Healthcare Intelligence

Ember AI
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Healthcare Intelligence by Ember is a podcast for healthcare finance leaders who want to stay ahead of change. Each episode features candid conversations with industry experts on topics like revenue cycle management, compliance, revenue integrity, and how AI is reshaping healthcare finance. Tune in for strategic insights, practical advice, and the intelligence you need to lead with confidence.

  1. 1d ago

    ASC Economics: What Healthcare Leaders Get Wrong About Reimbursement

    As more procedures migrate from hospitals to ambulatory surgery centers, the economics are becoming more complex, not less. Mark Wainner, Sr. Director of ASC Acquisition and Development at Community Health Systems, joins the Healthcare Intelligence Podcast to unpack how ASC reimbursement, payer contracting, and health system partnerships are evolving. Mark explains why comparing commercial contracts can be so difficult, how implant reimbursement and multi-procedure payment rules change the economics of a case, and why Medicare can still serve as a useful benchmark when evaluating payer rates. The conversation also explores: • Why hospital-ASC partnerships are no longer simply a “rate lift” strategy • How to evaluate reimbursement at the case level, not just the CPT level • The challenges of benchmarking commercial payer contracts • How implant costs and reimbursement affect ASC margins • Why physician alignment remains critical to ASC performance • What healthcare leaders should expect as more procedures move outpatient For CFOs, revenue cycle leaders, ASC executives, and health system operators, this conversation offers a practical look at the financial forces shaping the next phase of outpatient care. Guest: Mark Wainner, Sr. Director, ASC Acquisition and Development, Community Health Systems Mark is a healthcare industry veteran with over 30 years of healthcare experience. In his current role with Community Health Systems (CHS), Mark is responsible for growing CHS’s Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) division through ASC acquisition and De Novo projects. Prior to joining CHS, Mark was responsible for developing the SurgeryPlus network with Employer Direct Health. Mark spent 23 years contributing to the growth of AMSURG in the surgery center industry. His primary focus was strategies to drive top-line growth and operational efficiencies that deliver greater profitability. Mark most recently served as the President of Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) and is currently the Immediate Past President. Mark has an extensive professional network cultivated through affiliations with the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association ASCA, Nashville Healthcare Council, and Leadership Healthcare (LHC). Mark has a Bachelor of Science (BS), Finance, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Mark enjoys boating, wake surfing, being outdoors, attending sporting events, and spending time with his family during his free time.

  2. Aug 6

    Why AI Won't Fix Healthcare Until We Fix Value-Based Care

    Healthcare organizations are investing heavily in AI, but are they solving the right problems? In this episode of the Healthcare Intelligence Podcast, former payer executive and McKinsey Senior Advisor Myong Lee shares what healthcare executives need to understand about value-based care, payer-provider alignment, AI, and the future of revenue cycle management. Topics include: Why most physicians still don't fully understand value-based care The biggest mistake providers make when preparing for risk contracts Why data infrastructure—not AI—is the biggest bottleneck How payers are approaching AI in claims, coding, and compliance Why CMS changes will increase audits and documentation requirements Practical advice for provider organizations navigating financial risk Whether you're leading Finance, Revenue Cycle, Managed Care, or Strategy, this conversation offers a realistic look at where healthcare is heading—and what organizations should prioritize over the next year. Guest: Myong Lee Myong Lee is a managed care executive with over 19 years of experience building, scaling, and operating health plans, MSOs, and value-based care organizations, with a track record of leading companies to hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. He was most recently CEO of Advanced Medical Management/Seoul Medical Group, a full-risk Medicare Advantage IPA. He previously co-founded Clever Care Health Plan, a minority-focused Medicare Advantage health plan, raising $220mm in capital, scaling the business from 550 to over 28,000 members and from $14M to $350M+ in revenue. He currently serves as Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Company, supporting Fortune 500 healthcare clients on strategy, operations, and M&A diligence. His earlier executive roles include VP Payer Contracting at Agilon Health, VP Special Projects and Interim COO at Clover Health, and CFO/COO of Inspira LIFE, where he built health plans and payer contracts at the founding and growth stage. Myong holds an MBA from Arizona State University, a BA in Business Administration and Economics from Franklin & Marshall College, and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

