AI, Agility, and Connected Impact at Alliance 2026
February 12, 2026 | AI, Alliance26, ConnectedCare, patient outcomes
Join the Medscape team in Atlanta, February 16–19, 2026, as Alliance celebrates 50 years of excellence in continuing education for health professionals. We’re bringing our 3 decades of experience in independent medical education to a community that continually pushes the field forward.
Across 4 engaging educational sessions, our team will dive into measuring real-world clinical outcomes and patient behavior, and how to deliver meaningful educational impact while remaining agile. We will also unpack the ethical complexities of AI in education and offer practical, hands-on guidance for anyone looking to elevate their presentation skills.
Anchoring these conversations is our William Felch Award–nominated research on our solution, ConnectedCare. ConnectedCare moves beyond traditional “parallel” education to a truly tethered and integrated model. Most independent digital education for clinicians and patients has historically run in silos, with little ability to see whether learning ever converges in the real world. ConnectedCare closes that gap by using de-identified, claims-connected data to orchestrate aligned and integrated education for both patients and their treating clinician and then measure what happens across the patient journey.
“One of the most important things we’re sharing this year is the power of recognizing patient behavior as a measurable outcome of patient education,” said Katie Lucero, PhD, Chief Impact Officer at Medscape. “We know education can shape patient behavior and, ultimately, their journey, through ConnectedCare, we can now demonstrate that impact with clear, meaningful outcomes.”
This integrated design of ConnectedCare focuses on 4 key drivers across the patient journey:
- Educating and empowering patients so they feel confident advocating for themselves and intend to act on what they learn.
- Enhancing clinician knowledge and skills to support evidence-based care and shared decision-making.
- Strengthening patient–clinician alignment so both parties agree on the best approach and follow-through is more likely.
- Improving access to care by ensuring patients and their HCPs are equipped with the latest evidence.
Because Medscape reaches 95% of NPI-verified US clinicians and WebMD is a leading, trusted health information destination for patients, ConnectedCare can deliver coordinated education at speed and scale and then link that engagement to de-identified claims data to see what changed. In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, this methodology led to up to a 9x increase in evidence-based management compared with education delivered only to clinicians or only to patients, underscoring the impact of truly connected learning.
Ongoing reporting makes these outcomes visible. Four-month metrics show who was reached and how they engaged, while a 7-month ConnectedCare Impact Report goes deeper into who changed, what changed, and what should happen next. By 10 months, additional data further clarifies long-tail effects on visits, diagnostics, and treatment decisions. This commitment to rigorous, real-world measurement is at the heart of Medscape’s Alliance 2026 story: education that not only informs but measurably accelerates the patient journey and improves care.
When and Where Can You Find Us?
Full Conference Sessions below:
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
William Felch Award Presentation: Measuring the Differential Impact of Healthcare Professional and Patient Education on Clinical Outcomes: A ConnectedCare Analysis in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Presenter: Katie Lucero, PhD, MS,
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm ET | Centennial Ballroom 3 & 4
Discover how Medscape’s ConnectedCare approach—which aligns healthcare professional and patient education initiatives—demonstrates measurable clinical outcomes. This session will compete for one of the profession’s most prestigious honors.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Leverage Project Agility and Implementation Fidelity to Achieve Excellence in Education
Presenters: Brian McGowan, PhD, FACEHP, LB Wong, RN, MSN, MBA, CHCP, BCMAS, Hilary Schmidt, PhD, Katie Lucero, PhD, MS
10:30 am – 12:00 pm ET | Regency 7
Learn how to balance flexibility with rigorous execution to deliver high-quality educational programs that achieve their intended impact.
The Great AI Debate: Just Because We Can, Should We?
Presenters: Sara R. Fagerlie, PhD, CHCP; Alison Kickel, CHCP, FACEHP; Nuria W. Negrao, PhD; Natasha McGrath, MBA; Jasleen K. Chahal, PhD; Andrew Crim, M.ED., CHCP, FACEHP
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm ET | Regency 5
Join this interactive debate exploring the ethical considerations, practical applications, and potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence in continuing health professions education.
From Fear to Flourish: My Transformation Into a Confident Presenter
Presenters: Katie Lucero, PhD, MS; Stacey Hughes
4:45 pm – 5:15 pm ET | Regency 6
Overcome public speaking anxiety with practical strategies and personal insights from presenters who’ve made the journey from nervous to confident.
Connect with Medscape
Medscape is proud to sponsor the Alliance Awards Reception on February 16 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM, featuring a champagne toast presented by Amy Bernard, longtime Medscape leader and Alliance member. Join us in celebrating excellence in continuing education for health professionals.
Visit Table #300 throughout the conference to discuss AI in education, ConnectedCare, measuring impact, and more with our team.
For additional information about Medscape’s participation in the Alliance 2026 Annual Conference, please contact Laura Gaskell (lgaskell@webmd.net).
This content was provided by Medscape Education
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