Becker’s asked C-suite executives from hospitals and health systems across the U.S. to share their top priorities for the remainder of the year .
The 58 executives featured in this article are all speaking at the Becker’s Healthcare 13th Annual CEO+CFO Roundtable on November 3 – 6, 2025 at the Hilton Chicago.
To learn more about this event, click here.
If you would like to join as a speaker or a reviewer, contact Mariah Muhammad at mmuhammad@beckershealthcare.com or agendateam@beckershealthcare.com.
For more information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Jessica Cole at jcole@beckershealthcare.com.
As part of an ongoing series, Becker’s is talking to healthcare leaders who will speak at our conference. The following are answers from our speakers at the event.
Question: What are your top 1-2 priorities for the 2nd half of 2025 and why?
Conor Delaney, MD, PhD, MCh. CEO and President of Florida Region at Cleveland Clinic: Innovation is at the core of what Cleveland Clinic is doing this year, and it’s showing up in big and small ways across our global health system. Some priorities never change, like workplace safety, which remains a constant focus for us. At the same time, we’re leaning into newer opportunities, with artificial intelligence quickly becoming a central theme as we explore smarter, faster ways to support our caregivers and improve the patient experience.
In 2024, we launched the StaySafe app, created for our caregivers to request help in a variety of emergency situations. The app, which can also be downloaded by patients and visitors while in our facilities, is designed to quickly connect users to site-specific support, whether it’s a police response, a safety escort or submitting an anonymous tip right from their phones. Geofenced to our hospitals and functional nationwide, the StaySafe app reflects our ongoing commitment to creating safer environments.
Cleveland Clinic is also leading the way in AI integration, with growing emphasis in the second half of the year. AI is already streamlining clinical workflows, reducing administrative burden, and enhancing the patient care experience. In February, we began rolling out Ambience Healthcare’s AI scribe tool systemwide after a successful pilot, with one caregiver even sharing their completed documentation that would normally take over an hour in just 15 minutes. It’s a great example that in evolving how we work, we’re making more time for what matters most: caring for patients.
Doug Watson. Executive Vice President and CFO of Allina Health (Minneapolis): COST STRUCTURE TRANSFORMATION: As an organization, we are focused on transforming our cost structure to support our performance improvement efforts. Like many healthcare systems across the country, we are feeling the impact of inflation that is increasing faster than our revenue. It just costs more to provide what our teams need, and we need to spend more to get the medications and innovative technologies that our patients require. We’re all working to find ways to reduce those costs in a sustainable way and improve efficiency and effectiveness so we can continue to provide expert care for many more years.
MEDICAID: Like everyone else, we are also deeply concerned about changes to federal Medicaid funding and impacts on our patients, first and foremost, but also to our organization financially. The ability to maintain current healthcare services and infrastructure in our area will be seriously challenged with drastic cuts to Medicaid. The impact will be felt by all Minnesotans and Wisconsinites, regardless of whether they are on Medicaid or not, and will remain a key point of focus for us not only for the rest of 2025, but also for the coming years.
David Miller, MD, MPH. Incoming CEO of Michigan Medicine (Ann Arbor): As we look to the latter half of 2025, we recognize the challenges facing us and other health systems related to access and funding, particularly around Medicaid. Given everything occurring outside of our walls, in the industry and more, and as an academic health system, we know it’s critical to make smart moves today to ensure we can continue to conduct research that changes care — like our recent histotripsy breakthroughs, provide expert, complex services in more convenient settings across Michigan and hardwire resiliency in how we do our work together now, so we’re well prepared to navigate all that may come. Michigan Medicine will continue to focus on our strategic priorities, embracing innovation, advancing education and enhancing our operations. We will continue to care for all Michiganders, pursue our mission and train the best and brightest future medical professionals.
Maneesh Goyal. Chief Operating Officer of Mayo Clinic Platform (Rochester, Minn.): The second half of the year is about harnessing the power of platform thinking to transform healthcare both inside the walls of Mayo Clinic and across the globe. To do this, our team is enabling solution developers to rapidly train, validate, and deploy AI models that are key to alleviating some of the most pressing problems healthcare providers face today. At the same time, we are working to expand our provider network partners, so we can offer more patients access to the Mayo Clinic Platform’s solutions.
Damond W. Boatwright. President and CEO of Hospital Sisters Health System (Springfield, Ill.): Given the workforce shortages facing all health systems, we are focused on attracting dedicated nurses and clinical staff and stepping up efforts to recruit, develop and retain top talent. Our nursing leadership has taken the first steps towards a journey to excellence to achieve Magnet status, and we additionally are putting added investment and growth plans around HSHS St. John’s College of Nursing. Our college is celebrating its 140th anniversary in 2026 and will become a key source to help us “grow our own” pipeline of nurses who wish to build their careers here and contribute to our high performing, mission-based culture.
Another main priority is advancing our shared services transformation to add value systemwide. We’ve already seen improved coordination and standardization of processes for better, data-driven decision-making. This unified approach will help us engage more effectively with external resources and adopt new technologies that drive compliance, efficiency and cost-effectiveness, all to deliver optimal care and access to our patients.
