Health system CEOs have seen their roles continue to evolve in 2025, as they navigate transformation, workforce pressure, financial strain and rapid technological change — often all at once.
Today, those pressures require a different kind of leadership — one built not only for crisis response, but for sustained, incremental adaptation. That means leading operations, mission and culture simultaneously, while providing clarity to staff amid emerging challenges.
In interviews with Becker’s, CEOs described this year as one of adaptation and realignment, with changing expectations for what leadership must look like in 2026 and beyond.
Why 2025 marked a turning point
For many CEOs, 2025 has brought overlapping pressures that require endurance and strategic clarity.
Erik Wexler stepped into his role as president and CEO of Renton, Wash.-based Providence in January. Throughout 2025, he has described the current environment as a “polycrisis,” shaped by overlapping economic, regulatory and environmental threats.
Regulatory volatility, he said, remains a top concern. “Even seemingly minor adjustments can be very impactful, especially to rural hospitals,” Mr. Wexler said, citing the 340B drug pricing program as one example. “A pilot program could eventually lead to an adjustment that would destabilize or even close many rural hospitals.”
He also highlighted other disruptions such as climate change, flooding and wildfires, which have affected manufacturing and caused supply shortages.
“Manufacturing plants should think about how to prevent floods from shutting down critical work,” he said. “That proactive approach will support sustainability and public welfare in this country.”
The legislative climate is also a concern. Mr. Wexler called out provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — including limits on state-directed payments and provider taxes — as challenges that could reduce access and reimbursement for vulnerable populations.
How CEOs are adapting
CEOs are responding to today’s pressures in various ways, including a focus on efficiency.
At Providence, Mr. Wexler said its strategy includes reducing duplication in programs that do not improve quality and lifting administrative burden from caregivers and clinicians.
At Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health, Cristy Page, MD, CEO and dean of the UNC School of Medicine, framed her organization’s approach around mission and collaboration. She emphasized the importance of staying mission‑centered.
“Our organization is truly mission-focused and understands the importance of providing care to all people in North Carolina and beyond,” she said. “As long as we stay centered on that, I’m confident we will not just survive, but thrive.”
She also noted how internal collaboration strengthens resilience.
“The challenges we face require us to think differently and be more creative about how we work together across our regions to provide better care and improve the experience for our teammates,” Dr. Page said. “… We’ve been preparing, knowing these headwinds are coming, and I’m confident UNC Health is in a strong position to succeed over the next several years — especially as we stay focused on our patients and the people we serve.”
At St. Louis-based BJC Health, President and CEO Nick Barto pointed to the system’s merger with Saint Luke’s and unified rebranding as part of leadership adaptation.
“We like where we’re positioned. We have a strong presence across the Midwest, and with our integration with Saint Luke’s, we’ve established ourselves across multiple geographies,” Mr. Barto said, adding that integration has helped BJC lean into its identity and future direction.
Leadership priorities for 2026
CEOs with whom Becker’s connected see the role shifting over the next several years, including toward greater community engagement and expanded responsibility beyond traditional operational boundaries.
Wyatt Brieser, CEO of Hammond‑Henry Hospital in Geneseo, Ill., said healthcare CEOs “will be required to step beyond traditional leadership boundaries and engage more creatively and directly with the issue of health disparities in their communities. This is a moral imperative and a strategic necessity due to evolving expectations from payers, regulators and the communities we serve.”
Brad Meyer, CEO of Bluestem Health in Lincoln, Neb., described a “less noticeable but increasingly vital shift in the CEO role” toward community engagement.
He said healthcare leaders are “transitioning from an internal operator to a visible, engaged community integrator,” and that assuming this responsibility means building trust, fostering partnerships, and representing their organizations in “civic, public health and cross‑sector spaces.” Mr. Meyer noted he is preparing for this shift by prioritizing external engagement as a core leadership function and embedding community voice into organizational planning.
New mindsets to adopt
Becker’s also connected with CEOs about the mindsets they believe their peers should adopt to lead effectively today.
Frank Citara, president and chief hospital executive at Hackensack Meridian Ocean University Medical Center in Brick, N.J., urged his peers to view accountability as an empowering tool.
“It clarifies purpose, speeds up decisions and helps everyone see how their work contributes to our shared goals,” Mr. Citara said. “Leadership in a field as vital as healthcare cannot afford to dodge difficult conversations or hide results. To inspire excellence, we must consistently model accountability.”
Joan Coffman, president and CEO of St. Tammany Health System in Covington, La., encouraged leaders to practice servant leadership, “where we place ourselves second in service to others.” She said that approach has kept her grounded in “our true calling of caring and serving others during good times and through transformational change” and encouraged peers to “stay positive; lead with integrity, vision and purpose.”
