Comagine Health

We’re proud to congratulate Comagine Health Governing Board Member Jenni (Blendu) Gudapati PhD MBA RN on her appointment to the federal Healthcare Advisory Committee. “We are thrilled to celebrate Jenni and the invaluable perspective she will bring to the federal Healthcare Advisory Committee,” said Comagine Health President and CEO Marc Bennett. “With her decades of experience as a health care provider, collegiate educator, population health and consulting executive leader, and rural health care advocate, Jenni knows how to translate value-based principles and system improvement initiatives to real-world results.” The committee will provide recommendations to inform the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on federal health care policy and program administration, with a focus on chronic disease prevention, reducing unnecessary administrative burden, expanding real-time data use to improve care quality, enhancing care for vulnerable populations (including Medicaid), and strengthening Medicare Advantage sustainability. Read more on comagine.org: https://lnkd.in/gW9VzPUD Read the CMS announcement: https://lnkd.in/euu-HE5B

Comagine Health’s Research and Evaluation Team has published its 2025 Annual Summary, showcasing its projects, findings and accomplishments. "This report highlights the accomplishments of our Research and Evaluation Team over the past year and reflects our continued commitment to innovation, collaboration and excellence," said Vice President of Research and Evaluation Christi Hildebran. "Throughout 2025, our team worked to bridge research and practice, generating insights that strengthen programs, empower communities and help inform thoughtful policy decisions. We are honored to continue this work and look forward to building on this momentum in the year ahead." Read the Research and Evaluation Annual Summary: https://lnkd.in/gKEFE9Sc. #research #evaluation #healthcare

Explore the Comagine Health Research and Evaluation team’s posters at this year’s Rx and Illicit Drug Summit in Nashville! The projects highlight approaches to strengthening the rural workforce, evaluating the impact of state opioid response efforts, and supporting recovery-centered workplaces. • "Building a Recovery-Friendly Workplace in a Virtual World: Lessons From Year One Implementation" by Christi Hildebran, Melissa Cheng and Emily Transue • "Education Toward Certification: Outcomes of a State-Based Model for SUD Workforce Development in Rural Communities" by Stephanie Pustejovsky and Jane Crawford • "Mapping Statewide Impact: Using Ripple Effects Mapping to Evaluate Oregon’s State Opioid Response Grant" by Brooke Evans, Diana Flores, Caitlyn Jasumback and Kelsey Smith Payne If you’ll be at the Summit, we invite you to connect with our Research and Evaluation team. Poster sessions are scheduled for: • April 6, 5:30-7 p.m. • April 7, 3:30-4:30 p.m. • April 8, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Learn more about the event: https://lnkd.in/g-jtXPda. #RxSummit #AddictionRecovery #RecoveryFriendlyWorkplace

Comagine Health will join the National Association of Health Data Organizations March 25 to discuss unlocking the potential of machine-readable files to drive health care transparency. In July 2022, the Transparency in Coverage (TiC) rule required payers to publish public, machine-readable files detailing negotiated in-network rates and historical out-of-network allowed amounts. Hear from experts as they explain what’s in the data and how it can be combined with other datasets to deepen insights: - Roger Hau, PayerPrice - David Muhlestein, Simple Healthcare - Scott Barlow, One Utah Health Collaborative Register at https://lnkd.in/e2Br53p2.

Join Comagine Health and UHIN at the 2026 Utah Public Health Conference, where this year’s speakers, panelists and exhibitors will come together to honor the past, navigate the present and design the future of public health. Comagine Community Health Director Katrina Seipp-Lewington and Utah State Director David R. Cook will present on the power of community care hubs. David will also join UHIN Chief Data Officer Navina Forsythe and Utah Department of Health and Human Services Chronic Disease Coordinator Pamela Chapman for a session on improving outcomes for chronic kidney disease. Register now: https://lnkd.in/gmV7b7DM. #PublicHealth #CommunityCareHubs #ChronicKidneyDisease

Most people with kidney disease don’t know they have it. Chronic kidney disease affects more than 1 in 7 U.S. adults — about 37 million people. Yet 9 in 10 people are unaware because early stages often have no symptoms. When kidney disease progresses to kidney failure, patients need dialysis or a transplant. Today, 815,000 Americans are living with kidney failure, and nearly 90,000 are waiting for a kidney transplant. March is National Kidney Month, a time to raise awareness and highlight the work underway to improve kidney health. Across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, ESRD Network 16, operated by Comagine Health, partners with dialysis facilities, transplant programs and patient communities to strengthen kidney care through quality improvement, patient engagement, expanded access to home dialysis and support for transplant readiness. Improving kidney health takes collaboration — from early detection to patient-centered care. #NationalKidneyMonth #KidneyHealth

Comagine Health is excited to connect at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2026 Quality Conference next week, which will emphasize the importance of partnership and coordination across sectors. This year’s event will feature five tracks, leadership panels and keynotes focused on shaping the future of quality and innovation. If you're attending in person, stop by our tables to learn more about Comagine Health’s End Stage Renal Disease Network 16 and the American Indian Alaska Native Quality Improvement Organization. If you can’t make it to Baltimore, virtual registration is still open: https://lnkd.in/ehBK8Jwm. #QualCon26

Join us at the Northwest Rural Health Conference March 10-12 in Spokane, WA! On March 11, Comagine Health's Sara Phillips and Michael McKee will present "Closing the Gaps: Expanding Access and Support for OUD in Rural Hospitals and EDs" with Summit Pacific Medical Center's Shawn Andrews. Drawing on lessons learned and best practices, they'll share actionable steps that rural health leaders and frontline providers can take to improve patient care, reduce stigma and foster collaboration across health care and community partners. Throughout the conference, we invite you stop by our booth. - We're excited to support the implementation of Washington's statewide Community Information Exchange (CIE). Learn more about this important infrastructure investment supporting community-based care coordination — and help us learn more about your needs from the CIE. - As the CMS Rural Health Transformation Program ramps up, creating significant funding opportunities, we're committed to providing training, technical assistance and implementation support. Let's talk about how we can help you meet today's challenges. #RuralHealth

Comagine Health is proud to be a part of the One Utah Health Collaborative and to support its vision of affordable health care that improves the quality of life for all Utahns. Last year, we facilitated a clinical colorectal cancer screening workgroup to optimize the clinical care processes and clarify the screening steps. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month — a great time to schedule your screening! To learn more about the One Utah Health Collaborative’s incredible efforts to advance statewide colorectal cancer screening, read the Screen Utah: Impact Progress Report: https://lnkd.in/gXETaqNY. #ColorectalCancerAwarenessMonth #GetScreened #UtahHealth

For over 40 years, the Nevada AHEC Program has been a lifeline for rural and underserved communities by recruiting, training and placing health care professionals dedicated to essential care. AHEC helps build a highly skilled workforce to address Nevada’s provider-to-patient ratio disparities and ensure everyone receives the care they deserve. Through this work, they drive lasting change and advance equitable health care access across Nevada. Check out these highlights from Nevada AHEC’s 2024-2025 efforts to see how the program boosts the state's health care workforce. #healthcare #HealthcareWorkforce #AHEC