AGENDA
32nd Tri-Annual
DIAGNOSTIC COVERAGE & REIMBURSEMENT CONFERENCE
March 18-19, 2026 | San Diego, CA
Alma Hotel San Diego
Uniting Labs, Payers, and Innovation to Navigate Payment Barriers and Build Sustainable Pathways for Next-Generation Testing
Jerry Conway
Senior Vice President, Market Access
BELAY DIAGNOSTICS
Christine Bump
Principal
PENN AVENUE LAW & POLICY
Dr. Gabriel Bien-Willner
Medical Director, MolDX & CMO
PALMETTO GBA
Rachael Hulshizer
Medical Policy Director
MAYO CLINICAL LABORATORIES
Dr. Steven Goldberg
Chief Medical Officer
HEALTHTRACKRX
Erik Schulwolf
Counsel
HOGAN LOVELLS US LLP
Ken Schaecher, MD
Medical Director
SELECT HEALTH
Brittany Rambino
VP, Revenue Cycle Management
AMBRY GENETICS
Kerry Bush
President & COO
CAIRN DIAGNOSTICS
Danielle Tangorre
Partner
ROBINSON & COLE, LLP
Danielle Scelfo
Vice President, Market Access & Government Affairs
LUCID DIAGNOSTICS
Jennifer Archer
Senior Director of Market Access
ARTERA AI
Dennis Robbins, Ph.D, MPH
Author, Ethicist, Strategic Advisor
Michael Fine, MD
Medical Director
HEALTH NET OF CALIFORNIA
Clarisa Blattner
Senior Director, Revenue and Payor Optimization
XIFIN, INC
Kalli Glanz
Partner
PHAZE 4 MEDICAL
Paige Nardi
Executive Vice President of Market Access, Reimbursement & Billing
HEPQUANT
Jonathan Bugart
Director, US Marketing
ABBOTT
Eric Lam
Sr. Vice President, Market Access and Reimbursement
AVANIA CLINICAL
Darla Wanitschke
Vice President, Customer Success
TELCOR
Jeff Carmichael
Senior Vice President of Engineering and Analytics
XIFIN, INC
Erik Duffy
Vice President of Market Access
NAVERIS
Tara Cepull
Industry Strategy & Outreach Advisor
QUADAX
Julia Dawson
Associate Director, Managed Care
PACIFICEDGE CANCER DIAGNOSTICS
Eugean Jiwanmall, MPH, MBA
Lead Research Analyst, Medical Policy & Technology Evaluation
INDEPENDENCE BLUE CROSS
Perry Dimas
Co-Founder & CBO
CAREVISO
Richard Gajdowski, MD
Medical Director
FIDELIS CARE
Debbie Windsor
Market Access and Payer Innovation
MAYO COLLABORATIVE SERVICES
Tom Cronin
Senior Vice President, Revenue Cycle Strategy & Analytics
QUADAX
Mark Hiatt, MD, MBA, MS
Principal
HIATT ADVISORY SERVICES
Countdown to the Diagnostic Coverage & Reimbursement Conference
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Who Should Attend
Executives working within diagnostic testing and life sciences organizations who will find this program most relevant are those navigating compliance with evolving coverage and reimbursement policies, preparing for new state and federal regulations, adapting to payer requirements, and addressing provider and patient expectations for timely access to advanced testing.
