Radio Advisory

In the past several months, the Trump administration has frozen, cancelled, or rescinded millions—even billions—of dollars in federal funding for scientific and clinical research. This is funding that flows directly from bodies like the NIH to universities, academic medical centers, and others to facilitate basic science research, translational research, public health initiatives, and more. Frankly, many organizations did not see these cuts coming—at least not at this scale. And the impacts are likely to touch most every corner of the industry. This week, host Abby Burns sits down with Advisory Board experts Emily Heuser and Gaby Marmolejos to dig into how these cuts are being orchestrated and the ripple effects they may cause across—and even beyond—the healthcare industry. We’re here to help: Read: How research funding cuts are impacting healthcare (and how to respond) Check out: Healthcare policy updates Check out: Philanthropy Keep track: Healthcare Policy Updates Timeline Use our tool: How policy changes will impact your bottom line Research Membership Grant Witness Navigating healthcare’s next frontier: 5 takeaways from the CHG Healthcare Executive Summit A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

This episode originally aired on April 15, 2025. In times of uncertainty, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by what’s out of your control. That’s why over the next few weeks we’re revisiting three powerful conversations that remind us where to focus: on operational excellence, on what is within your control, and on the urgency to act now. Whether you're navigating workforce challenges, financial pressures, or strategic pivots, these episodes offer practical insights to help you retrench, refocus, and lead with clarity. Let’s face it: Hospitals and post-acute providers can find themselves at odds. Post-acute is an area of the industry that is often misunderstood and sometimes villainized. But when post-acute care struggles, it directly impacts hospital operations. The industry needs a solution. It starts with understanding that the post-acute space is not a monolith. Because only by understanding how different facilities struggle—and how systems can support or partner with them—can we unlock their potential. That’s why this week, host Abby Burns invites Advisory Board expert Monica Westhead, and Optum Advisory post-acute care expert Jennifer Skaggs to unpack the post-acute landscape and break down what effective acute-post-acute partnerships looks like. Throughout the discussion, they explore why post-acute facilities are struggling to stay afloat, and why partnering with post-acute facilities is better avenue than building or buying. We’re here to help: Optum Advisory partners with hospitals nationwide to improve efficiency and optimize resource utilization to reduce labor expenses. The Playbook for Hospital/Post-Acute Care Collaboration New staffing mandates for SNFs will have broad effects. Here's how to prepare. Post-acute care landing page Join 165,000+ healthcare leaders and get the industry’s most important news in your inbox—every day. A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

(This episode originally aired on February 25, 2025.) In times of uncertainty, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by what’s out of your control. That’s why over the next few weeks we’re revisiting three powerful conversations that remind us where to focus: on operational excellence, on what is within your control, and on the urgency to act now. Whether you're navigating workforce challenges, financial pressures, or strategic pivots, these episodes offer practical insights to help you retrench, refocus, and lead with clarity. We’ve said it before on Radio Advisory: hospital volumes are back. But leaders know this isn’t necessarily a sigh of relief. With a lot of hospitals at—or even over-- capacity, hospital leaders need to find ways to improve patient throughput and reduce length of stay. And trust me, they’ve been trying. The question is, why is it so hard to address capacity and length of stay, and what can leaders do about it in 2025? This week, host Rachel (Rae) Woods is joined by Advisory Board expert Isis Monteiro. Isis shares what she learned from her “world tour” of talking with 45 healthcare leaders from nine countries to understand how they’re tackling capacity challenges. Throughout the conversation, they break down three root causes of high hospital length of stay and highlight examples of how organizations are overcoming them. We’re here to help: Ep. 225: Patients are back – so why aren't hospital margins? Ep. 221: How will health system growth look different in 2025 and beyond? Provider Operations landing page Interested in learning more about our length-of-stay reduction research? Join us live at an Advisory Board Summit and attend a dedicated session on how your organization can address foundational capacity, throughput, and length-of-stay challenges. Check out Advisory Board’s Hospital Benchmark Generator tool to see how your hospital’s length-of-stay stacks up and pinpoint improvement opportunities for improvement to remain competitive.

