under his leadership, the Bureau expanded to its current budget of almost $2 billion and the NHSC grew to the largest size in its 50-year history. Prior to joining HRSA, Dr. Padilla served for more than a decade at Unity Health Care, the largest community health center system in Washington, DC, as senior health policy advisor to the CEO, medical director, and as a NHSC Scholar. He also served on the National Advisory Council of the NHSC from 2007 to 2010.
A licensed family physician, Dr. Padilla received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of California at Irvine. He earned a medical degree from Wake Forest School of Medicine and completed his family medicine residency at Brown University.
10:30 AM - Breakout Sessions
Introduction to QI Fundamentals
Speaker:
Chris Hunt, MPH, LSSBB
Senior Program Director
Institute for High Quality Care
This interactive session will introduce root cause analysis and structured problem assessment as fundamental components of quality improvement projects. Participants will learn how to use proven tools such as fishbone diagrams and workflow mapping to uncover what’s really driving their challenges. Attendees will also develop a simple dashboard to track, organize, and communicate their small-scale improvement work, ensuring progress is both visible and actionable. With practical tools, templates, and hands-on activities, participants will leave ready to apply these strategies immediately in their own organizations.
This is an ideal introductory session for those new to QI or anyone seeking a structured approach to jump-starting an improvement project.
From Clicks to Care: Mastering Patient Messaging for Quality Improvement
Speaker:
Richard K. Leuchter, MD
(he/him/his)
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Director, UCLA Next Day Clinic
Co-Director, UCLA Nudge Unit
Assistant Director, UCLA Healthcare Value Analytics and Solutions (UVAS)
Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA & VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
Are your patient outreach emails and texts getting lost in the noise? This session will reveal how small, science-backed “nudges” can transform your patient messaging from ignorable to actionable. Drawing on multiple large-scale studies from the UCLA Nudge Unit, you will learn why emphasizing risk can paradoxically decrease patient engagement and how tailoring messages to different populations can significantly improve outcomes.
Join this workshop to discover evidence-based strategies that boost appointment scheduling, increase preventive screenings, and drive measurable improvements in your quality metrics. You’ll leave with a practical framework to re-engineer your communication and achieve better health outcomes.
From Attribution to Action: Leveraging the Data You Have to Achieve Next Level Performance in Care Gap Closure
Speakers:
Natalie Martin, MBA, SHRM, SCP
President and CEO
Elevation Health Partners
Kelly Fountain, MPA
Practice Transformation Consultant
Elevation Health Partners
This interactive session will equip participants with tactical approaches to close care gaps by improving data use, patient engagement, and team collaboration. Attendees will learn how to work with available payer and EHR data—to identify key patient subsets, including those served through Enhanced Care Management, tailor outreach, and close care gaps—even when systems are limited. The session will also showcase the benefits of EHR integration with payer solutions and highlight staffing models that support sustainable efforts and foster a culture of data-informed, patient-centered decision-making. Finally, participants will take part in an interactive planning activity to translate these concepts into actionable, site-specific next steps.
12:00 PM - Lunch
Presented by Cedars-Sinai
If you have specific dietary requirements, please let us know during the registration process on Eventbrite, or email Sharon Lau at slau@ihqc.org.
12:45 PM - Mid-Day Plenary: QI Priorities and Perspectives from the Managed Care Plans
Speakers:
Shekinah Wright, MBA
Senior Manager, Quality Improvement
Health Net
Edward Sheen, MD, MPH, MBA
Chief Quality and Population Health Executive
L.A. Care
In this fireside chat, representatives from two managed care plans will share their perspectives on the year’s top QI priorities and explore strategies for strengthening partnerships with health centers. Attendees are encouraged to contribute questions and curiosities throughout the session and selected questions will be posed to the panel.
2:00 PM - Breakout Sessions
Integrating Managed Care Plan Data for Quality Improvement and Population Health Management
Speakers:
Joe Lee, MSHA
Senior Manager, Population Health Management Initiative
Kaiser Permanente
Andrew Hamilton
Chief Informatics Officer
AllianceChicago
Fred Dolgin
Chief Operations Officer
Venice Family Clinic
Debra Rosen, RN, MPH
Director, Special Projects
Northeast Valley Health Corporation
Learn more about the Population Health Management Initiative (PHMI) and how PHMI’s experiences can strengthen your quality improvement and population health efforts in this interactive workshop. Learn which Managed Care Plan (MCP) data matters most, how to use it for measurable impact, and hear real CHC stories of successes, challenges, and lessons learned. Walk away with clear value propositions for both health centers and MCPs.
AI in Action: Practical Applications in Safety Net Health Care
Speakers:
Hakeem O. Adeniyi, Jr., MD
Chief Clinical Officer
Sacramento Native American Health Center
Jared Friedman
Director of Quality Improvement
Saban Community Clinic
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly evolving tool that is changing how we deliver healthcare, from automating routine administrative tasks to enhancing clinical workflows and patient engagement. But how can these tools be effectively and responsibly integrated in resource-constrained safety net settings?
In this session, participants will learn how to assess the “right tool for the job,” identify where AI can realistically support care delivery and operations, and understand the opportunities, limitations, and pitfalls to avoid. You don’t want to miss this timely discussion!
Beyond the Dashboard: Real-World Strategies to Improve Access Through Data
Speakers:
Rachel Proud, MPH
Associate Director of Practice Transformation Services
California Medical Association – California Physician Services Organization
Aracely Scerra
Director, Quality Improvement
Harbor Community Health Centers
Jackie Lopez
Data Quality Manager
Harbor Community Health Centers
In this session, Harbor Community Health Centers and the California Medical Association’s Physician Services Organization will walk through how they aligned multiple data tools into a functional, clinic-wide strategy to improve access and patient engagement. Attendees will learn how platforms such as Artera and Azara were used to re-engage hard-to-reach patients, expand appointment availability, and reduce no-show rates. Practical tips and lessons from Harbor’s journey will help health center teams begin mapping their own path from data to action.
3:30 PM - IHQC's 10th Anniversary Reception - Celebrating a Decade of Impact
All Summit attendees are invited to celebrate IHQC’s 10th anniversary with us following the QI Summit! Admission to the reception is included with your QI Summit ticket.
Learn more about IHQC’s 10-Year Anniversary Reception here!
IHQC’s 10-Year Anniversary Reception is presented by Kaiser Permanente. We are deeply grateful for their foundational support of IHQC throughout the years and their continued commitment to innovation and improvement in safety net health care.
Thank you to our 2025 QI Summit Sponsors!
Diamond Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsor
Interested in becoming a 2025 QI Summit sponsor?
Please contact us at info@ihqc.org for more information.
Health and Safety
An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 and other communicable illnesses exists in any public place where people are present. If you are displaying symptoms of COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses, please do not attend this event and stay home if possible. If you exhibit symptoms within 48 hours of the QI Summit, please contact info@ihqc.org about your registration.
Masks are optional while attending this program. Complimentary KN95 masks and hand sanitizer will be available at the registration desk and throughout the venue.
Photography and Recording Policy
Photography, screen captures, and audio/video recordings will be taken at this event, some of which may include attendees’ likenesses and voices. By registering for this event via Eventbrite or other channels, you agree that photography and audio/video recordings taken at this event may be used in future IHQC or CCALAC promotions or materials. Please contact info@ihqc.org if you have any additional questions.