Albert L. Wright, Jr. President and CEO of West Virginia University Health System (Morgantown, W.Va.): For the second half of 2025, WVU Medicine’s top priorities remain expanding both the breadth and depth of the WVU Health System. Following our announcement of more than $460 million in new capital projects in April, we are focused on accelerating the development of new programs, services, and facilities that will increase access to high-quality care across West Virginia. These investments are critical to meeting the growing needs of our communities and ensuring that world-class healthcare is available closer to them.
Alice Pope. Executive Vice President and CFO of Novant Health (Winston-Salem, N.C.): As we move into the second half of 2025, our teams are thoughtfully strategizing and preparing for the financial constraints we expect from the implementation of the budget reconciliation bill. As is the case for non-profit health systems across the country, Medicaid programs are embedded in the critical healthcare infrastructure we sustain across our communities. As we navigate these critical changes, Novant Health’s commitment remains unwavering: maintain and strengthen the care we provide to every patient who walks through our doors.
Marlon F. Levy, MD. CEO of VCU Health System (Richmond, Va.); Senior Vice President of VCU Health Sciences: Continue sustainable process improvement that focuses on increasing inpatient and ambulatory access.
- Since we face so many changes and uncertainties in healthcare at the moment, we need to continue focusing on improving what we can control: protecting and expanding access to our care, leading with delivery of high-quality care, innovative research, and an enormous footprint in health sciences education. A strong financial and sustainable performance are essential to our being able to fulfill our mission. We focus on proactive stewardship of health system costs resources and assets, to effectively manage through the unknowns and thrive in the future.
Build on the last two years of solid financial performance to hard-wire gains and invest in refreshing and expanding our facilities, including further into the community:
- Community expansion is a vital part of our continuum of care. Our patients and communities are asking for – and deserve – health care and research closer to where they work and live. Moreover, community expansion is crucial for our ability to create space that will allow us to improve and expand our downtown operations.
Kathy Donovan. Senior Vice President and COO of Hospital Sisters Health System (Springfield, Ill.): One key priority is strengthening our nursing culture through the Magnet journey and shared governance. This is not just about recognition — it’s about building a culture where nurses feel empowered, supported and proud of the care they deliver. We’re investing in professional development, creating subject-matter experts at the point of care, and aligning around nurse-sensitive quality indicators to drive continuous improvement. Nurses must know their voices matter, and our shared leadership model ensures they help shape decisions that impact patients every day.
The second priority is maximizing supply chain performance to ensure uninterrupted, high-quality care. Our goal is to use data to make informed decisions, adjust clinical protocols and share inventory and best practices across hospitals. Ongoing supply management is important to build long-term resilience to industry challenges and supply fluctuations in order to deliver consistent care to every patient, in every setting.
Joe Gaylord. Executive Vice President and CFO of Fairview (Minneapolis): Our top priorities are sustaining our financial and operational momentum while continuing to invest in the people and systems that got us here. That means maintaining discipline around labor, length of stay, and total cost of care — areas that directly impact our ability to serve patients effectively. At the same time, we’re focused on scaling high-impact innovations like hospital-at-home and specialty pharmacy, which create long-term value and help us deliver care more efficiently. Everything we’re doing is about making sure Fairview stays resilient and ready for whatever challenges come next.
Lisa M. Goodlett. Senior Vice President, CFO and Treasurer of Duke University Health System (Durham, N.C.): At Duke Health, we are unwavering in our commitment to delivering exceptional patient care and supporting our team members. Yet, we recognize that we are at a pivotal moment: To ensure long-term sustainability and value, we are taking bold, deliberate steps to enhance operational efficiency and build a more cost-effective operational structure. During the next four months, we are mapping out a focused plan, in collaboration with all of our stakeholders, to find 7 to 12 percent in costs, an essential move which will strengthen our ability to deliver our missions and prepare for the future.
Matt Walsh. Executive Vice President and COO of Rush University System for Health (Chicago): As we move into the second half of 2025, one of my greatest priorities is extending our strategic plan. We are assessing where we need to be in five years — services, locations, operational performance, integration and technology.
Healthcare is a rapidly changing industry with razor thin margins and policy changes can upend financial and clinical strategies. The workforce necessary to meet the needs for healthcare continues to be in short supply. At the same time, the needs and expectations of our patients have changed what it means to ‘see a doctor.’ We’ve leveraged technology to build virtual care options coupled with outpatient locations near home and work.
As we look to the future, we will need new solutions to overcome clinical and operational challenges, recruit and develop our workforce and achieve our health equity goals. Today’s success will not carry us to tomorrow’s demands. As the price pressures continue, the health care labor market shrinks and demand from an aging population grows, the status quo won’t hold. From an operations standpoint, that means reimagining processes, investing in the health and wealth of the community and striking strategic partnerships as successful as our recent innovations.
For example:
- Rather than asking ourselves how we can expand cancer care incrementally, we asked the bigger question: How can we connect people in Chicago and our outstanding cancer specialists with the greatest options for clinical trials and evidence-based medical advances? We partnered with the nation’s best: MD Anderson Cancer Center.
- When we needed to modernize our supply chain system, we worked with Concordance, an industry expert, to handle our supply chain needs, replace our outdated warehouse but employ the warehouse workers from our local communities, all while reducing our costs.