Market Access
Reimbursement
Payer Relations/Strategy
Health Policy
Government Affairs
National Accounts
Agenda – Day One
Wednesday, March 18
7:30 REGISTRATION & WELCOME COFFEE
8:20 CHAIRPERSON’S OPENING REMARKS
Darla Wanitschke, Vice President, Customer Success
TELCOR
8:30 PANEL DISCUSSION: 2026 STRATEGIC PLAYBOOK FOR CONTRACTING & NETWORK ACCESS WITH PAYERS
• Actionable solutions for laboratories struggling to secure payer contracts
• Case study examples navigating complex IPA and HMO contracting structures
• Influence of evidence generation and clinical utility on payer decision-making
• Long-term contracting strategies designed to strengthen payer partnerships
Moderator:
Darla Wanitschke, Vice President, Customer Success
TELCOR
Panelists:
Paige Nardi, HEPQUANT
Danielle Scelfo, LUCID DIAGNOSTICS
Erik Duffy, NAVERIS
Julia Dawson, PACIFICEDGE CANCER DIAGNOSTICS
9:20 THE (TRUE) VALUE OF THE LAB
• Reframing the lab from cost center to profit driver through accurate valuation and strategic investment
• Strengthening hospital financial performance by targeting high-ROI lab initiatives
• Immediately actionable projects to enhance patient care, reduce financial leakage, and generate new revenue streams
Jonathan Burgart, Director, US Marketing
ABBOTT
10:00 COFFEE & NETWORKING BREAK
10:20 REDEFINING AUDIT PREPAREDNESS & COMPLIANCE FOR FUTURE-PROOF PAYMENTS
• Discover the flags that trigger payer audits and how to avoid them
• Anti-kickback, Stark, and state-specific restrictions
• Documentation efficiencies and compliance to ensure reimbursement
• Aligning compliance practices with evolving payer reimbursement models
Danielle Tangorre, Partner
ROBINSON & COLE LLP
11:15 PANEL DISCUSSION: THE MANY FACES OF MANAGED CARE: HOW PAYER STRUCTURE SHAPES COVERAGE OF NEW DIAGNOSTICS
• How different health plan structures (e.g., national, regional, state, multi-state, IDN, Blues, Medicaid) influence incentives, operating models, and risk tolerance
• What those structural differences mean for evidence expectations, coverage timelines, and policy variability
• Practical implications for diagnostics companies seeking adoption across heterogeneous payer environments
Moderated by:
Dennis Robbins, Ph.D, MPH, Author, Ethicist, Strategic Advisor
Panelists:
Eugean Jiwanmall, MPH, MBA, INDEPENDENCE BLUE CROSS
Ken Schaecher, MD, SELECT HEALTH
Mark Hiatt, MD, MBA, MS, HIATT ADVISORY SERVICES
Michael Fine, MD, HEALTH NET OF CALIFORNIA
Richard Gajdowski, MD, FIDELIS CARE
12:30 LUNCHEON
1:30 DRIVING INNOVATION THROUGH PHARMA-DIAGNOSTICS COLLABORATION
• Shared models between Rx companies and diagnostics for biomarker advancement
• Lessons learned from cardiovascular and oncology biomarker development
• Opportunities for earlier integration of diagnostics into drug development pipelines
• Balancing risks and reward in Rx & Dx alliances to unlock sustainable revenue growth
Paige Nardi, Executive Vice President of Market Access, Reimbursement, & Billing
HEPQUANT
2:20 BEYOND FDA: DESIGNING DIAGNOSTIC IVDS FOR REIMBURSEMENT AND MARKET SUCCESS
• Aligning coding strategy, clinical utility, and pricing durability early in development
• Addressing payer evidence requirements that influence coverage and adoption decisions
• Applying real-world diagnostic market access patterns across product lifecycles
Eric Lam, Sr. Vice President, Market Access and Reimbursement
AVANIA CLINICAL
3:00 TODAY’S PRIOR AUTHORIZATION CHALLENGES: SOLUTIONS, STRATEGIES, AND THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE
• Best practices to deal with prior authorization (PA) timing and increasing scrutiny from payers on molecular diagnostic tests
• Strategies to streamline PAs and how laboratories can better use technology
• Importance of analytics to measure PA results and improve claim payments
• Shared experience with Medicare Advantage PAs and proposed reform with CMS
• Preparations for the Interoperability rules set to take effect in 2027
Moderated By:
Tara Cepull, Industry Strategy & Outreach Advisor
QUADAX
Panelists:
Tom Cronin, Senior Vice President, Revenue Cycle Strategy & Analytics
QUADAX
Perry Dimas, Co-Founder & CBO
CAREVISO
3:45 COFFEE & NETWORKING BREAK
4:05 THE IMPACT OF PAMA IMPLEMENTATION AND POTENTIAL REFORMS ON TODAY’S DIAGNOSTIC LANDSCAPE
• Current status of PAMA implementation and enforcement
• Ongoing reform efforts and their implications for labs
• Impacts of other regulatory and administrative changes for labs
• 2026 regulatory shifts and their impact on reimbursement
Christine Bump, Principal
PENN AVENUE LAW & POLICY
4:50 OVERCOMING BARRIERS TO AI-DRIVEN DIAGNOSTIC ADOPTION
• Payer skepticism and emerging acceptance of AI-driven diagnostics
• Clinical evidence thresholds required for coverage decisions
• Coding and reimbursement challenges for algorithm-only outputs
• Lessons from early AI diagnostic adoption and payer engagement
Jennifer Archer, Senior Director of Market Access
ARTERA AI
5:35 CLOSING REMARKS AND END DAY ONE
5:45 EVENING NETWORKING RECEPTION
Unwind after Day 1 with a drink! Connect with peers and solution providers in the exhibit area.