(This episode originally aired on October 1, 2024.) In times of uncertainty, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by what’s out of your control. That’s why over the next few weeks we’re revisiting three powerful conversations that remind us where to focus: on operational excellence, on what is within your control, and on the urgency to act now. Whether you're navigating workforce challenges, financial pressures, or strategic pivots, these episodes offer practical insights to help you retrench, refocus, and lead with clarity. In the past, we’ve told our listeners that the number one area of focus for health system growth is operational excellence, and a major part of that is capturing all of the revenue on the table from your medical group. Healthcare organizations have spent the last decade buying up medical groups and physicians, in part because of the “promise” of downstream referrals. It is a long-held belief that physician employment leads to higher referral integrity. But according to an Advisory Board data analysis, that doesn’t hold true - just 55% of total referral revenue attributed to employed PCPs is realized in-network. This week, host Rachel (Rae) Woods invites Advisory Board physician experts Eliza Dailey and Colleen Wagner to unpack where referral leakage actually happens and share the real (and relatively easy) steps organizations can take to reduce referral leakage. We’re here to help: Tools to reduce referral leakage in the medical group Are employed PCPs more likely to refer within their health systems? Ep. 221: How will health system growth look different in 2025 and beyond? Medical group integration 3 shifts impacting medical groups: 2024 update on the physician landscap Join 165,000+ healthcare leaders and get the industry’s most important news in your inbox—every day.

Healthcare organizations have always faced operational, financial, and strategic pressures—but in 2025, those challenges are intensifying. A wave of current and anticipated policy changes is reshaping the industry, leaving leaders to navigate an increasingly complex and uncertain landscape. To better understand how executives are preparing for what’s ahead, Advisory Board held more than 130 conversations through one-on-one calls, small-group policy forums, and other formats. These discussions revealed a wide range of strategies, concerns, and priorities. The reality? There’s no universal playbook for this moment. When best practices fall short, peer-to-peer insights offer a powerful way to benchmark reactions and learn from others. In this episode, host Rachel (Rae) Woods sits down with Natalie Trebes and Chad Peltier—two researchers leading Advisory Board’s policy work. Together, they explore why peer learning is more critical than ever, what’s top of mind for executives across the industry, and how organizations are responding to the shifting policy landscape. Interested in joining future focus groups or workshops? Reach out to the team at podcasts@advisory.com to get involved. We’re here to help: Ep. 262: The price of policy: How tariffs are reshaping purchasing Ep. 258: The ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill Act’: What’s changing, who’s affected, and what to do now Healthcare policy updates Healthcare Policy Updates Timeline In times of uncertainty, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by what’s out of your control. That’s why over the next few weeks we’re revisiting three powerful conversations that remind us where to focus: on operational excellence, on what is within your control, and on the urgency to act now. Don’t miss Radio Advisory’s operational excellence series, beginning August 19th. Send a voice message to Radio Advisory. A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

For health system leaders, managing the cost of purchased goods is no longer just a budgeting exercise—it’s a strategic necessity. As margins tighten and supply chain disruptions persist, health systems are rethinking everything from vendor relationships to value analysis. In this episode of Radio Advisory, host Rachel (Rae) Woods welcomes Advisory Board expert Nick Hula to unpack the findings of the 2025 Health System Purchasing Survey. Together, they explore how economic and policy pressures are reshaping purchasing strategies across the industry. Nick shares how leaders are balancing short-term cost-saving tactics with long-term resilience, and why holistic evaluation—factoring in real-world outcomes, clinician experience, and supply chain security—is becoming the new standard. Plus, stay tuned until the end of the episode for a policy update on CMS’s proposed payment rules for CY 2026—a timely reminder that regular rulemaking not only persists but can also rapidly advance an administration’s stated goals. We’re here to help: Survey results: Insights on health system purchasing today 20 ways health systems can control costs Resources to build a modern and resilient supply chain How supply chain leaders should (and shouldn't) respond to tariffs How purchasers are tackling the affordability crisis of high-cost drugs Ep. 259: Our expensive new normal: why traditional drug cost controls are obsolete In times of uncertainty, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by what’s out of your control. That’s why over the next few weeks we’re revisiting three powerful conversations that remind us where to focus: on operational excellence, on what is within your control, and on the urgency to act now. Don’t miss Radio Advisory’s operational excellence series, beginning August 19th. Send a voice message to Radio Advisory. A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