  3. Jul 29

    The AI Strategy Every Healthcare Executive Should Be Thinking About

    In this episode, Sap Sinha shares how Allied Digestive Health grew through rapid change by combining operational discipline, physician leadership, and thoughtful use of AI. Charlene and Sap discuss: Building an MSO during and after COVIDImproving eligibility, prior authorization, and front-end operationsWinning physician buy-in for new technologyWhy healthcare organizations should redesign workflows before adding AIThe balance between automation and human expertiseHow to prioritize AI projects that actually move the needle If you're leading operations, revenue cycle, finance, or digital transformation, this episode is full of practical lessons from someone who has done it at scale. Sap Sinha is a healthcare executive and strategist who has spent over two decades building high-growth organizations at the intersection of technology and clinical operations. Most recently, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Allied Digestive Health, one of the largest independent gastroenterology networks in the United States. Over his tenure, Sap helped scale ADH fourfold, growing the organization to more than 200 physicians and 85 clinical offices across New York and New Jersey. He led the re-engineering of the company’s core infrastructure, introducing revenue cycle automation, AI-driven patient outreach, and a modular middleware technology stack that has become a model for how specialty practices can modernize without getting trapped by legacy point solutions. Prior to ADH, Sap was a Regional Vice President at SCA Health, part of Optum, where he managed a large network of ambulatory surgery centers. His foundational training in value creation and strategic scaling came from twelve years in management consulting, including roles as a Senior Principal and Partner at Boston Consulting Group and an early career start at Ernst & Young. He currently serves as CEO of Tandem-Allied Clinical Research and advises private equity and venture capital firms as an operating partner and strategic advisor, with a focus on healthcare services and clinical research platforms. Sap holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Economics, an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, and a Master of Health Care Innovation from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a frequent speaker on the “human-AI hybrid” organization, a vocal advocate for colorectal cancer screening, and a firm believer that in the digital transformation of medicine, people drive change, not technology alone.

  4. Jul 16

    The ASC Growth Playbook: Finance, Operations and Physician Alignment

    More procedures are moving from hospitals to ambulatory surgery centers, but growth alone does not guarantee strong financial performance. Terry Bohlke, longtime ASC executive and past president of ASCA, shares what healthcare leaders need to understand about building, operating, and growing a successful surgery center. Drawing on decades of experience across finance, operations, development, and acquisitions, Terry explains why details matter so much in the ASC model. The conversation covers the economics of ASC growth, rising development costs, specialty expansion, cash flow, technology gaps, and the challenge of getting physician owners fully committed to the center. For C-suite, finance, operations, and RCM leaders looking to better understand where the ASC market is going, and what separates an average center from a high-performing one. Terry Bohlke is a nationally recognized ambulatory surgery center executive with more than 20 years of multi-site, multi-state ASC leadership experience across 23 states. He has led ASC strategy, operations, development, acquisitions, finance, quality, and physician alignment for major healthcare organizations, including Community Health Systems, National Surgical Healthcare, and Nueterra. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Ambulatory Surgery Centers for Community Health Systems, where he established and led the national ASC strategy for 51 ASC partnerships. His work has focused on building high-performing outpatient surgery platforms through quality-centered operations, strong physician partnerships, market growth, disciplined financial management, and clinical integration with health systems. A former healthcare CFO and CPA, Terry brings a distinctive blend of strategic, operational, and financial expertise to the ASC sector. He has also served in national and state ASC industry leadership roles, including President and member of the Board of Directors for ASCA, the national ASC association, and CASA, the California ASC Association. In addition to his healthcare leadership, he served as Commander and Executive Officer of the Navy’s Center for Naval Leadership Southwest, bringing a deep commitment to leadership development, team culture, and mission-focused execution. He has spoken and written extensively on ASC growth, financial performance, physician partnerships, and leadership, and joins Healthcare Intelligence to discuss the evolving role of ambulatory surgery centers in the future of healthcare delivery.

  5. Jul 10

    The Future of Healthcare Isn't AI, It's Fixing the System

    AI is moving fast, but healthcare's biggest challenge isn't building smarter models. It's fixing the systems that still don't work together. In this episode, Charlene Wang sits down with Dr. Neil Hockstein, Chair of the Delaware Health Care Commission and practicing ENT surgeon, to discuss what healthcare leaders should really focus on over the next decade. You'll hear perspectives on: - Why interoperability is still healthcare's biggest bottleneck - What digital prior authorization should actually look like - Where AI can help, and where it can't - Why better infrastructure matters more than more technology If you work in healthcare leadership, health IT, policy, or digital health, this conversation is one you won't want to miss. Neil Hockstein, M.D. is an otolaryngologist specializing in head and neck surgery and currently serves as Chair of the Delaware Health Care Commission. He holds faculty appointments and leadership positions at ChristianaCare, Thomas Jefferson University, and The Wistar Institute. An active head and neck surgeon, Hockstein founded and expanded a multi-state ENT practice, growing it into one of the nation's largest independent otolaryngology groups. He played a pioneering role in the development of transoral robotic surgery and has published and presented widely on surgical innovation and cancer treatment. His clinical and research interests include minimally invasive surgery for head and neck cancer, improving care delivery through independent practice models, and advancing physician workforce policy. Hockstein is a nationally recognized leader in otolaryngology, frequently presenting at national conferences on practice management, physician workforce, and health policy. He has also served as a mentor to medical students, residents, and fellows, many of whom have gone on to leadership positions in academic medicine and private practice. In addition to his clinical and academic contributions, Hockstein has been deeply engaged in public service and policy development in Delaware. As Chair of the Delaware Health Care Commission and leader of the Delaware Primary Care Reform Collaborative, he has worked to advance access to care, reduce costs, improve quality, and strengthen the health care workforce. He also chairs the Delaware State Employee Benefit Committee overseeing the deliver of health and pharmacy benefits for 135,000 state employees, dependents, and retirees. He serves on multiple state-level task forces focused on transparency, cost reduction, and medical education, including the effort to establish a Delaware medical school.

