Strategy

The United States spends more on medical care than any other nation — nearly $5 trillion last year. Yet, for all that money, we aren’t getting much healthier. Chronic diseases account for 90% of the cost of care.  Wellness is…

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are facing a new reality: anesthesia provider shortages and rising compensation demands are driving an increase in subsidies. Once uncommon, stipends have now become the norm, and ASCs must adapt quickly to protect financial performance and…

As health care systems grapple with rising costs, workforce shortages, and shifting reimbursement models, one crucial specialty is often overlooked despite its impact on quality and financial performance. Vascular surgery is the only specialty trained to treat the full spectrum…

St. Louis-based BJC Health System approaches value-based care not as a single model, but as a continuum that requires alignment across clinical, operational and financial teams. That approach dates to 2012, when the integrated academic health system became the first…

This piece was informed by “How AdventHealth Improved Care Transitions and Drove $48.6M in Operational Value,” a recent AHA webinar in which AdventHealth leaders Jeannine Nylaan, Corporate Executive Director of Care Management, and Rob Dixon, Executive Director of Clinical &…

For IT leaders, every risk decision shapes the organization’s future. Innovation can drive efficiency and improve outcomes, but security and operational stability remain essential. Today, rural hospitals increasingly rely on AI to stabilize operations, reduce administrative burdens and extend care,…

A new hire “talks back” to a tenured leader. A veteran nurse resists following the guidance of her younger supervisor. Older employees bemoan how sensitive Gen Z and Millennials are, while younger workers are exasperated with their Gen X and…

Overall population growth in the U.S. slowed between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, though some metropolitan areas along the Southeast coast bucked the trend. According to a March 26 report from the…

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is investing heavily in modernizing rural healthcare through its Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a $50 billion initiative established under President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts legislation. The program, announced in 2025,…

Across many health systems, anesthesia is still approached primarily as a staffing problem. It is not. It is an enterprise operating model problem. When anesthesia is treated as a narrow labor issue rather than a strategic platform, the consequences extend…