OPEN MINDS Announces 2026 Service Excellence Institute Focused On Clinical & Operational Excellence
Gettysburg, PA (April 4, 2026)—OPEN MINDS announced the dates and location for the 2026 OPEN MINDS Service Excellence Institute, taking place August 11–13, 2026, in San Francisco, California. As one of the few executive-focused events dedicated to service excellence in behavioral health, the Institute will provide leaders with practical strategies to improve performance, strengthen care delivery, and drive better outcomes.
This year’s theme, Build Momentum By Advancing Better Care, frames a three-day program focused on clinical resilience, operational improvement, and service line growth. Attendees will engage with real-world case studies and executive perspectives that translate directly to action: responding to shifting clinical trends, tightening operational efficiency, and applying new technologies to raise the standard of care.
The institute will begin with two in-depth executive seminars:
Optimizing Health Plan Contracting: Building Referrals, Revenue & Margins, led by Rick Gutierrez, Ph.D., BCBA, Senior Associate at OPEN MINDS. This seminar will equip executives with a practical framework for building payer relationships, aligning services with health plan priorities, and demonstrating the organizational value needed to secure and optimize contracts in a value-based reimbursement environment.
Portfolio Management To Optimize Organizational Performance: To Optimize, Retire & Build A Service Line Portfolio For The Future, led by Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM, Senior Associate at OPEN MINDS. This seminar will walk executives through a disciplined approach to evaluating current service lines, making strategic invest-or-exit decisions, and building the financial and operational argument for new service development.
The Thursday morning keynote session, Combining Smart Data & Collaboration For Better Performance With Banner Health, will feature Marjorie Bessel, M.D., Executive Vice President & Chief Clinical Officer at Banner Health. Dr. Bessel will share how a system-wide initiative combining real-time data, interdisciplinary teamwork, and operational alignment transformed patient flow and care performance across six states. By breaking down clinical silos and creating smoother care transitions, Banner Health unlocked capacity equivalent to 100 additional beds—and the ability to serve nearly 10,000 more patients in a single year.
Debuting at this year’s Institute, The 2026 OPEN MINDS Digital Therapeutics Expo will showcase eight FDA-cleared or authorized digital therapeutics selected from across the country. Each finalist will give a 30-minute presentation of how their product is reshaping care, improving patient engagement, and driving better health outcomes to a room full of CEOs, COOs, and clinical leaders actively exploring technology adoption.
The Institute will also feature The 2026 OPEN MINDS Aging In Place Summit, a full-day program for executives addressing the growing care needs of older adults with complex conditions. Sessions will cover best practices for service delivery, sustainable funding strategies, new technologies to improve outcomes, and more.
“Health and human services organizations are navigating a level of market complexity that demands both strategic clarity and operational agility,” said OPEN MINDS Chief Executive Officer Monica E. Oss. “The Service Excellence Institute is designed for leaders ready to move from reacting to building, with the tools, insights, and peer connections needed to move their organizations forward.”
Behavioral health leaders are encouraged to attend with their teams to strengthen clinical resilience, elevate performance, and build service lines that deliver measurable value—exclusively at The 2026 OPEN MINDS Service Excellence Institute.
The full agenda can be found at excellence.openminds.com/agenda.
Registration is now open. Registration is included with membership in OPEN MINDS Circle Market Intelligence Service; if you are a Circle member and have not received your registration code via email so you can register at no charge, contact OPEN MINDS at 877-350-6463.
For questions about OPEN MINDS educational programs, sponsorship opportunities, or media inquiries, contact the Executive Education Events team at events@openminds.com or 717-334-1329.
Premier Partners & Exhibitors
OPEN MINDS institutes are made possible by OPEN MINDS premier partners, Alera Health, Cantata, Core Solutions, Netsmart, Otsuka, Qualifacts, Spectrum Healthcare, and Trillium Health Resources.
Featured exhibitors for the 2026 Service Excellence Institute include Cantata, ContinuumCloud, Core Solutions, Genoa Healthcare, iCAREManager, and Qualifacts.
About OPEN MINDS
OPEN MINDS is a national market intelligence, management consulting, and marketing services firm specializing exclusively in the high-needs consumer market – mental health, addiction treatment, cognitive disabilities, chronic health conditions, elder services, health-related social needs, and adjacent markets within the health and human service field. The OPEN MINDS mission is to provide payers, service provider organizations, pharmaceutical, technology, and scientific firms that serve these consumers with the market and management knowledge needed to improve their organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Learn more at openminds.com.