- RUSH brought together philanthropic partners and community stakeholders to build a new laundry facility, Fillmore Linen, on Chicago’s West Side that employs only people who live in that community. Now all of our laundry is cleaned close by, rather than hundreds of miles away, and other hospitals are being recruited to use the service. This solution also reduced our costs.
Long-term strategic planning demands more of these innovative and bold ideas that add jobs to the community, improve operations, save money and partner with other outstanding leaders in healthcare.
Our near-term priority is achieving greater operational excellence by fully integrating our system and capitalizing on people, process and technology, led by AI, to exceed the expectations of our patients, employees and learners. We’ve brought together what had been three separate hospitals with their various outpatient sites to function as one integrated, highly coordinated health system. That means aligning our operations, from access and scheduling to pharmacy and employee benefits, so that every patient, learner, and team member has a seamless and equitable experience wherever they are. If a patient sees a Rush doctor in the west suburbs but needs to see a specialist in a downtown office, they should have that visit in hand before they leave. If they need a new prescription, they should be able to have that filled on the way out.
While several key aspects of this integration have been achieved, it is a journey with many more steps to go. We just launched Rush Connect, a unified platform that brings together all our digital health services and tools: virtual primary and urgent care; select virtual with same-day or next-day access, and a membership-based service; an upgraded MyChart app to power these services and AI-driven streamlined appointment scheduling. These services are powered by advanced technology that depends on a seamless integration of care from every one of our hospitals and our outpatient centers. I’m looking forward to seeing these achievements realize value for our patients, employees, learners and for RUSH now through the end of the year and beyond.
Deborah Visconi. President and CEO of Bergen New Bridge Medical (CenterParamus, N.J.): For the second half of 2025, my top two priorities are expanding equitable access to care and strengthening our behavioral health infrastructure—both of which are more urgent than ever in light of the recent federal legislation signed into law by President Trump that will significantly reduce Medicaid funding for safety net hospitals across the country.
At Bergen New Bridge, we are the largest safety net hospital in New Jersey. We care for more Medicaid, uninsured, underinsured, and vulnerable patients than nearly any other institution in the state. This new law will have a direct and dramatic impact on our ability — and the ability of hospitals like ours nationwide—to deliver essential services to the communities that need them most.
That’s why we’re doubling down on innovation, partnership, and operational efficiency. We are accelerating the growth of outpatient and specialty services, expanding our behavioral health capacity to meet rising demand, and implementing Epic to unify care and improve outcomes across our system.
These priorities aren’t just about organizational sustainability — they’re about preserving access, protecting public health, and ensuring that safety net institutions like ours continue to serve as lifelines for millions of Americans.
Bashar Naser. CFO and COO of CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico (Irving, Texas): My top priorities for the second half of 2025 is to secure critical service lines by recruiting enough providers and staff. Also, expand service lines based on recent acquisitions to better serve our community and provide care close to home. Finally, implement AI in our clinics to give our providers more time to be with their families and reduce provider burn out.
Meagan Weber, DPT, MBA. CEO of Scotland County Hospital (Memphis, Mo.): The last half of 2025 is the beginning of our hospital’s fiscal year. My top priorities are to reduce accounts receivable and improve revenue cycle processes, and work towards financial improvements for our hospital’s future. Our hospital is working towards a much improved measurement culture, and by the end of 2025, I want to have a good monthly process with departmental budgets with all of our hospital leadership team.
Robin Henry, RN. COO of Solvera Healthcare Center, Inc. (Peoria, Ill.): Advancing health equity through community-centered care at Solvera Healthcare Center, Inc.
As an FQHC, Solvera Healthcare Center is uniquely positioned to close care gaps for underserved populations. Our priority is expanding access to integrated, culturally responsive care — particularly in rural and economically challenged areas. We’re deepening community partnerships, enhancing wraparound services, and advocating for policies that support equitable, whole-person care. For us, health equity isn’t aspirational — it’s operational.
Char M. Boulch. CEO of Saline Health System (Benton, Ark.): My top priority for the second half of 2025 is preparing our facility and our local community for the long-term impacts of the recent budget reconciliation legislation. We’re moving beyond the initial reaction phase and into strategic planning. Reducing the static to understand what these changes mean for the people we serve.
We’re making it a priority to cut through the noise and clearly communicate what’s happening, how it affects individuals, and how we’re preparing. People need to understand how this legislation impacts their daily lives. Internally, I’m focused on ensuring our team members stay informed, supported, and equipped for what lies ahead.
While many of the most significant Medicaid reforms won’t take effect until 2028, we’re already preparing for the phased reduction of Arkansas’s provider tax. This change will have a substantial impact on Medicaid funding and hospital budgets, particularly in a state like Arkansas, where approximately 25.7% of the population relies on Medicaid and nearly half (47.1%) of residents under 19 are enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP. In a rural setting, every percentage point matters.
Scott Knoer, PharmD. Chief Pharmacy Officer of MercyOne (Des Moines, Iowa): Stop egregious PBM practices. Work with the Iowa Pharmacists Association and the state of Iowa to fend off the Iowa PBM law lawsuit filed against the state of Iowa by the Iowa Business Council, which is the pay-to-play lapdog of PCMA, the PBM lobby. PCMA knows this is a very effective law that will help stem the tide of pharmacy deserts and ensure patient access to local pharmacies and they are doing everything they can to stop it. This law will stop many of the most egregious PBM shenanigans that benefit only the middlemen and add significant cost to the healthcare system without any benefit to patients or employers. This law, if enacted as written, will significantly help our health system and pharmacies throughout the state.
