Behavioral Health Outcomes Consortium to convene payer and provider leaders in September

Behavioral Health Outcomes Consortium 2026 will gather behavioral health, payer, provider, health plan, technology and policy leaders Sept. 8-10 at Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach to build a shared framework for defining and measuring outcomes. The summit will culminate in a white paper and feature a keynote from former Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy.

Why it matters: - Behavioral health leaders still lack a shared way to define success, measure progress, and evaluate long-term impact. - The summit aims to narrow gaps between payer and provider priorities around accountability, transparency, and quality improvement. - A common outcomes framework could influence how behavioral healthcare is measured and managed across the system.

What happened: - Behavioral Health Outcomes Consortium 2026 will take place Sept. 8-10, 2026, at Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach in Dana Point, California. - The event will bring together payer, provider, health plan, technology, policy, and behavioral health leaders. - The summit is designed as a first-of-its-kind executive working session, not a traditional presentation-driven conference. - The conference will end with a capstone keynote by The Honorable Patrick J. Kennedy.

The details: - Attendees will participate in facilitated payer-provider alignment forums and executive working sessions. - Those sessions will feed a post-conference white paper. - The white paper will outline a proposed behavioral health outcomes definition framework. - The framework is expected to include proposed definitions, areas of payer-provider alignment, and recommendations developed through the conference. - Michael Castanon, CEO of Alter Behavioral Health and Care Predictor, said behavioral health outcomes cannot be defined in silos. - Castanon said the goal is to move the industry from broad agreement about outcomes to clearer definitions, shared language, and practical recommendations. - Kennedy is a former U.S. Representative and co-founder of The Kennedy Forum and One Mind. - Kennedy led the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act effort in Congress during his 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. - Behavioral Health Outcomes Consortium 2026 is supported by premium partner TPN.health; platinum partners ERPHealth and Kipu; and founding sponsors Care Predictor and Alter Behavioral Health. - Additional speakers, facilitators, and participating organizations include leaders from Optum, Magellan Health, Meadows Behavioral Healthcare, Sandstone Care, Mainspring Recovery, Harlow Gardens, Circa Behavioral Healthcare Solutions, TPN.health, Soda’s Consulting, Hansei, and other organizations across the behavioral health ecosystem. - To learn more or register, visit BHOC26.com and click Register. - Media interviews and additional conference information are available upon request.

Between the lines: - The format signals a push toward policy and operational alignment, not just networking. - The emphasis on a white paper suggests the organizers want the event to produce a usable industry framework. - Kennedy’s role adds policy credibility and underscores the conference’s focus on parity, measurement, and coverage standards.

What's next: - Organizers will use the September sessions to develop consensus-driven outputs. - The post-conference white paper will capture the proposed framework and recommendations. - More speakers, facilitators, and participant organizations may be announced before the event.

The bottom line: - BHOC26 is trying to do what behavioral health has long lacked: get key stakeholders to agree on what outcomes mean and how to measure them.