Agenda – Day Two
Thursday, March 19
8:00 REGISTRATION & WELCOME COFFEE
8:20 CHAIRPERSON’S OPENING REMARKS
Tara Cepull, Industry Strategy & Outreach Advisor
QUADAX
8:30 DEX MASTERY: DRIVING SUCCESSFUL SUBMISSIONS AND ACCELERATING MARKET ACCESS
• DEX’s technical assessments process and what is covered
• Policy development and payer adoption (Medicare vs Commercial)
• Strategies for successfully navigating DEX submissions
• Case study examples of successful vs stalled submissions
Dr. Gabriel Bien-Willner, MD, PhD, FCAP, Chief Medical Director, MolDX & CMO
PALMETTO GBA
9:15 PANEL DISCUSSION: REDEFINING SCREENING & DIAGNOSTIC BOUNDARIES IN COVERAGE POLICY
• FDA and CMS distinctions shaping definitions of screening versus diagnostics
• Preventative versus diagnostic coding rules driving coverage determinations
• Implications for multi-cancer early detection and minimal residual disease tests
• Navigating the ‘valley of death’ between regulatory approval and CMS reimbursement
Moderated by:
Christine Bump, PENN AVENUE LAW & POLICY
Panelists:
Eugean Jiwanmall, INDEPENDENCE BLUE CROSS
Rachel Hulshizer, MAYO CLINICAL LABORATORIES
Steven Goldberg, HEALTHTRACKRX
10:15 COFFEE & NETWORKING BREAK
10:30 ADVANCED CODING STRATEGIES FOR PLA, CPT, AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
• Latest updates to PLA codes and expanded Medicare recognition processes
• Algorithmic and AI-driven test coding challenges following 2025 AMA changes
• Impact of coding developments on payer adoption and reimbursement strategies
• Key considerations for laboratories navigating complex new coding landscapes
Dr. Lee Hilborne, Corporate Medical Director
QUEST DIAGNOSTICS
11:00 TRANSFORMING REVENUE CYCLE MANAGEMENT WITH AGENTIC AI: A NEW MODEL FOR LABORATORY REIMBURSEMENT
• Artificial intelligence is reshaping revenue cycle management (RCM), and agentic AI represents a shift from automation to intelligent execution.
• Agentic AI leverages specialized, task-driven agents that interpret coverage policies, assess documentation sufficiency, apply payor-specific logic, and execute multi-step reimbursement workflows with minimal manual intervention.
• For laboratories facing increasing payor scrutiny, policy variability, and audit activity, this model enables real-time risk mitigation and scalable operational consistency.
• The session will integrate a revenue and payor optimization perspective, demonstrating how AI-enabled execution directly impacts denial reduction, contract performance management, and revenue predictability.