Amy E. Lee. President and COO of Nantucket Cottage Hospital (Mass.): Our top priorities for the second half of 2025 center on two interdependent goals: enhancing clinical capacity and securing a stable, resilient workforce. First, we will deepen on-island specialty offerings by leveraging our affiliation with Mass General Brigham, expanding telehealth integration, utilizing visiting MGB specialists, and broadening chronic disease management programs to reduce off-island transfers and ensure timely, comprehensive care close to home. By embedding MGB’s clinical expertise into our care continuum, we can bolster areas such as cardiology, neurology, and oncology, delivering high-quality, coordinated services within our community. Second, we will focus on housing solutions for staff and providers while strengthening professional development pathways, from tuition assistance to our expanded School-to-Career program, to address housing insecurity and foster local talent growth. These parallel initiatives will not only improve access and outcomes for our patients, but also build and retain a highly skilled team committed to Nantucket’s unique healthcare needs as an island community 30 miles out to sea.
Jim Heilsberg. CFO of Tri-State Memorial Hospital and Medical Campus (Clarkston, Wash.): Top concerns are:
- Determining impact of recently passed congressional budget
- Managing ongoing changes in local provider networks.
Mary N. Mannix. President and CEO of Augusta Health (Fishersville, Va.): Augusta Health has two priorities for the second half of 2025. They include undertaking a detailed long range financial forecast to deeply understand the impact that the Big Beautiful Bill will have on our financial health over the next five plus years. We need to be clear on the materiality of these cuts and the tangential consequences — such as losing eligibility to participate in the 340 B program – which allowed us to enhance community access to care through the provision of safety net services to the region, such as our comprehensive mobile clinic. The second initiative is to marry our newly approved five year strategic plan, “Care Reimagined,” with our new financial realities. The tactics for this strategic plan will need to be evaluated and closely contemplated each step along the way. We are committed to a thriving workforce, advancing community health, improving access, key service line expansion, all built on a platform of innovation. But these pursuits will need to be planned and executed in the reality of our impending Medicaid cuts and increased uncompensated care. At a more macro level, Augusta Health intends to work closely with our state and federal trade associations and legislators on this path forward.
Becky Stoll Senior Vice President of Crisis Services at Centerstone (Nashville, Tenn.): It is important to take the time, on a routine cadence, to ensure that services and interventions being provided to individuals are what science tells us is the best practice. With our large geographic service area, we also want to make sure that we are calibrated within our own enterprise. During this second half of 2025, Centerstone is taking this look in our crisis services and suicide prevention programs. We want to make sure across our multi-state footprint that we are providing the best practices that the field has to offer. This work not only helps with positive outcomes for our patient population, but also with workforce wellness and retention.
Andrew Molosky, MBA. President and CEO of Chapters Health System (Temple Terrace, Fla.): We are watching with intent the picture that is coming into focus around the shifting collective of federal policies and funding mechanisms. As an organization focused on serving the frail and chronically ill through the vehicle of unparalleled workforce engagement, having a solid understanding of the numerous moving parts within the reimbursement landscape is critical. We are using the remainder of 2025 to make strategic adjustments on a market by market and service line by service line basis to best prepare for 2026 initiatives.
Andy Olivares. COO of Lakeview Specialty Hospital & Rehab (Racine County, Wis.): As an LTACH administrator, my top two priorities for the second half of 2025 are optimizing staffing and achieving financial sustainability through operational efficiency. We are aligning staffing models with patient acuity to ensure high-quality care while minimizing unnecessary costs. At the same time, we’re streamlining workflows, renegotiating contracts, and evaluating service lines to improve margins without compromising outcomes. These efforts are essential to maintaining both clinical excellence and long-term viability in today’s challenging environment.
Christine Zazzaro. President and CEO of McLeod Centers for Wellbeing (Charlotte, N.C.): As we move into the second half of 2025, my top priorities are focused on positioning McLeod Centers for the future amid uncertainty. First, we are exploring strategic growth opportunities beyond traditional brick-and-mortar expansion, looking at innovative ways to extend our reach and impact in the community. Second, we’re prioritizing technology solutions, including the implementation of a new EHR system and AI-powered add-ons, to enhance operational efficiency and improve our ability to analyze and respond to both patient and business needs more effectively. These initiatives will help us stay nimble and ensure we continue to provide high-quality care in a rapidly changing landscape.
Dan Grigg. CEO of Wallowa County Health Care District (Enterprise, Ore.): The recent decision by Congress to cut Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion will put immense pressure on rural hospitals that already have thin margins. To that end, beginning in August we will be implementing a 100-day workout where our entire organization will be focused on eliminating waste. Each leader will be responsible for working with their staff to identify opportunities and then implementing at least two ideas per month. Over the course of the 100 days, we expect to remove hundreds of thousands of dollars of waste from our organization.
