Delaware Launch & Connectathon — what happened
July 13, 2026 | Delaware Launch & Connectathon. Plans, providers and technology partners came together to test a shared approach using synthetic data. Explore the July event below, or join the continuing work toward January →
July 13, 2026 · University of Delaware + virtual · more than 200 participants, in person and online.
What happened
Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro and Health Care Commission Chair Dr. Neil Hockstein opened the launch, joined by DHIN CEO Dr. Jan Lee and Smart Health Network CEO Paul Meyer — followed by an end-to-end electronic prior-authorization demonstration and business and technical working tracks with the payers, providers, health systems, vendors, and HIEs in the room and online.
- The first health plan connected — onboarded over launch weekend and testing prior-authorization workflows through the shared network path.
- Self-service worked in the wild — a state HIE connected straight to the hub and began transacting without a call, a meeting, or hand-holding.
- Providers, networks, and HIEs are connecting — sandbox signups and gateway connections continued through the day, every lifecycle event signed into the audit chain.
Said plainly: everything demonstrated and tested ran on synthetic data — no PHI, no production transactions. That’s the point of a Connectathon: prove the path before production agreements, credentials, and launch checks are required.
Watch: LIFERS with Christina Farr — “Healthcare sends 9 billion faxes a year. Delaware has a better idea” → · Event recording: request it here.
What’s next
Keep the work moving toward January. The September 28 readiness session and October 14 virtual Prior Authorization Connectathon are the next planned opportunities to compare progress and test together. Contact the team for participation details. You do not have to wait for an event to start — bring one synthetic workflow to the Preview test environment today.
The day: full agenda (as held)
The Delaware Electronic Prior Authorization Connectathon was a launch & demonstration day — Monday, July 13, 2026, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET, at the University of Delaware — STAR Campus (Audion), 540 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19713. In person & virtual.
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 9:00–10:00 | Coffee & networking — check in and meet the payers, providers, health systems, and partners in the room. |
| 10:00–11:00 | Delaware Smart Health Network Launch — welcome and call to participate: Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro · Health Care Commission Chair Dr. Neil Hockstein · DHIN CEO Dr. Jan Lee · Smart Health Network CEO Paul Meyer. Followed by a fireside chat on what prior authorization costs patients and clinicians today — and a first look at the network in action. |
| 11:00–12:00 | Smart Health Network — a deeper dive — electronic prior authorization running end-to-end on the network; how it works, the CMS-0057 suite, and the road ahead. |
| 12:00–1:00 | Networking lunch |
| 1:00–3:00 | Breakouts — business & technical tracks. Business: the opportunity, how to connect, what it takes. Technical: see it work — hands-on and watch-and-learn; no software required to follow along. |
| 3:00–3:45 | Report-outs, insights & panel with the Smart Health Network team. |
| 3:45–4:00 | Next steps to launch — the road to January 1, 2027, and how to reserve your place. |
| 4:00–5:00 | Reception |
At the July 13 event, participants tested endpoints against the Preview test environment, ran local reference software with synthetic data or watched the demonstrated workflows. Teams could participate without deploying infrastructure. The current testing resources explain how to take the next step.
What you can do now
Name your technical lead. Choose one prior-authorization workflow and test it using synthetic data. Record what worked, what remains and which team can resolve the next issue.
Bring those findings to a readiness session. Help another organization reuse the work instead of repeating it.
- 1
Run the readiness check. Deploy the Gateway and run all eight Da Vinci prior-authorization use cases end to end — a per-scenario pass/fail readiness check, with results in your Kit dashboard.
- 2
Leave with launch-cohort readiness evidence. Passing the readiness check shows per-scenario technical readiness. Readiness evidence is scenario-specific; production activation has its own agreements and checks. Production activation will require executed participation agreements, production credentials, and completed launch checks — a promotion process being finalized with launch participants ahead of January 1.
The work your systems already do for CMS-0057 and Da Vinci makes you ready to connect — and one network relationship supports additional use cases as each is activated and accepted. Connect once; reach the counterparties enabled for your activated scope.
Receive testing-event updates and information about the work toward January. Contact the team to request the July recording. Please do not include patient information, passwords or production credentials — inquiry information is handled under the Website Privacy Policy. Start testing now, and bring your results to the next shared session.
Questions in the meantime? Reach us at partners@smarthealthnetwork.org.
The September 28 readiness session and October 14 virtual Prior Authorization Connectathon are the next planned shared sessions. Future event and release dates will be announced when their scope and arrangements are confirmed.
The connectathon is organized and led by Smart Health Network, with support from DHIN. — Cut Paperwork, Not Care.
Last updated: September 2026