The Texas External Quality Review Organization team hosted another successful Annual Texas Medicaid & CHIP Managed Care Quality Forum in April 2026. The event in Austin provided exceptional access to experts in healthcare quality.
This year’s two-day event, themed “Champions of Quality: Building Partnerships to Improve Member Health,” gathered more than 220 attendees from across Texas, both in person and virtually.
The forum featured engaging discussions from national and state healthcare leaders. A keynote address featured two representatives from the Centers for Medicare & CHIP Services: Dr. Caprice Knapp, the principal deputy director, and Dr. Deirdra Stockmann, the director of quality and health outcomes. Emily Zalewski, the chief Medicaid and CHIP services officer for Texas, provided opening remarks.
Navigating complexity
Attendees explored critical topics impacting Medicaid populations, including maternal health, behavioral health, and dental care. Community-based organizations also shared powerful examples of how meaningful partnerships can improve health outcomes, strengthen communities, and advance quality across healthcare systems.
One session explored “Navigating the Future of Managed Care Quality: Metrics, Changes, and Opportunities.” The session’s three speakers from the Texas External Quality Review Organization were Deepa Ranka, director, Irina Bondoc, assistant director of analytic services, and Frank Hu, an IT analyst.
The Institute of Child Health Policy at the University of Florida serves as Texas Medicaid EQRO and brings more than 25 years of experience designing, implementing, and evaluating quality improvement and healthcare delivery initiatives for Medicaid and other publicly funded programs. Through extensive evaluation projects, the team has developed deep expertise in healthcare quality measurement, program evaluation, data analytics, and performance improvement strategies focused on vulnerable and high-needs populations.