Radio Advisory

Advisory Board
Radio Advisory

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. | www.advisory.com

  1. 1D AGO

    244: What’s happened in Washington (so far) and what policy changes we’re bracing for

    In the first two months of the Trump administration, the political and regulatory environment have shifted considerably. Since the inauguration, we’ve fielded dozens of questions about the slew of executive orders, cuts to research funding, HHS layoffs, tariffs, and an unstable economic outlook. All of that is coupled with the potential for major payment cuts to government-funded healthcare and rising scrutiny over public health and the healthcare industry writ large. The sheer pace of change leaves many healthcare leaders wondering where they need to focus their attention and energy. This week, we’re here to clarify some of the chaos and help leaders focus their efforts on what is most pressing and most actionable. To do that, host Rachel (Rae) Woods invites Advisory Board experts Natalie Trebes and Max Hakanson to break down the operating conditions as the second Trump term takes shape. We’re here to help: If there are specific policy areas or issues that you want to hear more about, or you are interested in talking to our research team (or getting access to our working documents), let us know by leaving us a voice message or emailing us. Links: Ep. 230: Elections results are in: What healthcare leaders need to know How could Trump’s new tariffs impact healthcare? Thousands laid off at HHS: What you need to know RFK Jr. wants to change how Medicare pays doctors Health policy roundup: The latest on measles, abortion, and gender-affirming care Health policy roundup: Trump signs executive order on price transparency Learn more about the origins of Ozempic Learn more about the Advisory Board Summit in Carlsbad, CA. A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

    47 min
  2. MAR 18

    243: What’s now and what’s next in value-based care

    There is a lot happening in federal policy that may affect healthcare payment transformation and care delivery. But we’ve said it before: healthcare leaders can’t afford to focus on fighting near-term fires at the expense of driving long-term success and sustainability. Amidst the uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to push forward conversations about how we can structurally evolve our systems to align incentives to patient health. So, in this episode, we’re talking about value-based care. Host Abby Burns invites Advisory Board expert Clare Wirth and Optum Advisory expert Erik Johnson to unpack the state of VBC in early 2025, and where they see it going next. They debate whether bundles can truly be considered “value-based care,” how specialty care will fit into the future VBC landscape, and which payer lines of business they have their eyes on. Links: VBC in 2025: What's now and what's next Inside Advocate Health’s VBC approach that saved $136M How UNC Health made VBC sustainable in an academic health system The obstacles between health systems and VBC success Ep. 201: Value series: What does health system VBC adoption actually look like? Ep. 231: Big deal, little deal, or no deal? A 2024 health policy retrospective Value-based care landing page Enjoying this episode? Discover how Optum Advisory experts can help you design a VBC strategy to drive sustainable growth and profitability for your organization. Connect with one of our experts today. 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.

    34 min
  3. MAR 11

    242: How you should rethink your life sciences-health system partnerships

    Partnerships between health systems and life sciences play a critical role in giving patients access to the best data, therapies, and technologies available in the market. However, these partnerships can be less fulfilling if both sides don’t align on purpose and expectations. This week, host Rachel (Rae) Woods invites Advisory Board expert Fanta Cherif to break down the current state of health system and life sciences partnerships, share the spectrum of collaboration options, and the strategic middle ground that is often overlooked, but can serve as a lifeline in today’s challenging economic landscape. Let us know what you think about today’s discussion, or share your ideas for future episode topics by leaving us a voice message or emailing us. Links: Ep. 151: Making vendor-provider partnerships work Ep. 183: John Muir Health and Optum reflect on what makes their partnership work How to bridge the communication gap in vendor-provider partnerships Metrics that matter: How different stakeholders define value in healthcare Join Advisory Board experts for these upcoming philanthropy webinars: March 20, 2025 (1-2 p.m. ET/10-11 a.m. PT): What the future of health system growth means for philanthropy leaders Register here: What the future of health system growth means for philanthropy leaders April 1, 2025 (1-2 p.m. ET/10-11 a.m. PT): How market data can transform your philanthropy strategy Register here: Using market data to inform your philanthropy strategy A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

    25 min
  4. 241: When disaster strikes: Evacuating Unicoi hospital

    MAR 4

    241: When disaster strikes: Evacuating Unicoi hospital

    On September 27, 2024, Ballad Health was forced to evacuate Unicoi Hospital in rural Tennessee due to a freak flash flood caused by Hurricane Helene. After two failed rescue attempts, an aerial operation managed to successfully airlift all 70 people who were trapped on the rooftop of the small community hospital. In an era where extreme climate events are increasingly common, more healthcare leaders are being forced to reckon with the reality of leading through natural disasters. This week, Lisa Carter, President of Ballad Health’s Southern Region, joins Radio Advisory to recount the events of that day, reflect on how they tested her leadership, and underscore why we can’t rely on our “old normal” when it comes to disaster preparedness. Links: Homepage | Ballad Health Healthcare and climate change: Why sustainability is a strategic imperative Ep. 219: The business case for going green Ep. 164: Boston Medical Center's path to sustainability (and how they're funding it) Ep. 161: Unwavering purpose, the creation of Ballad Health 3 ways to engage and motivate your team in uncertain times Learn how the Advisory Board Fellowship can equip leaders to lead in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world. In this episode we featured audio clips from CBS News, ABC News, and NPR. You can find the full segments here: New wildfires erupt in Southern California Historic winter storm across the Deep South - YouTube Hospitals face months of IV fluid shortages after Helene damages N.C. factory : NPR A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

    34 min
  5. FEB 25

    240: Hospitals are at capacity. What can we actually do about it?

    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. Links: 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 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. Insights from the 2026 CMS Advance Notice A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

    24 min
  6. FEB 18

    239: UNC Health: The care variation reduction story you need to hear

    The cost and quality of care can vary dramatically—even within the same health system. This has real ramifications for patients and clinicians, not to mention system outcomes. But reducing unwarranted variation in clinical care is much easier said than done. In 2019, UNC Health launched a care redesign office to take on the job. They identified 24 sources of variation to target. And their efforts were so successful that five years later, it was time to set their sights on a new list of targets—this time with a partner. In this episode, host Abby Burns invites Cyndi Hall, former Executive Director of Care Redesign at UNC Health, and Dr. Larry Marks, Executive Medical Director for Care Redesign, Professor of Radiation Oncology, and Assistant Dean of Organizational Health and Quality at UNC Health and School of Medicine, to break down the last five years of their care design work. They share how they selected which clinical areas to target, stories of what it means when this work is successful, and through it all, underscore the role of true change agents of this work: the clinicians themselves. Note: Cyndi Hall is now Senior Advisor for Healthcare Plus Solutions Group where she is translating her expertise in care variation reduction to help provider organizations improve the clinician onboarding process. Reducing clinical variation is something Advisory Board is actively researching in 2025. If CVR has been on your organization’s docket and you have best practices to share, reach out to us at podcasts@advisory.com with the subject line “Sharing our CVR work” to get in touch with our research team. Links: 4 common pitfalls in care standardization — and how to overcome them Care variation reduction metric picklist UNC Health | Changing Lives for the Better Healthcare Leadership Training & Consulting | Healthcare Plus Solutions Obtaining Imaging Cost and Quality Information in Femoroacetabular Impingement: The Patient Experience - PMC Insights from the 2026 CMS Advance Notice How Steindler Orthopedic improved joint replacements with digital surgical technologies A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

    43 min
  7. FEB 4

    237: “Being digital”: How to assess health systems’ digital maturity

    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” Optum Advisory: Healthcare consulting services 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.

    43 min
4.8
out of 5
167 Ratings

About

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. | www.advisory.com

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