Jeff Carmichael, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Analytics
XIFIN, INC
Clarisa Blattner, Senior Director of Revenue and Payor Optimization
XIFIN, INC
11:45 LUNCHEON
12:30 ARE WE EVEN IN THE SAME BOAT? LEARNING TO ROW IN THE SAME DIRECTION WHEN IT COMES TO REIMBURSEMENT
• Internal stakeholder alignment with market access
• Alignment on commercialization terminology specific to market access
• Critical role of informed analytics
• Collaboration with Revenue Cycle
Debbie Windsor, Market Access and Payer Innovation
MAYO COLLABORATIVE SERVICES
Kalli Glanz, Partner
PHAZE 4 MEDICAL
1:15 PROACTIVE CLAIMS MANAGEMENT & REVENUE OPTIMIZATION
• Prior authorization, medical record requests, and expanded pre-payment reviews
• AI applications for streamlining and accelerating the revenue cycle
• Case study examples demonstrating improved claim pull-through rates
• Role of payer portals, advanced automation, and predictive analytics tools
Brittany Rambino, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management
AMBRY GENETICS
2:00 COFFEE & NETWORKING BREAK
2:20 DRIVING PATIENT ENGAGEMENT & NEXT-GEN DIAGNOSTIC HUBS
• Direct patient engagement in shaping coverage and reimbursement decisions
• Operational lessons from successful and failed patient hub models
• Emerging direct-to-consumer strategies with high adoption rates and access
• Balancing competing priorities across payers, providers, and patient needs
Jerry Conway, Senior Vice President, Market Access
BELAY DIAGNOSTICS
3:00 EVIDENCE GENERATION AND CLINICAL UTILITY FOR PAYER ADOPTION
• Defining intended use and aligning evidence with payer policy frameworks
• Clarifying payer expectations for clinical utility and outcome relevance
• Addressing barriers that limit payer acceptance of new diagnostics
• Designing study approaches that demonstrate real-world value to payers
Kerry Bush, President & COO
CAIRN DIAGNOSTICS
3:45 THE CLINICAL LAB FEE SCHEDULE (CLFS) IN 2026 – RETURN OF REPORTING?
• Potential return to private payor rate reporting in 2026
• Review of CLFS’ tri-annual reporting standards
• Potential impact on labs that are unable to report
• Review of coding, crosswalking and gapfilling
Erik Schulwolf, Counsel
HOGAN LOVELLS US LLP
4:30 CLOSING REMARKS AND CONFERENCE CONCLUSION
Attendees by Job Title
%
VP or Higher
%
Director
%
Manager
%
Associate
%
Other
Previous Attendees Include
Executive Director, Market Access, ARTERA
Executive Director, Market Access, ASPIRA WOMEN’S HEALTH
Chief Medical Officer, AVALON HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS
Client Manager, BEACONONE HEALTHCARE PARTNERS
Senior Vice President, Market Access, BELAY DIAGNOSTICS
Vice President, Market Access, BILLIONTOONE INC.
Vice President, Market Access, BIO-TECHNE/EXOSOME
Director, Lab and Precision Medicine, BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD
Senior Consultant, BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD
Senior Director, Market Access, CAREDX
National Account Manager, Managed Care, CASTLE BIOSCIENCES
Vice President of Reimbursement, CASTLE BIOSCIENCES
Senior Global Director, ELI LILLY
Revenue Cycle Billing Manager, EUROFINS – TRANSPLANT GENOMICS
Corporate Account Director, Market Access, EXOSOME DX
Director of Market Access, GENEDX INC
Chief Executive Officer, GENOMIND
Chief Commercial Officer, GLX ANALYTICS
Senior Director, Reimbursement & Policy, GRAIL
Vice President, Managed Care, GUARDANT HEALTH
Vice President, Market Access, Reimbursement & Billing, HEPQUANT
Senior Director of Market Access, HOLOGIC
Precision Medicine Value & Access, J&J INNOVATIVE MEDICINE
Medical Affairs Director, MERCK
Associate Director, Appeals & Denials, NATERA INC.
Vice President of Market Access, NAVERIS
Director, Traditional Medicare, QUEST DIAGNOSTICS
Vice President of Sales, SYNERGEN HEALTH
Vice President of Customer Success, TELCOR
….And Many Many More