For health care purchasers, women’s health is no longer a niche offering—it’s a strategic imperative. In this episode of Radio Advisory, host Rachel (Rae) Woods welcomes Dr. Neel Shah, Chief Medical Officer at Maven Clinic—the world’s largest virtual clinic for women’s and family health—to unpack the clinical, financial, and operational benefits of investing in holistic women’s health. As costs rise, employee expectations evolve, and working parents face mounting pressures, purchasers are navigating a complex balancing act: managing their own financial health while offering benefits that attract and retain top talent. Dr. Shah explains how partners like Maven are helping employers and purchasers offer holistic, cost-effective care across the full lifecycle—from fertility and pregnancy to postpartum and menopause. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why women’s health is a critical component of any cost-containment strategy for purchasers How holistic support for women and parents creates a competitive advantage in today’s labor market The role of digital health in connecting patients and employees to the clinical and non-clinical support they need—quickly and cost-effectively We’re here to help: The Preprint Ep. 216: Ep. 216: Why providers and employers need to focus on women's health "beyond the bikini" Ep. 188: The business case for investing in women's health Ep. 232: The rise of ICHRAs: Why some employers are turning to the individual market Health System Growth Series A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

To make progress on delivering behavioral healthcare at scale, we have to hold up examples of what progress looks like—and unpack how we achieve it. That was the goal of our live panel discussion at the Advisory Board Summit in Washington, D.C., moderated by Radio Advisory co-host Abby Burns. In today’s episode of Radio Advisory, hear Abby’s conversation with three provider leaders—Dr. Tristan Gorrindo, former Chief Medical Officer of Optum Behavioral Care, Dr. Mustafa Mufti, Chair of Psychiatry at ChristianaCare, and Dr. Ken Rogers, Chief Medical Officer for Behavioral Health at WellSpan. The group explores how each of these provider organizations are approaching digital health, workforce, crisis care, and, of course, financial sustainability in behavioral health. We’re here to help: Behavioral health Your behavioral health and VBC strategies should work together. Here's why. How GRAND Mental Health reduced psychiatric inpatient hospitalizations by 93% Ep. 187: ChristianaCare's comprehensive, CFO-approved approach to behavioral healthcare Health System Growth Series A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

Treatments like cell and gene therapies (CGTs) and GLP-1s are transforming care, but with double-digit growth in drug spend year over year, this transformation comes with an unsustainable price tag. And it’s putting pressure on every part of the healthcare ecosystem, from patients and providers to employers and health plans. The strategies that purchasers have used to manage drug spend in the past are no longer getting the job done. But when our Advisory Board experts set out to find the innovators creating new ways to rein in spend, they came up empty. Purchasers appear to be stuck in a “wait and see” pattern—but no silver bullets are coming. This week, host Abby Burns invites Advisory Board experts Chloe Bakst, Aaron Hill, and Amanda Okaka to discuss the drivers behind rising drug costs and why traditional cost-saving strategies are falling short. They provide actionable guidance on how purchasers and plans can modernize their approach to utilization management and make moves toward integrating pharmacy and medical benefits in order to manage total cost of care—in other words, move toward value. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why drug spend is rising unsustainably Why the current efforts to improve drug affordability are helping, but not enough What it would look like to bring traditional strategies to manage spend into the 2020s What’s on the horizon: the move toward tying drug spend to value We’re here to help: How purchasers are tackling the affordability crisis of high-cost drugs 4 ways pharma can improve partnerships for cell and gene therapy delivery Cell and gene therapy programs: How to launch, optimize, and deliver CGTs sustainably Health Technology Pipeline (HTP) Survey insights: What to know about the clinician workforce today A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

On July 4th, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into law. In this “minisode,” host Rachel (Rae) Woods unpacks the sweeping implications of the most significant healthcare legislation since the Affordable Care Act. From enhanced subsidies expiring to major cuts to Medicaid and ACA marketplace coverage on the horizon, Rae explores what this legislation means for providers, payers, and the broader healthcare ecosystem. Listen to this short policy update for strategic steps leaders must take to manage the cascading impacts of the Act’s implementation. This episode was recorded on July 7th, 2025. We’re here to help: Healthcare Policy Updates Timeline Ep. 256: How you can prepare for the financial impacts of Trump-era policies A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.