Radio Advisory

As hospitals face mounting financial pressure in 2025, health systems are reckoning with the fragility of their legacy business models. Ambulatory networks have long been considered an opportunity for growth, but legacy thinking still focuses on how ambulatory sites could drive inpatient volumes. That strategy is no longer working (and perhaps, never did). Savvy health leaders are now asking, how should we be evolving our ambulatory strategy in 2025, and setting ourselves up for 2035? To answer those questions, host Rachel (Rae) Woods invites Advisory Board experts Jordan Peterson and Nick Hula to break down why the ambulatory strategy used for the last decade is no longer enough, why ambulatory growth needs to be top of mind for health system strategists 2025, and how leaders can shift their efforts from ambulatory sites to ambulatory capabilities. Links: Ep. 236: What CEOs need to know in 2025 (Part 2) The role of ASCs in health system growth strategy It’s time for systems to change how they prioritize and design their ambulatory strategy 4 considerations for creating successful ASC strategies Optum Advisory: Healthcare consulting services A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

Back in December, we discussed why leaders should re-envision their approach to digital change management. But to truly implement digital change, health systems must understand their organization’s success (or failure) to date. However, assessing digital progress is not a simple task. While models exist that measure digital maturity in other industries, there is a serious lack of tools to measure progress in the healthcare field—which is why we made our own. This week, host Rachel (Rae) Woods invites John League, Advisory Board digital health expert, and K. R. Prabha, Optum’s Vice President of Strategy, Growth and Innovation to define what digital maturity for health systems looks like and unpack why so many organizations are stalled at merely “being” digital. Together, they introduce a new tool they’ve designed to help health systems assess their own digital maturity. For an on-the-ground perspective, Rae invites Dr. David Ingham, Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Allina Health, to discuss how Allina Health leveraged this tool to assess their progress and prioritize next steps on their digital journey. Links: Understand the digital maturity of your health system Ep. 233: Your digital strategy needs more than “change management” Connect with Optum Advisory to design your digital transformation strategy Allina Health Care & Medical Services In MN & Western WI Get in touch with us [Webinar, 2/19] Imaging market trends in 2025 Advisory Board is a subsidiary of Optum. All Advisory Board research, expert perspectives, and recommendations remain independent. A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

Advisory Board experts Natalie Trebes and Max Hakanson rejoin host Abby Burns for part two of our conversation digging into the trends and challenges healthcare leaders need to pay attention to in 2025. Last week, our experts covered evolving power dynamics around network design, drug cost/spend, and cyber threats. This week, the group shifts their attention to unpack what’s happening with our core care delivery infrastructure. What is the state of health systems—and what’s in store for them? They also tackle the elephant in the room: how should leaders be thinking about the policy landscape as we enter a new administration? Our State of the Industry research team is kicking off their annual research and wants to hear from you to help shape the research! We want to know what your “up at night” issues are, what questions you have, and what your organization is focusing on in order to navigate the waters ahead. Get in touch with the team by emailing podcasts@advisory.com. This episode was recorded on Jan. 8th, 2025. Links: 17 things CEOs need to know in 2025 Ep. 235: What CEOs need to know in 2025 (Part 1) Ep. 231: Big deal, little deal, or no deal? A 2024 health policy retrospective The state of the industry: What healthcare leaders need to know for 2025 [Webinar, 3/11] Insights from the 2026 CMS Advance Notice Aortic stenosis is vastly undertreated: Know how to identify and address it A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

While the new year often feels like a time to reset and regroup, 2025 has started off in a sprint. As pressures continue to grow across all sectors of the industry, it’s no secret that leaders need to think and act differently in order to succeed in the new year. With so many swirling changes, it can be hard to sort through the most important topics, trends, and perspectives to focus on. That’s where Advisory Board—and Radio Advisory—come in. This week’s conversation is the first of a two-part series that digs into what healthcare leaders need to have on their radar in 2025. Host Abby Burns invites Advisory Board experts Natalie Trebes and Max Hakanson to break down what Medicare Advantage breakups, untenable drug costs, and evolving cyber threats signal about changing power dynamics across the healthcare industry. Stay tuned for part 2 of the conversation next week, where we’ll cover the state of health systems and, of course, what we expect to see in the policy landscape this year. This episode was recorded on Jan. 8th, 2025. Links: 17 things CEOs need to know in 2025 The state of the industry: What healthcare leaders need to know for 2025 The data health system vendors need to know in 2025 4 strategic pivots for 2025 (and beyond) Cybersecurity in healthcare Ep. 227: The changing tide of Medicare Advantage State of the healthcare industry

2024 was filled with upswings and downswings in the healthcare industry. Whether it was unprecedented cyberattacks, the continued rise of GLP-1 therapies, or the return of hospital volumes, healthcare leaders stayed busy. And things aren’t expected to slow down in 2025. To give you a preview of where we may be headed, this week, hosts Rachel (Rae) Woods and Abby Burns invite five Advisory Board experts to break down what their teams will be researching in 2025 and why these topics matter for health leaders. Throughout the episode, our experts preview how health system service lines, value-based care, care variation reduction, artificial intelligence, and specialty pharmacy will change in 2025 and beyond. Links: The state of the industry: What healthcare leaders need to know for 2025 Service lines and specialty care landing page Value-based care landing page Artificial intelligence landing page Hospital and health system trends landing page 4 common pitfalls in care standardization — and how to overcome them Learn more about Advisory Board Fellowship A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on www.advisory.com/RadioAdvisory.

