2026 Patient Access Collaborative Symposium
Columbus, Ohio
The 2026 Patient Access Collaborative Symposium is open for registration!
We are excited to bring everyone together again! This year, we are hosted by Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio on May 12-14, with optional sessions on the 11th.
The pinnacle of the Patient Access Collaborative is our annual symposium. This event brings together access leaders from across the country in a forum designed to maximize collaboration. Enjoy workshops focused on access-related issues like analytics, digital transformation, and access center management. The conference is not to be missed as our members present compelling solutions to the most challenging aspects of patient access.
The symposium is a unique event that features members engaging with members in a vendor-free space; our complete agenda will be released in April to ensure that we bring you the most timely, relevant content.
Watch this video to learn more about the event and how to make the most of your time there!
Only members may attend our annual symposium; member institutions may send between four or six registrants (depending on health system size), one of whom must be a director level or above. If your institution would like to send more than the allotted amount of people, they will be placed on a waitlist pending availability.
Registration closes May 1 or when we reach capacity so register now!
Optional Pre-Conferences: Children's Hospitals and Nurse Triage
We are pleased to offer programs exclusively for our children's hospital members and access leaders engaged with nurse triage. Registrants may select to attend one of these two special sessions on Monday & Tuesday as a stand-alone program - or you may continue onto the Patient Access Collaborative Symposium.
1. Children’s Hospital Access Program — May 11–12, 2026
The Case of the Broken Front Door: A Patient Access Collaborative Whodunit
May 11 – The Conference Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Registration opens at 10:30 AM, alongside an optional guided tour of Nationwide Children’s outpatient practices (10:30 AM–12:00 PM), offering participants a firsthand look at ambulatory operations and patient-centered care environments. (Separate registration is required.) The formal program begins with a working lunch at 12:00 PM in the Nationwide Children’s conference room. The afternoon session opens with Grace Karon Fangman, Director of Business Operations & Strategic Planning at Texas Children’s Hospital, who will set the stage for our investigation before turning the session over to Nationwide Children's to lead the day’s collaborative discussions. Programming concludes at 5:00 PM. Parking at Nationwide is included in the program registration.
May 12 - 7:00am - 1:00pm - session continues at the Columbus Hilton Downtown, breakfast included. Parking at the Hilton is not included in the program registration.
2. Patient Access Success through Centralized Clinical Support - May 11-12, 2026
May 11 and May 12 - Columbus Hilton Downtown
Join fellow nurse triage leaders for an energizing day-and-a-half program dedicated to advancing centralized nurse triage strategy, performance, and value. Featuring interactive networking and a lively “Spill the Nurse Triage Tea” café session, the agenda includes exclusive insights from the 2026 Centralized Nurse Triage Benchmarking Survey, expert-led presentations on competency measurement, onboarding readiness, productivity, and outcomes measurement, and dynamic panel discussions with leaders from top health systems across the country. Attendees will explore how to build a world-class centralized nurse triage program, quantify productivity, mitigate risk, demonstrate value, and unlock the potential of nurse triage in access - while earning 11.0 continuing education hours and building meaningful peer connections throughout curated networking and discussions.
May 11 - 8:00 am to 4:30 pm - Hilton Columbus Downtown, includes breakfast & lunch
6:00 pm: organized small-group local dinners
May 12 - 8:00 am to 12 noon - Hilton Columbus Downtown, includes breakfast
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
Parking
Parking is not included in the program registration.
Valet parking is available at both 401 N. High Street & 402 N. High Street (two different lots)
Overnight Parking
$50 per night(includes in/out privileges)
Short-Term Day & Event Parking
$30 (does not include in/out privileges)
Self-Parking is available in the Vine Street Parking Garage, located at 45 Vine Street
$43 per night(includes in/out privileges)
You must have an active account to register. You can create your account here: Create Account - Patient Access Collaborative.
HOTEL:
We highly recommend that you make your hotel reservations as soon as possible, as our lodging availability is limited.
Hilton Columbus Downtown is offering a discounted conference rate of $239.00 plus tax per night. There are a limited number of rooms available at this rate and must be reserved by April 11. You can book directly online at this link or call 855-380-9591 and reference the group code: 96I. There are no guarantees for hotel availability after Monday, April 11, 2026.
*If you have to cancel your reservation, please contact us at admin@patientaccesscollaborative.net prior to doing so with the hotel.
FLIGHTS:
Please make your own flight arrangements, which are the attendee's responsibility. When booking your flights, please keep in mind that our sessions will begin on Tuesday, May 12 at 1:00 pm EST; the formal part of the symposium concludes at 3:45 pm EST on Thursday, May 14. If you are attending one of the pre-conference programs, be sure to review the opening time to schedule your flights accordingly.
John Glenn International Airport (CMH)
TRANSPORTATION:
The airport is approximately 20 minutes from the conference venue, although the travel time depends on traffic. There is no complimentary conference shuttle or transportation provided to the conference venue upon arrival. However, there are plenty of taxis and rideshares available.
We have arranged for transportation back to the John Glenn International Airport on Thursday (registration + fee required) at the conclusion of the conference; however, you are also welcome to arrange your own.
PARKING:
Hotel parking is $50 for valet overnight, $43 for self-park overnight and ~$20 for daily (dependent on number of hours). We note that there are alternative downtown garages that may allow self-parking at a lower rate. We do not have any discounts or waivers for the hotel parking. The city is very walkable -- given the (very) high parking rates downtown, we recommend walking or rideshares if possible!
PAYMENT DEADLINES AND CANCELLATIONS:
Conference fees must be paid by April 21, 2026 in order to guarantee registration. If not received by April 21, 2026, your reservation may be subject to cancellation.
Cancellations must be submitted in writing to the Patient Access Collaborative by April 21, 2026 in order to receive a refund, less a $100 administrative fee. Cancellations made on or after April 21, 2026 are not eligible for refunds. Substitutions are welcome at no cost before May 10. You are responsible for any cancellation fees related to your hotel and flight reservations.
Our conference is unique in that we feature our members discussing timely, relevant topics; in the spirit of ensuring that we deliver the most current content, we will release the full agenda and program details in April.
If you have questions about the conference, please email us at admin@patientaccesscollaborative.net or call/text us at 404.272.2274.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you in Columbus!
For More Information:
admin@patientaccesscollaborative.netAtlanta, GA 404.272.2274
“I have never attended any conference in which there are so many sessions I want to attend. Not only am I excited to go, but I leave with a renewed sense of optimism that we can make it (patient access) better.”
Balqis Elhaddi, MHSA
Senior Director, Patient Access Services, Michigan Medicine