  6. Jul 6

    Revenue Cycle Is Your Capital Strategy: Cash, ASCs & AI

    Former HSS CFO Stacey Malakoff joins the Healthcare Intelligence Podcast to break down why revenue cycle isn't a back-office function — it's the connective tissue between patients, physicians, operations, and payers. Stacey shares the daily cash metrics she tracked as CFO, why "pay us what we deserve, not a penny more or less" was her guiding rule, and how the shift to ASCs is reshaping surgical economics. A must-watch for ASC leaders navigating physician joint ventures, case selection, and the AI-driven future of revenue cycle. Topics covered: physician alignment without "billing clerk" resentment, site-of-care shift economics, ASC joint ventures and ownership incentives, the catches nobody talks about in ASC growth, and how AI will close the specialty-hospital knowledge gap. Stacey Malakoff is a healthcare board director and advisor, working with healthcare companies, private equity-backed organizations, and emerging healthcare platforms on growth, governance, revenue cycle, ambulatory strategy, and value creation. She brings more than 35 years of leadership experience from Hospital for Special Surgery, including 26 years as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and later as Chief Administrative Officer. At HSS, Stacey helped lead the organization through significant financial growth, strategic expansion, physician alignment, payer strategy, ASC and site-of-care development, supply chain oversight, capital planning, debt financing, enterprise risk management, and sustained national leadership in orthopedics. Stacey believes revenue cycle is not simply billing and collections. It is an end-to-end operating discipline that connects patient access, documentation, coding, payer strategy, payment, cash flow, and long-term financial sustainability.

  7. Jun 25

    From Roll-Ups to Real Value: How AI Is Changing the Future of Dental DSOs

    Private equity in dentistry has changed dramatically over the past decade. Simply buying more practices is no longer enough. In this episode of Healthcare Intelligence, Charlene sits down with David Eslinger, DDS, MBA, Founder of Practice Worth, to discuss what today's dental leaders need to know about scaling practices, creating operational value, and preparing for the next generation of AI. They discuss: Why the old DSO consolidation playbook no longer worksThe operational changes PE-backed groups are making todayAI's growing role in revenue cycle management and dental diagnosticsWhy technology adoption is becoming a competitive advantageCommon mistakes dentists make when valuing their practicesHow Practice Worth helps owners better understand their business value Whether you're a dentist, DSO executive, investor, or healthcare operator, this episode offers practical insights into where the industry is headed. Check out Practice Worth: https://www.getpracticeworth.com/podcast

  8. Jun 16

    The AI Arms Race in Healthcare: How Orthopedic Groups Are Fighting Back

    AI is changing healthcare faster than ever, but are providers keeping up? In this episode of Healthcare Intelligence, Charlene Wang sits down with John Reynolds, CEO of the Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee, to discuss how healthcare organizations can successfully adopt AI across scheduling, operations, prior authorization, revenue cycle, and patient access. John shares lessons from more than 30 years in healthcare leadership, including: - Why most technology projects fail - How to get physicians and staff to embrace AI - The growing "AI arms race" between providers and payers - Using AI to improve prior authorization and reduce denials - What healthcare leaders should focus on before buying new technology If you're leading a physician group, health system, ASC, or revenue cycle team, this conversation offers practical insights on navigating healthcare's next transformation.

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About

Healthcare Intelligence by Ember is a podcast for healthcare finance leaders who want to stay ahead of change. Each episode features candid conversations with industry experts on topics like revenue cycle management, compliance, revenue integrity, and how AI is reshaping healthcare finance. Tune in for strategic insights, practical advice, and the intelligence you need to lead with confidence.

Information

  • Creator
    Ember AI
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Ember AI
  • Show Website
    Healthcare Intelligence