Top Business School Graduate Students to Compete in Annual Healthcare Case Competition This Week in Washington, D.C.

The HEAL Network Sponsors the 2026 BAHM Case Competition, Challenging Top Students from Seven Universities to Improve U.S. Healthcare Price Transparency

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, April 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Business School Alliance for Health Management (BAHM) will host its annual BAHM Case Competition on April 10, 2026, at Morning Consult headquarters in Washington, D.C. The event, sponsored by the Health Economists & Academic Leaders (HEAL) Network, will challenge graduate student teams from seven leading business schools to tackle one of healthcare’s most pressing emerging issues: translating medical price transparency data into scalable, consumer-facing solutions. Teams will present their business plans before a distinguished panel of industry judges.

2026 Case Topic: Consumer Engagement with Medical Price Transparency Data

The U.S. healthcare system has entered a new era of price transparency. Federal rules now require hospitals and health plans to publish detailed pricing information, including negotiated rates for common services. Yet despite this unprecedented availability of data, consumer engagement remains limited — and the promise of price transparency to reduce costs and improve healthcare decision-making has yet to be fully realized.

Student teams have been challenged to develop a scalable business plan that transforms available medical price transparency data into a consumer-facing solution capable of reaching and engaging 5 million consumers by 2028. Business plans must address behavioral, technical, and economic barriers to adoption while demonstrating a credible pathway to national or global scale. Each team’s proposed solution will be evaluated on strategic clarity, feasibility, financial sustainability, policy relevance, and societal impact.

“The BAHM Case Competition gives the next generation of healthcare leaders a unique platform to develop market-ready solutions to some of the most complex challenges facing our healthcare system. The HEAL Network is proud to support this exceptional event,” said Dr. Stephen Parente, Founding Director of the HEAL Network.

Participating Universities

Seven universities are competing in the 2026 BAHM Case Competition, each presenting an original consumer-facing healthcare pricing solution:

- Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business
- Boston University Questrom School of Business
- Georgia State University Robinson College of Business
- Indian School of Business (ISB)
- University of Colorado Denver Business School
- University of Miami Herbert School of Business
- University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management

Sponsoring Organization: The HEAL Network

The 2026 BAHM Case Competition is sponsored by the HEAL Network, a community of economists and academics dedicated to advancing sound research to improve healthcare policy. The HEAL Network focuses on injecting rigorous economic thinking into healthcare policy debates at both the federal and state levels, united around the principles of greater competition, innovation, accountability, consumer choice, and transparency in America’s healthcare sector.

The HEAL Network is led by Founding Director Stephen T. Parente, PhD, MPH, MS, the Minnesota Insurance Industry Chair of Health Finance at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. Parente previously served as Chief Economist for Health Policy on the Council of Economic Advisers at the White House and as Senior Adviser to the Secretary for Health Economics at the Department of Health and Human Services. He is also the BAHM faculty representative for the University of Minnesota.

Distinguished Panel of Judges

Student presentations will be evaluated by a prestigious panel of healthcare policy experts and industry leaders, including:

- Adam Atherly, Seymour and Ruth Perlin Professor of Health Administration and Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Andrew Bremberg, Former Director of the Domestic Policy Council of the United States
- Bryana Mayer, Adjunct Faculty, University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management
- Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Former Director of the Congressional Budget Office and Chief Policy Economist of the Council of Economic Advisers
- John Barkett, Managing Director in BRG’s Healthcare Transactions and Strategy Practice
- Paul Fronstin, Director of Health Benefits Research, Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)

About the Business School Alliance for Health Management (BAHM)

Formed in 2010, BAHM is an international consortium of 22 leading business school health management programs supporting faculty, students, and graduates in advancing education, scholarship, and leadership in healthcare management. BAHM has hosted case competitions since 2011, offering students the opportunity to develop innovative solutions to real-world healthcare business challenges, network with peers and professionals, and compete for prizes of up to $10,000. Winning teams may also be invited to publish their work in BAHM’s peer-reviewed journal, Health Management, Policy and Innovation (HMPI).

BAHM member schools span North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa, and include: Baruch College Zicklin School of Business; Baylor University Hankamer School of Business; Boston University Questrom School of Business; Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management; Emory University Goizueta Business School; Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business; Harvard Business School; HEC Paris; IESE Business School, University of Navarra; INCAE Business School; Indian School of Business; Johns Hopkins Carey Business School; Strathmore University Business School; University of Colorado Denver; University of Miami Herbert Business School; University of Michigan Ross School of Business; University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management; University of Toronto Rotman School of Management; University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business; Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management; Washington University Olin School of Business; and Yale School of Management.

Event Details

Date: April 9–10, 2026
Venue: Morning Consult, Washington, D.C.
Format: Semifinal rounds, finalist presentations, and awards ceremony

Stephen T. Parente
Health Economists & Academic Leaders (HEAL) Network
steve@TheHEALNetwork.org
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
X

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.