NASHVILLE, TN — The 2026 NIC Spring Conference is set to bring the long-term care industry’s most influential voices together in Nashville from March 30 to April 1, as operators, capital providers, and policymakers gather to confront the sector’s biggest challenges head-on.
Organized by the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care, this year’s program takes direct aim at the growing gap between capital providers and clinical operators — a tension that has only intensified as baby boomers surge toward higher acuity care and chronic condition management.
Nashville is no coincidence as the backdrop. The city’s deep roots in private equity and healthcare delivery make it a natural home for conversations about middle-market affordability and post-acute stress.
“The industry’s next act is being written in Nashville,” NIC organizers said in their program preview.
Who’s on the Main Stage
The keynote lineup is headlined by Gary Bacher, chief strategy officer at the CMS Innovation Center, who will outline the agency’s vision for senior living in a dedicated general session — a timely appearance as the industry watches closely for signals on value-based care and reimbursement reform.
Another marquee session, “Leading the Transformation: Skilled Nursing Models for Tomorrow,” will feature Barry Port, CEO of Ensign Services, alongside Mark Parkinson, former president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL, as they tackle how the SNF sector can adapt to evolving regulatory demands and value-based care models. Both figures carry significant weight in the industry — Port as the leader of one of the nation’s top-performing SNF chains, and Parkinson as the former chief advocate for long-term care providers.
Who Attends and Why It Matters
Seniors housing and care professionals make up the largest share of NIC Spring attendees at 31%, followed by lenders and debt providers at 17%, with investor and equity providers and transactional services each accounting for 14%. For skilled nursing operators, that mix means rare face time with the capital sources and dealmakers who shape the industry’s financial future — especially important at a moment when acquisition activity is accelerating and financing conditions remain tight.
Hands-On Sessions for Operators
Beyond the main stage, attendees can tap into the Innovation Lab track, which offers smaller, interactive sessions covering topics including “Modernizing Memory Care” and “Incentivizing and Retaining Property-Level Leaders” — the latter targeting the stubborn labor challenges that continue to strain operators across the country.
Registration and the preliminary program are available at springconference.nic.org.
