2026 Conference Schedule

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm    Board of Directors Meeting

5:30 pm - 7:00 pm    Welcome Reception
 
Grab a drink and an appetizer, and mingle with the board, sponsors, speakers, and fellow attendees before the conference kicks off.



8:00 am - 8:45 am    Breakfast

8:45 am - 8:50 am    Welcome from CKCA President
Speaker: Maria Garcia, Fresenius Kidney Care

8:50 am - 9:50 am  Opening Keynote - From the Chair to the Care Team: Using Lived Patient Experience to Improve Engagement, Outcomes, and Purpose in Dialysis Care.
Speaker: Cameron Lillie-Liberto, Patient Experience Consultant, Educator, and Kidney Patient Advocate, The Dialysis Mindset

This session brings a unique dual perspective, both as a lifelong dialysis patient and a former dialysis technician and educator, to bridge the gap between clinical care and the lived patient experience.

Through personal storytelling and real-world insight, this presentation explores what dialysis feels like beyond the numbers: the emotional weight, the search for purpose, and the moments that shape a patient’s willingness to engage in their care. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how communication, empathy, and small shifts in approach can significantly impact patient outcomes, adherence, and overall well-being.

This session will also provide practical, actionable ways healthcare professionals can better connect with patients, foster trust, and support a more purpose-driven mindset, ultimately improving both patient experience and clinical results.

9:50 am - 10:50 am  Networks Update
Speakers: Barbara Dommert Breckler, Quality Improvement Director, Comagine Health; more coming soon!

Network 18: This presentation will cover an overview of the new CMS ESRD Network Contract and ways dialysis providers, and the ESRD Networks can partner to improve patient outcomes.

Network 17: Details coming soon!
 
10:50 am - 11:15 am  Break with Exhibitors

11:15 am - 12:15 pm  GLP-1 RAs, Weight Loss & CKD: Maintaining Muscle Mass and Nutritional Status                            Speaker: Annmarie Duggan MS, RD, LDN, Pentec Health                                

This presentation will provide an overview of the use of GLP-1 RAs for CKD/ESKD patients with a focus on maintaining adequate nutritional status, muscle mass, muscle strength and function during weight loss. Additional content will include practical dietary guidelines for the management of GLP-1 RA related gastrointestinal symptoms, achieving optimal protein intake and specific nutrients of concern.

12:15 pm - 1:15 pm  Beyond Compliance: Building Reliable Systems for Survey Success.
Speaker: Allison Brown, BSN, RN, CNN, Nurse Surveyor, National Dialysis Accreditation Commission (NDAC)                                           
This presentation will provide a focused, operationally grounded approach to survey readiness, anchored in an analysis of the NDAC Top 10 most frequently cited deficiencies. Attendees will gain insight into the typical citation patterns observed under these tags, including gaps in infection control practices, incomplete or inconsistent documentation, breakdowns in equipment maintenance processes, lapses in water quality monitoring, vascular access visibility and care concerns, and deficiencies in QAPI integration and follow-through. 

1:15 pm - 2:15 pm   Lunch

2:15 pm - 3:15 pm     Ethics and Life Planning: Finding Hope and Inspiration with our Patients and Families. 
Anne Pugh, MSW, LCSW, Self-Employed/Sutter Health  
                                    
Life Goal Planning will be examined as the foundation of Care Planning with discussion of why social workers are uniquely                                                  positioned to help dialysis patients and families thrive within a system that seems to run counter to what patients may want,                                                value, and are able to achieve. Examples of Life Plans and ethical issues will be explored for use in practice.

3:15 pm - 3:45 pm     Legislative Update. 
Speakers: Kristi Foy, Legislative Advocate, Arnold & Associates; Kelli LeHeureux, Legislative Advocate, Resilient Advocacy  

A timely look at the policy and regulatory developments shaping dialysis and kidney care today, and what they mean for your practice going forward.         

3:45 pm - 4:15 pm     HR1 Impacts to the Medi-Cal Program. 
Speaker: Sarah Crow, Division Chief, Medical-Eligibility Division California Department of Health Care Services     

This session will provide an overview of major changes to the Medi-Cal program resulting from the passage of H.R. 1, including work and community engagement requirements and six-month renewals.                                                                          

4:15 pm - 4:30 pm     Snack Break with the Exhibitors

4:30 pm - 6:00 pm     Innovation Panel. 
Moderator: Gopa Green, MD, FASN, Associate Chief Medical Officer, U.S. Renal Care
Panelists: Dinesh Chatoth, MD, FASN, Chief Medical Officer, Fresenius Kidney Care, Dalia Zaky Dawoud, MD, MSc, FASDIN, Interventional Nephrologist, Nephrology Associates Access Center, Jeffrey Giullian, MD, Chief Medical Officer, DaVita Kidney Care | Ramya Malchira, MD, Nephrologist & Internal Medicine Physician, UCLA, Unini Odama, MD, MPH, MBE, FASN, Nephrology/Health Policy, RWJF, Yazir Qazi, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, USC

Six physician leaders on where dialysis, transplant, and policy are headed next. Don't miss it.










                    









6:00 pm - 7:15 pm     Reception

Stay for a beverage, small bites, and conversation before you head out. Traffic will be lighter, and you might just win a raffle prize!