2027 Policy & Issues Forum (P&I) Call for Abstracts

The 2027 Policy & Issues Forum unites CHC executives, clinicians, board members, and state association leaders to shape the future of primary care in America. The U.S. faces critical healthcare challenges – with only 4.7% of U.S. healthcare spending directed to primary care and 100 million Americans lacking reliable access to affordable primary care. Thousands of CHC leaders from around the country will join national leaders and change-makers to develop strategies for expanding access to primary care to reduce chronic disease, save lives and reduce costs.

About the Education Program:

NACHC anticipates offering at least fifty (50) 60-minute workshops during the 2027 P&I. This year, we are looking for sessions that position health centers as the Employer, Provider, and Partner of Choice (EPPOC) for primary care and advancing health access:

• Partner of Choice: Position health centers as the partner of choice among all healthcare stakeholders to catalyze innovation and improve health. Healthcare Stakeholders = Patients, Providers, Payers, Purchasers, & Policy Makers.
• Employer of Choice: Position health centers as the employer of choice by identifying strategies and best practices to educate, recruit, and retain a high-quality workforce that represents the people we serve.
• Provider of Choice: Positioning health centers as the provider of choice for all patients (and payers) across the lifespan through the provision of comprehensive, high-quality primary care that delivers on the Quintuple Aim.

Important Call for Abstract Dates

• August 28, 2026: Completed submissions are due by 11:59 PM ET.
• September 2026: Abstract review period
• Late-October 2026: Education program announced: abstract submitters will be notified via email

How to Write a Compelling Abstract:

Do you want to improve your odds of acceptance? We've created a short document that describes how to write the type of abstract that will capture the hearts and minds of our conference organizers. This is highly encouraged reading if you want to move from "proposal" to "featured session at the 2026 Partner Conference!"

Education sessions will feature best practices and innovative solutions in the content areas below:

• 340B Compliance and Policy
• Advocacy and Mobilization
• Health Center Essentials
• Health Center Governance
• Policy Analysis
• Whole-Person Health and Quality Improvement
• Serving Medically Underserved Populations
• Value-Based Care/Payment Innovation and Transformation
• Workforce Investment in the Future

Session Formats:

• Workshop: A 60-minute presentation that is highly interactive and focuses on problem-solving or skill-building. Your presentation should therefore be a mix of didactic information sharing and hands-on work. Workshops are intended to change attendee behaviors and should therefore incorporate exercises that will help attendees take home actionable steps that they can immediately incorporate into their health centers.
• Panel Discussion: A 60-minute didactic presentation with a panel of experts sharing insights and opinions. Panel discussions are designed to share information on emerging topics and new developments. These sessions should incorporate some interactive components (e.g. polling, Q&A) to better understand your audience's starting points and motivations.
• Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Networking Session: A 60-minute facilitated session focusing on topics that affect health centers such as – but not limited to – legislative and regulatory practices, operational issues, good governance practices, and the unique challenges that come with health center management and patient care. P2Ps are designed for learning in small group settings, where participants exchange ideas and network on issues most relevant to health centers.
• Challenge Labs: Challenge Labs are 90 to 120-minute immersive, scenario-based sessions designed to help participants collaboratively address real high-stakes challenges facing community health centers. These sessions emphasize applied problem-solving, peer learning, and practical takeaways. Challenge Labs are not just presentations or panels - they should be designed as facilitated learning experiences where participants actively engage in solving a clearly defined challenge.

Content Priorities:

You told us what sessions and topics you're looking for in 2027, and we listened. The following topic suggestions are taken directly from both the 2026 P&I evaluation comments and follow-up assessments with past and prospective attendees:

• Policy & Advocacy: We’re looking for proposals that strengthen the ability of health centers, boards and advocates to influence policy and build productive relationships with elected officials. Suggested topics include legislative meetings, grassroots advocacy, storytelling, rural advocacy, coalition building, board engagement and advanced strategies for navigating the current political environment.
• Compliance, Legal Risk and Regulatory Change: We’re looking for proposals that translate legal, regulatory and grant-related changes into practical action. Suggested topics include HRSA compliance, FTCA, audits, federal grant requirements, executive actions, emerging legal risks and strategies for protecting health centers, staff and patients in a shifting policy environment.
• Board Governance: We’re looking for proposals designed specifically for health center board members and governance leaders. Suggested topics include fiduciary responsibilities, financial oversight, board-CEO relationships, board recruitment, succession planning, advocacy, interpreting dashboards and audits and preparing boards to govern through uncertainty and change.
• Medicaid, Coverage and Payment Reform: We’re looking for proposals that help health centers navigate changes in Medicaid eligibility, coverage and reimbursement. Suggested topics include work requirements, redeterminations, coverage loss, payer mix changes, value-based payment, alternative payment models, health-plan negotiation and strategies for retaining and supporting patients.
• Financial Sustainability, Revenue Diversification and 340B: We’re looking for proposals that address financial resilience in an increasingly uncertain funding environment. Suggested topics include 340B sustainability, revenue diversification, cost management, contingency planning, fundraising, capital strategies and preparing for increases in uncompensated care.
• Workforce, Technology and Organizational Readiness: We’re looking for proposals that help health centers strengthen workforce capacity while adapting to new technologies and operational pressures. Suggested topics include recruitment, retention, leadership development, succession planning, workforce pipelines, AI governance, automation, digital transformation and practical examples of technology improving efficiency or patient access.

Key Considerations:

• For-profit entities must partner with a health center or PCA/HCCN/NTAP to be considered, and session faculty must include these health center or PCA/HCCN/NTAP partners. Please confirm all speakers in your abstract prior to submission.
• Submissions with full session details (e.g. title, description, learning objectives, & speakers) will be prioritized.
• An education session is not a sales or vendor marketing opportunity; rather, it should provide actionable and relevant information for health center leaders to apply in a vendor-agnostic session.
• Demonstrate how your work is relevant to health centers, and why they should know about it..
• Please clearly describe how the session fits the selected track(s).
• Unless otherwise noted, sessions are limited to 60 minutes in length, including time for questions and answers.

Abstract Submission Selection Criteria:

The 2027 P&I Planning Group, which is comprised of both NACHC members and NACHC staff, will use the following criteria to evaluate your proposal(s):

• Relevance & Strategic Alignment: Does this address a real & current challenge for our audiences?
• Practical Value & Applicability: Will attendees leave with something they can actually use?
• Engagement & Format Design: Is this designed as an interactive experience rather than a lecture?
• Evidence, Credibility & Outcomes: Is this grounded in real-world experience or data?
• Originality & Differentiation: Does this bring new approaches and solutions to the table?
• Commercial Bias : Does this proposal offer vendor/product agnostic solutions?

NOTE: NACHC may consider combining sessions based upon topic, session format, speakers, or other factors. NACHC also reserves the right to edit session titles and descriptions to meet the organization's marketing and branding guidelines.

Speaker Expenses:

At the time of publishing this call for sessions, no travel or hotel expenses will be provided to speakers. Speakers currently qualify for a $50 discount on conference registration fees and must register in order to participate beyond their individual session.

Terms:

• All abstract proposals will be reviewed by a committee composed of health center leaders and industry experts, with support from NACHC staff.
• This is a competitive process. Due to the limited number of available education session slots, not all proposals will be accepted for conference presentations. Submitters will be notified of their abstract status in October 2026.