For organizations such as Columbia, Mo.-based MU Health Care — an academic health system that sees large patient volumes across a broad regional footprint — high demand for care can be a catalyst for innovation.
“The challenge for us is really aligning the constraints that involve our workforce, physical space and then processes and workflows,” CEO Ric Ransom told Becker’s.
Access, workforce and financial stability remain top of mind for Mr. Ransom heading into 2026, building on key efforts implemented in 2025. One such initiative is aimed at reducing left-without-being-seen rates at Capital Regional Medical Center in Jefferson City, Mo., which the system acquired in 2024.
Post-integration, MU Health Care saw a surge in emergency department visits and an uptick in patients leaving before being seen. Leaders established an ED observation unit, reworking the patient staging and staffing model, which has brought the rate of patients leaving without being seen down to less than 2%, a meaningful improvement from pre-integration levels, Mr. Ransom said.
The system has also reduced wait times for screening colonoscopies.
“Through process engineering and recruiting additional gastroenterology faculty and providers, we’ve been able to reduce those wait times from over 90 days in many instances to less than two weeks,” Mr. Ransom said. “Demand for care in an environment where there’s a national physician shortage is usually not the problem for places like us — it’s trying to align staff constraints, and then workflows and processes.”
MU Health Care serves several rural communities and is working to expand access to ambulatory and primary care.
“With a lot of the pressure on rural hospitals and demands for care in our service area, we’re being more deliberate about how we deploy the resources we have,” Mr. Ransom said. “With clinic space, nursing staff, physicians and advanced practice providers, looking at processes and tools that we use is incredibly helpful in trying to get the most out of the existing clinical footprint or resources that we have available.”
System data shows Boone County, where MU Health Care is based, is short more than 20 primary care providers. The organization has recruited several clinicians over the past year and is considering new scheduling templates to optimize clinic access. It has also opened urgent care locations in communities affected by hospital closures, Mr. Ransom said.
Workforce engagement
Mr. Ransom said workforce stability depends most on retention, engagement and strong local leadership. He cited the system’s office of well-being and emphasis on culture as key drivers.
“There’s a lot of focus on recruitment, where retention is one of those things that can kind of fly underneath the radar,” he said. “Improving retention is probably the most important thing that organizations can do to try to stabilize their workforce.”
MU Health Care has spent the last year refining its culture, with Mr. Ransom placing extra attention on building a workplace where people want to stay — something reflected in engagement surveys. The executive team has launched several programs to connect directly with front-line staff, including Chat with the Chiefs — small-group sessions with 10 to 12 employees and senior leaders — and a monthly Ask a Leader video segment that answers anonymous staff questions.
“This idea that we have the ability to meet employees where they are with communication needs through several venues has been really helpful for us in creating that kind of culture where people feel heard,” he said.
Looking ahead, Mr. Ransom expects his role to involve deeper engagement in policy and advocacy in 2026. He cited the adoption of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and related state-level policy shifts, including Rural Health Transformation Program funds, as key drivers.
“With the rapid changes at the federal level, a lot of those dominoes are still falling,” he said. “As a CEO, my involvement with other healthcare executives, political leaders at the state level, our Missouri Hospital Association and the American Hospital Association — the level of activity to evaluate, advocate and respond on behalf of academic health systems and hospitals that are serving rural communities — that is one area where I expect there’ll be more time, effort and attention over the next year.”
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