NCPDP Highlights Innovation and Real-Time Progress at 2026 Annual Conference

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- NCPDP announced highlights from its 2026 Annual Technology & Business Conference, The Heart of Health Information Exchange. The conference brought together healthcare and pharmacy leaders from across the nation for impactful keynote sessions, educational programming, federal insights, and recognition of industry leaders.

"Like the heart, health information exchange is constant, essential, and foundational to improving patient outcomes," said Lee Ann Stember, President & CEO of NCPDP. "Our focus remains on strengthening interoperability, reducing administrative burden, supporting patient access and safety, and ensuring that pharmacy continues to play a central role in a more connected, data-driven healthcare system."

The conference opened with a keynote from Alex M. Azar II, who brought a critical lens as both a policymaker and industry expert to his kickoff keynote address and Q&A. As former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Azar shared perspectives on public–private collaboration, the evolving regulatory landscape, and the accelerating pace of digital transformation

A featured federal panel brought together leaders from across government to discuss the need for faster, more adaptable standards and infrastructure.

Key discussion highlights included:

• Amy Gleason, Acting Administrator of the U.S. DOGE Service and Strategic Advisor to CMS outlined CMS's modernization efforts, including a multi-year transformation of its claims infrastructure to support real-time data exchange and AI-driven capabilities. She emphasized reducing administrative burden and accelerating care delivery, and highlighted the new prior authorization pledge with major health plans aimed at streamlining and improving the prior authorization process across the healthcare industry.
• Thomas Keane, MD, MBA, National Coordinator for Health IT, US Department of Health and Human Service emphasized the expansion of nationwide interoperability frameworks, including TEFCA, and the need to enable more dynamic, real-time data exchange, particularly to streamline processes like prior authorization.
• Shelly Winston, MBA, Director of Payment Reconciliation for Medicare Part D, CMS discussed efforts to improve affordability and access through initiatives like the GLP bridge program, designed to help bring more predictable and affordable drug pricing to Medicare Part D beneficiaries. She also highlighted ongoing work to enhance transparency and efficiency in pharmacy benefit administration.
• Julian Chun, PharmD, MBA, Consumer Safety Officer, Drug Registration and Listing System Office of Compliance Center for Drug Evaluation and Research U.S. FDA addressed the transition to 12-digit National Drug Codes (NDCs). He highlighted how advanced barcoding and serialization technologies will support more accurate product identification, strengthen supply chain integrity, and improve patient safety across the medication use process.
• Matt Rahn, Director, Standards Division at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT joined fellow panelists for an interactive discussion with attendees, facilitating a listening session that encouraged audience questions and feedback. The session reinforced the importance of ongoing collaboration between government and industry to accelerate innovation and ensure standards evolve alongside real-world needs.

Together, the panel reinforced a clear industry shift toward "real-time everything," where interoperability is no longer theoretical but actively tested and implemented in production environments.

Scott Biggs, Director of Supplier Services at IQVIA, also delivered the highly anticipated IQVIA Market Trends Report, offering a comprehensive, data-driven review of the healthcare market and key trends shaping the year ahead.

Throughout the conference, NCPDP highlighted progress across its strategic pillars, demonstrating a measurable impact across the healthcare ecosystem. From advancing interoperability initiatives and strengthening standards to expanding federal engagement and launching new solutions, the organization continues to support a more connected and efficient healthcare system.

Other Conference Highlights:

TIME Award Recipient

NCPDP honored Karen Eckert, R.Ph., MPM, Director of Clinical Sales Support at Wolters Kluwer, with the 2026 Individual Member Excellence (TIME) Award. A 30-year member of NCPDP, Eckert has made significant contributions across committees, task groups, and industry initiatives, helping to advance the organization's mission and impact across healthcare.

Champion Award

NCPDP recognized Melissa Paige, President, National Association of Medication Access & Patient Advocacy and co-CEO, Healthcare Advocate Summit with the 2026 Champion Award for her outstanding service and commitment to advancing the organization's mission and strengthening collaboration across the healthcare industry.

Rising Star Award

Taylor Hynes, NTC from RxSense was named the 2026 Rising Star Award recipient, recognizing emerging leadership and meaningful contributions to NCPDP and the broader healthcare community.

Benjamin D. Ward Award

Jennifer Ausbrook, NTC from Express Scripts received the 2026 Benjamin D. Ward Award in recognition of her dedication, leadership, and lasting contributions to NCPDP and the pharmacy industry.

The conference also recognized new leadership and appointments to the NCPDP Board of Trustees. Chris Mendez, Vice President of Data Strategy and Operations at Mercalis, was appointed Chair. Kim Boyd, Principal at Leavitt Partners, was re-elected to serve an additional term and was named Vice Chair.

NCPDP welcomed Jenny Birk, Vice President of Regulated Markets Operations and Oversight at Express Scripts, as its newest Board member, while Mindy Smith, R.Ph., MHA, Senior Vice President of Professional Affairs at AnewHealth, was re-elected to serve an additional term.

NCPDP's 2027 Annual Technology & Business Conference will be held May 3–5, 2027, at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona, where the organization will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

About NCPDP

The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP), established in 1977, is a nonprofit ANSI-accredited Standards Developer (ASD) with members across the healthcare industry. NCPDP develops standards and solutions to improve the exchange of information for medications, supplies, and services, including the SCRIPT Standard for ePrescribing and the Telecommunication Standard. Named in federal legislation such as HIPAA and HITECH, NCPDP has been advancing healthcare interoperability for decades. Its data products include dataQ^® and resQ(tm), providing insights on over 80,000 pharmacies, and HCIdea^®, containing information on nearly 4 million prescribers. Learn more at http://www.ncpdp.org. 

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SOURCE NCPDP