While removing waste will be critical to our future success, I had a mentor who used to say that you can’t shrink yourself to greatness. An additional priority is to grow and strengthen our orthopedic program so that we can limit outmigration and keep more orthopedic surgery cases here locally at our hospital. This will have the dual benefit of increasing our revenue and reducing the travel burden for local patients that often need to seek services elsewhere.
Darlene Stromstad. President and CEO of Mohawk Valley Health System (Utica, N.Y.): The top priority for the second half of 2025 is to prepare for 2026. Now that the “big bill” has been approved, we are focused on understanding the potential impact on our organization, and how we will need to respond.
Jay S. Grider, DO, PhD. Chief Quality Officer and CEO of Kentucky Medical Services Foundation at University of Kentucky (Lexington): As we settle on the implications of the recent budget reconciliation act, the impact of adjustments in Medicaid and modeling of coverage changes and forecasting will be key. The intersection of clinical operations, quality and finance has never been more front of mind and the communication strategies to front line clinicians and staff as to the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of the discussions coupled with solicitation of feedback on their thoughts about where opportunities to streamline care exist are of even greater importance. Taking a fresh look at care variation that does not improve care and the concomitant cost thereof at the MS DRG level and maximizing performance on all the Value-Based Care opportunities within the academic campus and the community hospitals within the system will be areas of focus.
Helen Johnson, RN. CEO of Helen Newberry Joy Hospital & Healthcare Center (Newberry, Mich.): As a rural, critical access hospital we always operate on very thin margins. The top priorities we will be focused on as we close out 2025 will be developing a flexible strategic plan. The benefit of a smaller organization is we can be more nimble than some other healthcare systems. This agility will be crucial as the healthcare market is so volatile for the foreseeable future. We want to have multiple ways to achieve success in keeping care local.
Robert W. Brenner, MD. President and CEO of The Valley Health System (Paramus, N.J.): While we are advancing many strategic initiatives at Valley Health System, our top priority for the second half of 2025 is to improve access to care. Patients across the country rightfully expect safe, high-quality care — but their greatest frustration is often the difficulty of navigating a health system to secure a timely appointment.
Our goal is to differentiate Valley by offering seamless, timely access across all points of care — ambulatory services, the emergency department, and inpatient settings. To achieve this, we are implementing process improvement initiatives and piloting new technologies. For example, we are testing an AI-powered automated scheduling assistant to enhance the efficiency of our Access and Navigation Center.
David Ohm. Chief Strategic Development Officer of MultiCare Health System (Tacoma, Wash.): MultiCare has several key priorities for the remainder of the year. Firstly, we are heavily investing in infrastructure, with the Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital nearing completion and set to open in early 2026. Additionally, we are preparing to commence construction on a 160-bed patient tower at our Good Samaritan Hospital, which is part of our Master Plan for campus expansion.
To enhance access to care, we are rapidly growing our Indigo Care urgent care centers and are partnering with Kootenai Health to develop a medical campus in Post Falls, Idaho. We are also focused on securing financial and operational improvements by minimizing care variation, improving patient outcomes, and optimizing our analytic capabilities. MultiCare remains committed to its patient population by staying at the forefront of innovative healthcare technologies.
Erin McGarry. CFO of Westborough Behavioral Healthcare Hospital (Westborough, Mass.): Our priorities are recruiting RN’s and MHT’s (mental health technicians) and retention-we want to create a culture where people do their best work every day and are compensated fairly for the work that they do.
We also are making considerable capital improvements on our facility.
John M. Fogarty. President of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Needham (Needham, Mass.): Our organization’s top priorities will center around building value in the community setting by expanding access to innovative services such as robotics and digital health programs and doing so with a highly engaged workforce. A second top priority will center around collaborating with our system colleagues to successfully navigate the impacts posed by the recently passed Trump administration agenda. Smart innovation will present positive opportunities. The federal agenda will confront our organization with newfound challenges.
Trampas Hutches. Regional President of Mountain Region at MaineHealth (Portland): In the second half of 2025 at MainHealth, we’re doubling down on reimagining how we do our work — not just improving workflows, but fundamentally redesigning them for speed, simplicity, and sustainability. Our top priority is instilling radical rigor around our fixed cost structure and operational efficiency, because margin is mission, and the old playbook won’t carry us forward. At the same time, we’re driving cultural change that rewards resilience, future-mindedness, and the courage to challenge “how it’s always been done.” In a noisy world, we’re choosing clarity — staying laser-focused on execution, elevating what matters most to patients and staff, and building a health system ready for the next decade, not the last one.
Heather Dexter. President of Regional Hospital Division at Emory Healthcare (Atlanta): As we move into the second half of 2025, my top priorities are:
1. Driving Seamless System Integration to Elevate Patient Experience and Operational Efficiency
Our strategic priority is to create a unified, high-reliability health system that delivers consistent, high-quality care across all Emory hospitals. We are advancing digital front-door strategies, integrating evidence-based care pathways, and aligning performance metrics to reduce clinical variation and operational fragmentation. This approach is designed to enhance access, elevate safety and quality, and ensure a more seamless, personalized experience for every patient—regardless of their point of entry into our system.
2. Investing in Workforce Well-being and Culture to Sustain High Performance
Our people are our greatest strength. As healthcare continues to face unprecedented change, it’s critical that we double down on building a culture that fosters trust, inclusion, and resilience. We’re investing in well-being initiatives, leadership development, and recognition programs that reinforce our cultural beliefs and ensure our teams feel seen, supported, and empowered to lead change.
