Hospital and health system executives are rethinking their organization’s efficiency in 2026 — and for many, that work started with the calendar.
Six executives told Becker’s about the meetings they cut, compressed or merged this year, and a common thread runs through their responses: less time in recurring meetings creates more time for the work those meetings are meant to support.
For Michael Yost, CHRO of West Burlington, Iowa-based Great River Health, the change started with something structural. His organization updated its Outlook calendar defaults so that 30-minute meetings automatically schedule for 25 minutes and hour-long meetings run for 50. The logic was straightforward.
“The goal was to give our people time to get from one meeting to the next and reduce the pressure of back-to-back schedules,” Mr. Yost said.
That same instinct eventually produced a bigger shift. During Great River Health’s Epic implementation, the system introduced a Friday afternoon no-meeting zone across the organization to protect focused work time during an intensive stretch. When the implementation ended, the block remained.
“That protects a block of time for focused work and follow through on decisions made throughout the week,” Mr. Yost said.
Cyndy Donato, PhD, chief people and culture officer of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho-based Kootenai Health, applied the same time-compression logic more broadly. Her team moved to 25-minute meetings instead of 30, 45-minute sessions instead of 60, and 75-minute blocks instead of 90. Dr. Donato also pulled informational updates off agendas entirely, reserving meeting time for decisions and actions that require the group.
“We try not to bring FYI items to our agendas,” she said. “This work can be done via email. That way, we spend our time on actions needed by the group meeting.”
Dr. Donato also restructured which types of work belong in which meetings, separating operational, capital and project planning, and strategic items into dedicated sessions. Strategic work now gets half-day or full-day blocks.
“We have definitely found we are more efficient,” Dr. Donato said. “Although, I would have to say we are a meeting culture.”
The consolidation approach looked different at Elma, Wash.-based Summit Pacific Medical Center. CEO Josh Martin merged the organization’s leadership development meeting and its operational meeting into a single two-hour monthly session called LEAD. The first hour focuses on leadership development; the second covers operational updates and departmental reports. All organizational leaders are required to attend.
“This consolidation and deliberate focus has allowed us to be more efficient with time management and intentional about what is important,” Mr. Martin said. “We focus on our people first, which is our leadership development, and build up our greatest assets.”
Mr. Martin said the format has increased engagement, improved communication and is driving results through operational alignment and accountability. He plans to carry LEAD into 2027.
Darrell Bodnar, CIO of Lancaster, N.H.-based North Country Healthcare, pursued a similar consolidation by merging multiple department meetings into one. The combined session is informational and includes a Q&A component. Mr. Bodnar said pulling everyone into the same room has changed the consistency of what people hear.
“I now communicate once,” he said. “They all get the same message at the same time. They all also get to hear questions and responses at the same time. No duplication and consistent messaging.”
In 2027, Mr. Bodnar is considering allowing staff to submit questions in advance for those who prefer not to speak in a public forum.
At San Diego-based Scripps Health, the effort was broader in scope. Eric Cole, corporate senior vice president of human resources, said leaders across the organization were encouraged to evaluate recurring meetings and ask whether they were creating real value. In practice, that meant shorter meetings, merged agendas and narrowed attendance lists.
“Are attendees actively contributing, or are they attending out of habit or obligation?” Mr. Cole said. “When updates could be shared in writing or when individuals only needed to participate for a specific agenda item, we adjusted the format accordingly.”
Mr. Cole said the changes freed time for higher-value work, produced more focused discussions and allowed for better use of employees’ expertise. He said Scripps leaders will continue asking in 2027 whether updates can be delivered in writing and whether full attendance is required throughout.
“The goal is not simply fewer meetings, but more effective communication that allows our people to devote more time to what matters most: delivering exceptional care and service to our patients,” he said.
Not every leader started the year with meetings to cut. Cassie Penn, COO of Callaway (Neb.) District Hospital and Medical Clinics, said her organization has long kept meetings limited by design.
“Our approach has been to avoid scheduling unnecessary meetings and ensure those we hold have a clear purpose,” Ms. Penn said. “I believe we have fewer meetings than many organizations.”
Ms. Penn said the approach protects staff time for patient care and daily operations. In 2027, she plans to continue evaluating whether each meeting needs to happen, who needs to attend and how much time is required, with clear agendas and routine email updates as tools for further improvement.
