The Institute for High Quality Care (IHQC), Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC), and Coalition of Orange County Community Health Centers (Coalition OC) are happy to announce the 9th Annual Quality Improvement Summit! Since 2018, the Quality Improvement Summit has provided a dedicated, dynamic space for QI professionals, care providers, and leaders in California’s safety net to share best practices, insights, and collaborative opportunities with their peers.
Now in its ninth year, the 2026 QI Summit will take place on September 18, 2026, at the Long Beach Marriott (4700 Airport Plaza Dr) in Long Beach, CA. 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 and best practice exchange. 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.
We will not be accepting on-site registration. Please register all members of your party via Eventbrite before September 17th at 12 pm. If you require assistance, please contact Sharon Lau at slau@ihqc.org.
If you require registration by invoice, please contact Sharon Lau at slau@ihqc.org.
Location:
Long Beach Marriott
4700 Airport Plaza Dr,
Long Beach, CA 90815
Join us this year at our new location in Long Beach, CA!
Please note the street address, as there are multiple Marriott locations in Long Beach. The 2026 Quality Improvement Summit is located near the Long Beach Airport (LGB).
We will be offering on-site complimentary self-parking for all QI Summit attendees.
Summit Agenda:
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.
Breakfast at the 2026 QI Summit is generously sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.
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)
Isabel Becerra
President and CEO
Coalition of Orange County Community Health Centers (Coalition OC)
9:30 AM - Keynote Address: Jim Hickman
Jim Hickman
Founder & Chief Catalyzer
Hickman Strategies LLC
10:45 AM - Breakout Sessions
Beyond Care Gaps: Building Sustainable Quality Improvement Through Workflow Transformation
Speakers:
Natasha Doshi, MPH
Senior Program Manager of Practice Transformation
California Medical Association – California Physician Services Organization
Steve Perez
Practice Transformation Specialist
California Medical Association – California Physician Services Organization
Michelle Hughes, PharmD, BCACP
Director of Quality and Population Health
Neighborhood Healthcare
Erika Cruz
Supervisor of Operations Quality
Neighborhood Healthcare
In this session, Neighborhood Healthcare and the California Medical Association’s Physician Services Organization will highlight outcomes and offer lessons from the Molina Patient-Centered HEDIS Improvement Program (PCHIP). Attendees will understand how to implement quality interventions using a process roadmap for practice transformation and data workflows to support quality improvement. Realistic care gap closure workflows from Neighborhood Healthcare, data documentation protocols, and patient journey mapping tools will be shared to assist health centers in developing pathways to quality, value-based care.
Whole Patient, Whole Team: Designing Proactive, Patient-Centered Outreach to Support Population Health
Speakers:
Priscilla Monserrate Sanders, MPH
Senior Director of Quality and Population Health
UMMA Health
Jose Morales
Quality Improvement Manager
UMMA Health
In this session, UMMA Health will share how a redesigned outreach system led to improvements in quality outcomes, staff efficiency, and patient experience. Leveraging an AI-enhanced data tool, their team developed workflows that close care gaps while freeing outreach staff to center patients, rather than data. Attendees will hear specifics of the design journey and lessons learned, gaining concrete strategies and best practices to support their own process improvement work.
From Initiative to Enduring Practice: A Holistic View of Sustainability
Speakers:
Bridget Hogan Cole, MPH
Executive Director
Institute for High Quality Care (IHQC)
Your grant-funded improvement project is ending, and your final report asks the inevitable – “How are you going to sustain your work?!?!” Before you write the usual paragraph – “…we’ll operationalize the expenses…” or “…we’ll seek other grant dollars…” – what will it really take to sustain your promising work?
Drawings on lessons from a decade of supporting practice transformation, IHQC will present a view of sustainability that holistically integrates financial, programmatic, and operational perspectives. Participants will explore a two-part process for defining the value proposition of their improvement work and translating that assessment into a concrete sustainability action plan. A central theme throughout is the importance of bridging quality and finance to develop a shared sustainability strategy. With scenarios derived from multiple initiatives supported by IHQC, attendees will workshop what it takes to get from the Initiative to Enduring Practice.
12:00 PM - Lunch
If you have specific dietary requirements, please let us know during the registration process on Eventbrite, or email Sharon Lau at slau@ihqc.org.
Lunch at the 2026 QI Summit is generously sponsored by Health Net.
1:15 PM - Mid-Day Plenary: Policy Panel
2:15 PM - Afternoon Networking
2:30 PM - Breakout Sessions
AI Governance
Speakers:
Emilia Ochoa-Ruiz, MS, PMP
Program Director & Principal Investigator
California Telehealth Resource Center
Jocelyn Jaime, MA
Project Coordinator
California Telehealth Resource Center
Strengthening Quality & Clinical Partnerships for Population Health Improvement
Speakers:
Jared Friedman
Director of Quality Improvement
Saban Community Clinic
Dr. Aimee Le MD, FAAP
Associate Medical Director
Saban Community Clinic
Taylor Kistler
Population Health and Quality Improvement Manager
Share Ourselves
Dr. Mina Hakim MD
Chief Medical Officer
Share Ourselves
QI-clinical relationships are a key success factor for improvement work, but organizational silos and day-to-day challenges can get in the way. In this session, two QI and clinical leadership pairings from Saban Community Clinic and Share Ourselves will showcase how they built lasting partnerships through joint work on Populations of Focus. Attendees will learn strategies from both sides for building trust, speaking each other’s languages, and turning project-based collaboration into operationalized partnerships.
Sustainability in Action: Showcasing Lessons Learned in Preserving Project Gains
Speakers:
Jina Lawler
President and CEO
Hurtt Family Health Clinic
Jenny Thomas
RN Program Manager – Specialty Services
El Dorado Community Health Centers
3:45 PM - Closing Remarks
Thank you to our 2026 Sponsors!
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsor
Interested in becoming a 2026 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, CCALAC, or Coalition OC promotions or materials. Please contact info@ihqc.org if you have any additional questions.