A top podcast for healthcare leaders, with over one million downloads, Radio Advisory is your weekly download on how to untangle the industry's most pressing challenges to help leaders like you make the best business decisions for your organization. From unpacking major trends in care delivery—like site-of-care shifts and the rise of high-cost drugs—to demystifying stakeholder dynamics, to shining a spotlight on priorities that may get overlooked, we're here to help. Our hosts and seasoned researchers talk with industry experts to equip you with knowledge to confront today's unanswered questions in healthcare. New episodes drop every Tuesday.

The healthcare industry talks a lot about “change management,” the idea that through careful stewardship, the process of change can be made a little bit easier. The problem is, it’s a lot easier to talk about change than it is to manage it well. This is especially difficult when it comes to digital transformation, a space that is evolving almost too fast to keep up with. So how should leaders be thinking about navigating change in such a complex environment? To answer that question, in the first episode of a two-part series on managing digital change, host Rachel (Rae) Woods invites Advisory Board digital health expert John League, and later, Optum Advisory Vice President of Digital Transformation, Matt Matousek, to break down why the industry might need to shy away from the term “change management”, what it means to manage change well, and give on-the-ground examples of organizations who have had success with digital transformation. Links: John’s LinkedIn post Optum Advisory: Healthcare Consulting Services Ep. 214: Is Governance the answer to AI integration? Duke says yes. 4 key issues that will shape the future of digital health The state of the industry: What healthcare leaders need to know for 2025 Get exclusive, early access to Advisory Board’s annual “What CEOs need to know” briefing. Advisory Board is a subsidiary of Optum. All Advisory Board research, expert perspectives, and recommendations remain independent. A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on www.advisory.com/RadioAdvisory.

Morgan Phillippe, an Advisory Board health plan expert, discusses the rise of Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs) as a response to soaring health insurance costs. She highlights how ICHRAs allow employees more flexibility by choosing their own plans from the individual market. The conversation delves into the growing popularity of ICHRAs, their impact on health equity, and the evolving landscape of employer-sponsored healthcare. Phillippe emphasizes the challenges and opportunities that both employers and employees face in this new paradigm.

Last week on Radio Advisory, we broke down what healthcare leaders need to know for 2025 and beyond following the recent elections. But before we move on from 2024 completely, we have to acknowledge that there’s been a lot moving in the policy space this year, and frankly, there have probably been a few important policy areas on your radar that we haven’t discussed. That’s why this week, host Abby Burns invites Advisory Board experts Gina Lohr, Sarah Roller, and Paul Trigonoplos to dive into three major policy areas of the last year: Medicare drug negotiations, changes to physician employment and payment, and an emerging mandatory bundled payment model called TEAM. The experts unpack how these policies are affecting the industry, how the elections outcomes may impact them, and, critically, how much attention leaders should be paying them going forward. In other words, should leaders consider each policy a big deal, a little deal, or no deal? Links: Ep. 230: Elections results are in: What healthcare leaders need to know State-level healthcare ballot measures that passed (and failed) CMS’ TEAM payment model is here. How should hospitals prepare? Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) Your guide to CMS' 14 value-based payment models Medicare announces 10 new drug prices following negotiations A federal judge just blocked FTC's noncompete ban The Hospital Benchmark Generator Market Scenario Planner (Correction: An earlier version of this episode misstated that there is a $200 out-of-pocket cap on drug spending going into place. That number is $2,000 and references the Medicare Part D out-of-pocket cap set to begin in 2025. We have removed the number from the audio.) Get exclusive, early access to Advisory Board’s annual “What CEOs need to know” briefing. 2 ways labs can embrace innovation to drive revenue and accelerate growth Market Scenario Planner A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on www.advisory.com/RadioAdvisory.

(Note: This episode was recorded on November 7, 2024) The results of the 2024 elections are in: Donald Trump will be the 47th President of the United States, and we are all but certain to have a Republican trifecta at the federal level. Admittedly, there’s a lot we don’t know about what healthcare will look like under a second Trump administration—a lot will depend on who is appointed to key leadership positions overseeing federal health agencies and Congressional committees. But while we wait for those appointments, what can we anticipate based on President-elect Trump’s first term, campaign, and the Republican platform? This week, hosts Rachel (Rae) Woods and Abby Burns invite Advisory Board experts Natalie Trebes and Ben Palmer to break down the implications of a second Trump term on the healthcare industry. They unpack how power dynamics have shifted since the first administration, and what we’re likely to see on issues like the ACA, enhanced subsidies, Medicaid, drug pricing, abortion, and more. Links: What the 2024 elections mean for healthcare The election is over. Here's how to talk to your team today. Ep. 206: 24th Secretary of HHS Alex Azar shares his vision on healthcare transformation State-level healthcare ballot measures that passed (and failed) Why healthcare leaders should look to their state elections more than the national race 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 www.advisory.com/RadioAdvisory.