Together, these priorities reflect our unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional care while building a stronger, more agile health system for the future.
Michael Mutterer, RN. President and CEO of Silver Cross Hospital (New Lenox, Ill.): My top two priorities for 2025 are Access and Growth
While those may be broad answers I believe that as an independent hospital we have to continue to expand our footprint (grow our primary and secondary service markets) and create easy access to the healthcare services we offer the communities we serve.
Paula Stabler, MSN, RN. President of OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital (Ohio): As President of the hospital, my top priorities for the second half of 2025 are to increase access to care for family medicine and specialty care services. We’re focused on expanding access while ensuring patients receive high-quality care close to home. Equally important is driving improvements in patients satisfaction and strengthening associate engagement and morale. Their efforts support our broader mission of delivering exceptional, patient center care to the communities we serve.
Hossain Marandi, MD. President of Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital; System Vice President of Pediatric Services at SSM Health (St. Louis): Our top priority for the second half of 2025 is advancing the construction of the new SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, a transformative project that represents the future of pediatric healthcare in our region and beyond.
Slated to open in fall 2027, this state-of-the-art facility will serve as the flagship for SSM Health’s pediatric service line, anchoring a bold vision for the next generation of care. Purpose-built for children and families, the new hospital will integrate cutting-edge technology, innovative care models, and a design that prioritizes healing, access, and efficiency. More than just a building, it is a commitment—to deliver the highest level of pediatric care to the children of St. Louis and surrounding communities for decades to come.
Jim Serratt. CEO of Parkside Psychiatric Hospital & Clinic (Tulsa, Okla.): As CEO of Parkside and a 35-year veteran in behavioral health, I’ve never seen a moment quite like this — one where both the urgency and the opportunity are so starkly clear.
1. Prepare for the impacts of Medicaid cuts and weakened social support.
The legislation signed in July 2025 will have cascading effects on the kids and families we serve. With reductions to Medicaid starting in FY2029 and significant pullbacks in social determinants of health funding (housing, nutrition, transportation), our first priority is proactive adaptation.
That means doubling down on clinical pathways that prevent crises, ensuring we are part of every relevant Medicaid redesign conversation, and working in coalition with CCBHCs, local med-surg hospitals, and behavioral health partners to shore up community integration. No single organization can absorb these shocks alone — we’ll need coordinated infrastructure to respond effectively.
2. Build sustainable financial strategies without abandoning innovation.
Even as we confront financial headwinds, we cannot allow innovation to be the first casualty. Our second major priority is finding the balance between sustainability and creativity — leveraging limited investment to pursue technology, workflow efficiency, and value-based pilots that actually improve patient outcomes.
That includes exploring digital triage tools, optimizing EMR data to predict and manage youth acuity, and developing payer partnerships that reward outcomes, not just volume. If we’re smart and strategic, the innovations we choose in the back half of 2025 can generate both better care and better margins heading into an uncertain future.
Together, these two priorities reflect both realism and resolve. We know the landscape is shifting — but we also know the stakes are too high to respond with hesitation. This is the moment to lead with clarity, conviction, and an unshakable focus on what matters most: protecting the most vulnerable and building the systems that will still be standing five years from now.
Aaron F. Hajart, MD. Chief Operating Officer of Community Medical Center at RWJBarnabas Health (West Orange, N.J.): We are focused over the second half of the year at improving some operational efficiencies, particularly those related to length of stay and improving the discharge process. With a large Medicare population, getting our patients discharged to the appropriate level of care in a timely fashion is often impacted by payor authorizations and other placement challenges. We are rolling out new tools to support our case management team but also leveraging our EHR to reduce unnecessary work by our staff. Additionally, we continue to work to drive down our turnover rate. While we are dramatically better than the national average, we know there is still opportunity in early service turnover and are employing a number of initiatives such as 30-60-90 day stay interviews, leadership development, and our system’s approach to senior leader rounding. Employee engagement is critical in reducing the turnover rate and the focus on not only addressing opportunities our team members escalate but closing the loop by broadly and consistently communicating our corrective actions is a key tactic.
Britt Tabor. Executive Vice President and CFO of Brooks Rehabilitation (Jacksonville, Fla.): Navigating the economic and regulatory volatility will be the focus for the last part of 2025. Gaining insight into the recently passed federal bill will be key to incorporating scenario modeling and real-time forecasting to ensure Brooks Rehabilitation stays ahead of any significant impact. In addition, AI continues to take center stage for clinical and operational efficiency. Appropriate adoption is key to solidifying our infrastructure for quality outcomes while at the same time balancing the cybersecurity risk that comes with new technologies.
Elisabeth Hardin. COO of McLeod Centers for Wellbeing (Charlotte, N.C.): One of my top priorities for the second half of 2025 is implementing an employee listening strategy to better understand and respond to staff needs, improve engagement, and support retention.
