After a successful debut last year, the Practice Innovation Summit will return to ACR Convergence 2026 as a preconference add-on to in-person registration, with a focus on building smarter, stronger, and financially sustainable rheumatology practices. Attendees can also register for the Practice Innovation Summit without purchasing an ACR Convergence meeting pass.
“The program is packed with sessions that are highly relevant to the practicing rheumatologist running their business,” said Chris Phillips, MD, Chair of the ACR Committee on Rheumatologic Care (CORC). “Certainly, there is a focus on private practice, but the sessions are applicable to employed or academic folks as well. We’ll address the nuts and bolts of running a practice and hot issues that they may run into.”
Taking place Friday and Saturday, November 6–7, the Summit will feature expert insights in educational presentations, opportunities for dialogue with thought leaders in the field, and peer-to-peer networking.
“It will be a smaller setting—a few hundred people sitting at tables together with a lot of time for Q&A with each session,” Dr. Phillips explained. “There’s going to be a networking reception as well, so there will be a lot of opportunities for folks to get feedback and have interaction with speakers and fellow attendees.”
As an added benefit, CME will be offered for the first time for participation in the Practice Innovation Summit.
CORC developed this year’s program in coordination with the National Organization of Rheumatology Managers (NORM). Among the Summit highlights, multiple presentations will address coding and billing, including a talk from Jean Acevedo, LHRM, CPC, CHC, CENTC, AAPC, about making documentation audit-proof. Alvin Wells, MD, PhD, FACR, FACP, and Jeffrey R. Curtis, MD, MS, MPH, will discuss artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on the clinic and operational workflows. Christine Stamatos, DNP, ANP-C, will share strategies for onboarding advanced practice providers, and Colin Edgerton, MD, will provide guidance on negotiating value-based contracting.
“And then there’s going to be a couple of hours of sessions given by office managers that are going to go over financial oversight, revenue cycle management issues—hot-button issues we need to be aware of, watching the dollars and cents,” Dr. Phillips said.
Speakers will also examine some of the challenges facing infusion sites, as well as what private practitioners need to be prepared for regarding biosimilars in infusion.
While Practice Innovation Summit registration can be purchased without purchasing an ACR Convergence meeting pass, the two-day Summit schedule is designed to coordinate with key conference programming.
The first day of the Summit begins at 8 a.m. and concludes with the FIT Recruiting Roundtable, 5:30–6 p.m. The Private Practice Networking Reception, a joint gathering of fellows in training, ACR staff, and private practice attendees, will follow, from 6–7 p.m.
The second-day schedule, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., allows attendees time to attend the Review Course (7:45 a.m.–12 p.m.) before the Opening Session and Grand Opening Networking Event (4–7:15 p.m.) at the end of the day.
“CORC has really wanted to better meet the needs of our practicing members, and private practice especially,” Dr. Phillips said. “Our goal was to put this together as something where you could come just for the weekend if you wanted to, so you can register for this as part of a bundled ACR Convergence registration, but you can also just register for it alone. We’ve put high-yield sessions back-to-back-to-back for private practitioners.”
JOIN US IN ORLANDO
If you haven’t registered for ACR Convergence 2026, register today to participate in this year’s premier rheumatology experience, November 6–11 in Orlando, Florida. All registered participants receive on-demand access to scientific sessions after the meeting through October 31, 2027.
