Valued Voice

Last week, the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) welcomed more than 30 quality and patient safety leaders from state hospital associations across the country for the Allied Associations for Quality (A2Q) fall meeting in Milwaukee. Attendees represented organizations from coast to coast and beyond, including Massachusetts, California, Texas, Alaska, Hawaii and more.

State hospital association quality and patient safety leaders gathered in Wisconsin for the 2026 Allied Associations for Quality (A2Q) Fall Meeting.

A2Q provides a valuable forum for hospital association leaders to share best practices, exchange insights, discuss emerging challenges and identify innovative solutions that support hospitals and the patients they serve. Discussions this year focused on a wide range of issues affecting hospitals nationwide, including quality measurement, patient safety, health care affordability, workforce well-being, maternal and behavioral health, artificial intelligence (AI), workplace violence prevention, discharge barriers, sepsis care, value-based programs and emerging state and federal health care initiatives.

In addition to facilitating national collaboration, the meeting provided an opportunity to showcase the work and partnerships that are helping Wisconsin hospitals address some of health care's most pressing challenges. During a session focused on workforce well-being, WHA highlighted Wisconsin’s collaboration with Dr. Mike Stadler of Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment and Dr. Stefanie Simmons of the Dr. Lorna Breen Foundation, two key partners in ongoing efforts to support the well-being of Wisconsin’s health care workforce. Their participation gave attendees an opportunity to learn firsthand about statewide strategies and resources being deployed in Wisconsin while demonstrating the strong partnerships and collaboration that make this work possible.

WHA President and CEO Kyle O'Brien welcomes attendees to Wisconsin for the 2026 Allied Associations for Quality (A2Q) Fall Meeting, hosted by the Wisconsin Hospital Association.

Epic leaders also joined the discussion, representing the Electronic Health Record (EHR) perspective and providing updates on the current state of AI in health care, emerging innovations and evolving policy and regulatory considerations, while highlighting the implications for quality improvement, clinical workflows and patient care.

For Wisconsin, hosting A2Q provided an opportunity to showcase the innovative work taking place across the state while learning from successful approaches being implemented nationwide. The meeting strengthened relationships with national partners and generated new ideas that can be applied to support Wisconsin hospitals and the patients they serve.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Do Tank and Heartland IntelliCare, for supporting this year's A2Q meeting and helping foster conversations on the future of quality, safety and innovation in health care.