Timothy Collins, EdD. CEO of UCR Health (Riverside, Calif.): For the second half of 2025, our main priorities are expanding our provider network and improving access to care throughout the region, while maintaining high service standards and clinical quality. We are strategically growing our footprint to meet rising demand for services and aligning our network to deliver more coordinated, patient-centered care. Simultaneously, we are advancing key operational improvements in service delivery, including strengthening our revenue cycle and enhancing the patient experience. These efforts are interconnected — expansion without operational excellence is unsustainable, and operational excellence without better access limits our impact. By focusing on both network growth and service quality, we fulfill our mission and set the stage for long-term success.
Peter D. Banko. President and CEO of Baystate Health (Springfield, Mass.): We have spent this past year (my first year leading Baystate) focused almost exclusively on financial resilience. We have made such tremendous progress in a short period of time and will continue that work over the next 30-plus months. Our equally important top priority for the second half of 2025 is culture and engagement. This is a longer-term proposition, understanding we won’t start seeing “results” for two to three years or getting to where we want to be for five to seven years. We are laying the groundwork for culture and engagement which are the foundations for elevating clinical excellence and our bold growth agenda.
Beth Roberts. President of Beth Israel Lahey Health Performance Network (Cambridge, Mass.): In the second half of 2025, Beth Israel Lahey Health Performance Network (BILHPN) will begin implementing its new, three-year strategic roadmap, advancing our evolution into what we call a second-generation clinically integrated network. We are building on a strong foundation to further align our systemwide culture around delivering value while minimizing the burden on physicians, practices, and hospitals. Patient demand for our providers is strong, so we are leveraging innovative technology, aligned incentive models, expanded analytic capabilities, and collaborative payer partnerships to improve population health, reduce the cost of care, and enable our providers to do what they do best: deliver high-quality care.
Sham Firdausi. CFO of ScionHealth – Watertown Regional (Wis.): For the second half of 2025, I’m driving a focused and data-driven refresh of our core service lines to reinvest in areas that will shape the future of care delivery in our region. We are evaluating contribution margins, access bottlenecks, and throughput challenges to make smarter resource decisions that support growth, reduce friction for clinicians, and expand access for patients. At the same time, we are advancing revenue cycle modernization by improving front-end access, streamlining authorizations, and accelerating denial prevention through automation and analytics. At Watertown, these efforts are not theoretical. They are essential to protecting rural access, improving operations, and building a system that truly works for the people we serve.
Nadir Ijaz. Corporate Chief Government and Public Affairs Officer and Michigan COO of Insight Health Systems (Chicago): Our top priorities for the second half of 2025 are: (1) achieving financial stability and (2) positioning each of our hospitals for long-term sustainability through thoughtful growth and strategic alignment.
As a safety-net system, the uncertainty surrounding Medicaid and DSH funding demands that we tighten operations and improve efficiency. That includes leveraging AI in the revenue cycle and patient access to reduce administrative burdens and protect frontline capacity. At the same time, we’re focused on growth that creates economies of scale and gives each of our hospitals room to lead in areas of distinct community and national need such as building a center of excellence around Alzheimer’s care.
These efforts aren’t just about weathering the moment but about laying a foundation where mission and sustainability can thrive together.
Brad Meyer. CEO of Bluestem Health (Lincoln, N.E.): For the remainder of 2025, I believe we’ll all be focused on understanding how the new federal legislation will impact our organizations. We’ll take a close look at how it could affect our operations and finances, and identify the compliance steps we’ll need to take. From there, I’ll develop a plan to help us navigate the changes over the next few years and work with our board and teams to ensure we stay aligned and on track.
Bob Sehring. CEO of OSF HealthCare (Peoria, Ill.): As OSF HealthCare looks toward the remainder of 2025, a top priority for us, and I am sure many other health systems, is how best to position the organization to navigate the impacts of the federal budget bill signed into law in early July, in particular the effects on Medicaid coverage. We will also be keeping a close eye on the impact of price increases/supply disruptions due to tariffs. Additionally, OSF HealthCare will continue to focus on innovation in the coming months, especially in the rapidly evolving space of AI and the positive impact that can have on productivity.
Adam Breslow, MD. President and CEO of Children’s Primary Care Medical Group (San Bernardino, Calif.): As a pediatric primary care medical group with a patient base 300,000 children, 46% Medicaid, we are working to understand the implications of HR1 and how to best prepare for the ensuing revenue/service cuts. On a personal note, I am stepping aside on January 1, 2026, so am working diligently with my successor for a smooth transition of administrations. So far, it’s been a non-event, and that’s good.
Cody Walker, RN. President of Baptist Health Medical Center – North Little Rock (Ark.): Access and Access. We are retooling every entry point to create an efficient, reliable, and predictable end-to-end solution for our consumers. With reimbursement reductions on the horizon, the urgency to be the provider of choice is paramount.
Judy Peek-Lee. CFO of University of Vermont Medical Center (Burlington): With significant margin compression, we are focused on 2 main areas – quality and affordability. Patients need both and it’s important to all of us. Delivering the right care with the right cost – both internal costs and costs to the patient must be examined while always looking at improving the quality of care delivered.
Shlomit Schaal, MD, PhD. President and CEO of Houston Methodist Physician Organization; Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Executive of Houston Methodist: At Houston Methodist, two of our priorities have centered around continually enhancing patient care access and promoting the wellbeing of our physicians. Our patient experience team has enhanced scheduling options and streamlined provider communication through its access transformation initiative. Meanwhile, our professional fulfillment and experience team recently conducted the first year of our Joy in Medicine Initiative listening and learning tour. This endeavor collected feedback from our physicians about what brings them joy and what we can do to elevate the environment for them and our patients. This valuable information will help inform our physician wellbeing strategy that will be unveiled this fall.
