DirectTrust(R) Announces its 2026 Annual Conference Theme: Trust at the Crossroads

WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / March 25, 2026 / DirectTrust^®, a non-profit healthcare industry alliance focused on furthering trust in health technology and data exchange through standards, accreditation, and other services, today announced the theme for its 2026 Annual Conference: Trust at the Crossroads. The event will take place October 20-21, 2026 at the Oracle Innovations Campus in Kansas City, Missouri.

The conference will bring together health and social care professionals, technology leaders, policymakers, and innovators for two days of interactive sessions, networking, and collaboration focused on identity, privacy, security, interoperability, and artificial intelligence (AI), with an emphasis on balancing risk and benefit across the health ecosystem. DirectTrust also announced Oracle as the conference’s Platinum Sponsor, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing trust, security, and innovation in health technology.

“Healthcare organizations are being asked to advance interoperability, strengthen security, and adopt emerging technologies like AI, all at the same time,” said Scott Stuewe, President and CEO of DirectTrust. “The challenge is not just moving forward, but doing so in a way that preserves trust, protects data, and works in real-world environments. At the same time, we need to peer around corners for a glimpse of solutions that can thrive in an uncertain future. This conference brings together the stakeholders responsible for alignment on innovations that embrace practical and durable approaches.”

The 2026 conference will build upon the momentum from last year’s event, themed The Intersection of Interoperability, Identity, and Cybersecurity, which centered on advancing secure data exchange, strengthening digital identity, and addressing rising cybersecurity threats across healthcare. The event featured provocative discussions on health data exchange policy, Direct Secure Messaging, metadata standards, and patient and provider identity, alongside keynote perspectives on collaboration, federal priorities, and improving patient access and outcomes.

Additional agenda details, including featured sessions and speakers, will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information on attending or sponsoring this year’s event, please visit bit.ly/DirectTrust2026. Super Early Bird registration is now open and will be available through May 15, 2026.

About DirectTrust^®
DirectTrust^® is a non-profit, vendor-neutral alliance dedicated to establishing trust in a connected world. The organization serves as a forum for a consensus-driven community focused on health communication and cybersecurity, an ANSI standards development organization, an accreditation and certification body governed by EHNAC, and a developer of technical trust frameworks and supportive services for secure information exchange like Direct Secure Messaging and identity-verified credentials.

The goal of DirectTrust is to develop, promote, and, as necessary, help enforce the rules and best practices necessary to maintain privacy, security, and trust for stakeholders across and beyond healthcare. In addition, DirectTrust is committed to fostering widespread public confidence in the interoperable exchange of health information while promoting quality service, innovation, cooperation, and open competition in healthcare. To learn more, visit: DirectTrust.org.

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Media contact:
Dave Anderson
andersoni.com
dave@andersoni.com

SOURCE: DirectTrust

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