Ingenuity Meets Impact: What Catalyst for Health 2026 Revealed About the Future of Health Care Transformation

There are moments when a convening becomes more than an event. It becomes a signal.

At this year’s Catalyst for Health, a CQC Forum, in Sacramento, leaders from across California’s health care ecosystem came together at a time when uncertainty, complexity and competing pressures are reshaping the environment around us. Health plans, providers, purchasers, policymakers and community leaders all entered the room facing the same reality: expectations for health care continue to grow while the path forward becomes increasingly difficult to navigate.

Yet throughout the Forum, one message became clear: collaboration remains one of California’s greatest strengths.

What stood out most was not simply agreement around what needs to change. It was a shared commitment to operationalizing change together—aligning around practical solutions, implementation strategies and measurable improvement.

Moving Beyond Alignment Toward Action

Leaders explored how purchasers and health care organizations are advancing accountability for affordability, equity and system improvement during a panel session at Catalyst for Health.

One of the strongest themes to emerge from Catalyst was the growing recognition that alignment alone is no longer enough.

Real transformation happens when stakeholders not only share goals, but also build the infrastructure, workflows and accountability mechanisms necessary to move from insight to execution.

Across sessions and conversations, leaders discussed the importance of reducing fragmentation, minimizing administrative burden and creating more consistent pathways for implementation. Whether the focus was primary care transformation, behavioral health integration, affordability or quality improvement, the conversation repeatedly returned to the same challenge:

How do we make meaningful improvement achievable at the point of care?

The answer increasingly lies in shared implementation approaches that support providers while advancing systemwide goals.

The Power of the Collective

During Catalyst for Health’s participant-led unconference session, attendees collaborated on operational challenges, implementation strategies and next-step opportunities to advance health care transformation across California.

Another defining theme of the Forum was the strength of collective leadership.

The progress happening across California is not being driven by any single organization. It is the result of plans, providers, purchasers, patients and partners choosing to work together in ways that move beyond traditional silos.

That collaborative spirit has long been central to the California Quality Collaborative’s work, but this year’s Forum reinforced just how essential it has become.

At a time when the health care system faces mounting pressure, there is tremendous value in creating spaces where stakeholders can openly exchange ideas, surface challenges and build toward shared solutions.

Catalyst 2026 demonstrated that there remains a deep commitment across the field to improving outcomes without losing sight of equity, affordability or patient-centered care.

Innovation Under Pressure

Many discussions throughout the Forum also reflected the tension organizations are navigating today.

Primary care continues to absorb growing expectations. Behavioral health needs are increasing. Financial pressures remain significant. At the same time, organizations are being asked to deliver better outcomes, improve patient experience and advance equity—often without proportional increases in resources or infrastructure.

And yet, despite those realities, the conversations at Catalyst were notably pragmatic and forward-looking.

Leaders focused not only on the challenges facing the system, but on the ingenuity required to move through them. Transformation does not happen through isolated innovation alone. It happens through sustained collaboration, shared accountability and practical implementation.

Looking Ahead

As CQC looks toward its 20th anniversary next year, this year’s Catalyst for Health served as a powerful reminder of what is possible when organizations choose to align around action.

The work ahead will require continued partnership, continued innovation and continued focus. But if this year’s Forum demonstrated anything, it is that California’s health care leaders remain deeply committed to building a stronger, more connected and more equitable system together.

The conversations that began at Catalyst 2026 will continue in the months ahead—through new collaborations, shared initiatives and ongoing efforts to advance meaningful improvement across the state.

The work continues.

To continue exploring the themes and outcomes highlighted at Catalyst for Health 2026, view CQC’s 2025 Impact Report and stay connected as we continue advancing collaborative solutions to improve health care quality, affordability and outcomes across California.