David Walker. CEO of George E. Weems Memorial Hospital (Apalachicola, Fla.): My top priorities for the second half of 2025 are focused on ensuring a strong finish to our fiscal year, both financially and operationally. Achieving this will provide the foundation we need to continue expanding our services and meeting the healthcare needs of our rural, geographically isolated community as we move into 2026.
Another key priority is completing our CT Renovation project. This initiative is vital to enhancing our patient care experience, ensuring that our facility remains equipped to deliver high-quality care to the individuals and families we serve.
Vicente Resto, MD, PhD. Chief Physician Executive and Senior Vice President, Health System Ambulatory Operations and Surgical Services at the University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston): As a physician executive leader, my top two priorities for the latter half of 2025 are access and capacity utilization. Communities within the markets we serve continue to grow as well as age. These forces are driving increasing demand for services broadly which in turn drive our continuing work around access to all of our services. Furthermore, ongoing inflationary forces affecting labor, supplies, and infrastructure costs are driving us to develop new models of care and management as important ways to improve our efficiencies in support of this growing demand for services.
Kristopher Doan. President of Augusta Medical Group at Augusta Health (Fishersville, Va.): My top priority is establishing a senior provider leadership structure for the organization. Provider led organizations perform better, and as a non-physician, I know I need to surround myself with physician and APP leaders to shape the future of the organization.
Another priority on my list for this year is establishing more flexibility in the provider employment models. This is not an easy endeavor as we have always been taught standardization is the key to efficiency. Well, when you are so rigid in standardization that it results in provider turnover, you start to think differently about offering flexible employment. This is a culture shift – for the leadership team, for providers, for patients. But we must adapt to the needs of a changing workforce!
Len Lacefield. CEO of Clinton Regional Hospital (Okla.): Clearly one of the most prevalent topics moving towards the end of 2025 are the details and semantics of the Big, Beautiful Bill. My specific interest is how it will affect rural healthcare, distribution of funds into rural healthcare over and above the governance of those funds through the states that we do business in. Second is the manifestation of increases for Physicians and physician services in rural community hospitals. I am not as concerned about the cuts of Medicaid because I do feel like anyone who is capable of enjoying Medicaid benefits from our tax base should be required to be productive in the workforce and produce a work product that would move our society forward.
Governing bodies to include payers will honor reimbursement for Medicaid, as well as our Medicare population, which I think at the end of the day will prove to have an uptick at some level for the services rendered for our Medicare population.
The second topic that I am focusing on is to identify the purchase of additional hospitals to implement our rural health strategy. Providing services closer to home that matter the most versus the risking of lives and inconvenience when encountering endless transfers, from facilities that are managed by large corporations solely for the benefit to transfer them to larger populations for the delivery of care that could otherwise be served in rural communities. This provides many positive benefits including the elevation and quality of care, via direct access to that care. More than fifty-million people in our rural communities experience restricted or low access to root medical care. All of us in healthcare must refocus on these basics and the provision thereof in smaller communities or regional centric communities, focused and targeted care. Specifically meeting the core needs of our populations and the draw of communities up to 50 to 75 miles from our rural facilities that can deliver care such as dialysis, diabetes, routine outpatient services, longevity programs, cardio, cardiopulmonary rehab, physical therapy, mental health, and others. Services that are associated with the root cause of our country’s medical needs. This is our responsibility as healthcare leaders, and no one else. For decades healthcare and the payment thereof has always fluctuated and self-leveled. Any of us who have been in healthcare for any length of time have recognized that payers are going to win, providers want to be paid. and patients require excellent care. Executive level, C-Suite administrative personnel have a higher calling than ever to ensure that these things come together. Providing positive outcomes to all of the patients that we are privileged to take care of.
Rina Bansal, MD, MBA. President of Inova Alexandria Hospital; Senior Vice President of Inova (Fairfax, Va.): Earlier this year, Inova conducted an engagement and culture of safety survey. As a system, we achieved an impressive 89% participation rate, with Inova Alexandria Hospital reaching 86%. Our 2025 engagement favorability was 89%, placing us in the top quartile nationwide. While these results are strong, I believe there’s always room for improvement. My focus for the second half of the year is to celebrate our successes and execute meaningful initiatives based on survey results.
Some of the key themes identified this year include wellbeing, communication, and psychological safety. I suspect these findings are likely similar to those of other health systems, reflecting increasing demands, higher clinical acuity, and greater complexity overall. It’s critical that we, as leaders, take these results back to our teams, engage them in open and collaborative dialogue, and together create robust action plans that truly resonate. We know that engaging team members every step of the way builds trust, strengthens culture, and leads to more sustainable change.
Another ongoing priority is reducing the burden on our teams. To help team members work at their highest level, we must ensure they have the right resources and support. This can be as simple as eliminating non–value-added meetings, providing radiology technicians with clinical tech and transporter support, and using AI to streamline documentation. By reducing unnecessary workload, we not only enhance team wellbeing—we also deliver safer, more compassionate world class care.
