What makes Portland the perfect host for Putting Care at the Center 2025
Community & consumer engagement Strengthening ecosystems of care
A look into the Beehive: Our annual conference’s “science fair for adults”
Ahead of Putting Care at the Center 2025, we learn how the annual Beehive session benefited past presenters.
Building the complex care field Strengthening ecosystems of care Convening Data sharing Policy & advocacy Quality improvement Workforce development
The Beehive is among the most unique and celebrated fixtures of the annual Putting Care at the Center conference: an open forum for ideas, models, practices, tools, and other innovations presented by their creators for the rest of the complex care field to consider. Referred to as “a science fair for adults,” the space features a wide array of complex care experts and innovators who are there to share what’s worked to improve care delivery, data evaluation, policy and advocacy, program design, and collaboration in their communities.
The benefit of the Beehive for conference attendees is obvious: a buffet of thought leaders ready to talk one-on-one about how to build partnerships and improve care. But what benefit do the presenters get from the Beehive? That answer is a little more diverse.
Ahead of Putting Care at the Center 2025 in Portland, OR, from October 15 – 17, we caught up with three Beehive facilitators from last year’s conference in Pittsburgh, PA, to learn more about their Beehive stations and how feedback and engagement during the session has since affected their team’s work.
Presenter(s): Jodie Bryk, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Medical Director, UPMC Enhanced Care Program
Beehive station topic: Improving quality, reducing unplanned care: UPMC Enhanced Care Program outcomes
Jodie: The Beehive was a wonderful, inspiring event to connect with like-minded individuals. Following the Beehive, my team and I were able to publish the findings of the improvements in reducing unplanned care in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. It was helpful to discuss these positive outcomes with the participants at the Beehive and share that a sustained, long-term, high-utilizer clinic can not only feel like the “right thing to do,” but can also meet the goals of reducing unplanned care.
I was also excited to build a new link with the Penn Medicine and Lancaster General Care Connections Program through the workshop, and we have since set up two team meetings to share our processes and experiences caring for patients with complex needs throughout this year. I also gained more insight into the role of legal support in complex care from the Beehive. We developed a partnership with a pro bono lawyer in our area to help with our patients.
Presenter(s): Janice Tufte, patient collaborator in health systems research and quality improvement
Beehive station topic: Partner mentorship in complex care: Be the change
Janice: Inspired by the Think and Do Tank I participated in at The Patient Revolution, I developed a mentoring and mentorship framework with resource links I later posted on my website. At Putting Care at the Center 2024, I collected takeaways from the mentoring and/or mentorship prompts I had placed on the table. The feedback to the questions I posed were enlightening and inspiring!
To the question, “Are you seeking a mentor?”, one attendee commented, “I would like to turn my expertise into a marketable resource.” Another stated that they “had not thought about this themselves and were wondering how others might help them advance their goals in their career around complex health and social needs.”
I also posed the question, “What are the qualities of a mentor?” There was agreement on many traits: responsiveness, transparency, accessibility and positivity, being a good listener and the ability to “meet people where they are,” being patient and non-judgmental, an encourager, and a good synthesizer of information. One individual coined a term I liked, saying that a good mentor is “honestest.” I expect that term might relate to effective and productive bi-directional conversation and feedback.
When asked, “What is needed for effective mentorship?” participants highlighted empathy, trust, scheduled times, open communication, active listening, subject matter expertise, guidance, support, and safe space to share their thoughts. The mentoring and mentorship Beehive station was much more active than I had anticipated; I had five or six people at the table at one time, juggling answering questions or providing some concepts around the prompts and listening to their stories. It was really an experience I enjoyed. I recommend attending and hosting a Beehive for everyone!
Presenter(s): Danny van Leeuwen, founder, Health Hats; Ellen Schultz, health policy consultant, Ellen Schultz Consulting
Beehive station topic: Hacking healthcare: Network for success
Danny: We engaged conference participants to join our Community-Research Partnership Mastermind Group. Fourteen people responded, and five joined our first session hosted one month after the [presidential] inauguration. Responders’ backgrounds varied from community partners to researchers and non-profit leaders. Responders to the group were primarily interested in overcoming barriers, growing as a leader, and assessing challenges with people not currently connected to their work.
The first two meetings focused on survival in this currently chaotic, disruptive environment. Then, we decided to shift to topics around maintaining community relationships. At the third meeting, we considered how community relationships had a continuum of power and relationship dynamics. More updates to come!
Don’t miss your chance to implement, innovate, and collaborate in complex care. Register for Putting Care at the Center 2025 here, and apply to host a Beehive station by May 7 here!
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