Modern Healthcare's Healthcare Insider Podcast

Hospitals are under mounting financial pressure while also navigating a complex shift toward value-based care.

In this episode, Dr. Rob Bessler, CEO of Honest Health, and Rick Pollack, CEO of the American Hospital Association, examine the critical decisions health systems face today and the long-term strategies needed for success tomorrow.

Tune in for a timely discussion on:

• Strategic considerations for internal development vs. external partnerships
• What "success" in value-based care could look like a decade from now
• Practical guidance for CEOs planning for long-term transformation

The transition from hospital to home is one of the most critical—and complex—points in a patient's care journey. As demand for home-based and post-acute services grows, healthcare organizations face mounting pressure to coordinate across settings, reduce readmissions and deliver better outcomes at lower cost.

In this episode of Healthcare Insider, Kirk Allen, CEO of OneHome, shares strategies for advancing value-based care models in the post-acute space. He discusses what's needed to align financial incentives, improve data integration and strengthen partnerships between payers and providers to drive sustainable change.

Listeners will gain insights on how healthcare leaders can:

• Break down care silos and strengthen continuity across post-acute settings
• Align incentives around quality and outcomes rather than volume
• Use data and technology to identify high-risk patients and intervene earlier

Healthcare facilities are under growing pressure to balance safety, sustainability, patient experience and budgets —all while meeting rising expectations for smarter, more flexible care environments.

In this episode, Jennifer Michalski, Business Development Manager at Construction Specialties, shares how healthcare design priorities are evolving as organizations look to:

• Strengthen infection control through durable, easy-to-clean materials that maintain long-term performance
• Create holistic spaces that support patient comfort, staff workflow and intuitive wayfinding
• Adapt construction strategies for fast-growing care settings such as behavioral health, senior living and children's hospitals
• Align cost efficiency with long-term value without compromising safety or design goals

Tune in to learn how hospitals, health systems and senior living providers are rethinking construction and design to support the next generation of care delivery.

Operating rooms drive both patient care and hospital finances, but they're also a major source of clinical and financial waste. Each day, U.S. ORs generate up to 2,000 tons of waste, with variations in surgical practice adding unnecessary costs.

In this episode, Dr. William Payne, orthopedic spine surgeon and the president of the medical staff at Franciscan Health - Olympia Fields, and Courtney Kleeb, senior director at HealthTrust Performance Group, share strategies to reduce surgical waste, including:

• Defining the biggest drivers of waste in surgery
• Leveraging physician leadership to improve consistency and outcomes
• Using data and analytics to capture savings without compromising care

Tune in to learn how organizations can cut waste in the OR while strengthening outcomes and financial performance.

The No Surprises Act and Good Faith Estimates were designed to protect patients, but they've also created new operational challenges for providers, particularly around patient credits and managing refunds.

In this episode of Healthcare Insider, Jessica Lemoine, AVP and Healthcare Success Manager at Fifth Third Bank, shares her insights on how health systems can navigate these complexities and modernize the patient financial experience.

Listeners will learn:

• How financial transparency rules are increasing patient credits and what that means for providers
• The biggest operational and patient experience challenges in refund management
• Innovative tools and workflows that streamline refunds and improve consumer trust

Tune in to hear how health systems can embrace automation, flexible payment solutions and financial partnerships to create a more seamless and consumer-centric patient payment journey.

Is your organization thinking about revenue cycle management (RCM) the right way?

In this episode of Healthcare Insider, Garett Kreitz, co-president of Med-Metrix, explains how to elevate RCM from a transactional function into a true strategic asset.

Listeners will learn:

• What end-to-end RCM really means in practice
• How providers can uncover hidden EBITDA and strengthen their bottom line
• Real-world strategies Med-Metrix uses to help health systems maximize reimbursement and reduce revenue leakage

Tune in to hear how aligning leadership, technology and execution can transform the revenue cycle into a powerful driver of financial health.

In this episode of Healthcare Insider, Modern Healthcare's Maria Castellucci speaks with August Boehnlein, associate marketing manager at Midmark Corporation. Boehnlein unpacks the 2024 standards, explains the significance of the newly established 17-inch low seat height requirement and shares how thoughtful equipment design can drive better outcomes for both patients and providers.

At the intersection of medical innovation and compassionate, community-centered care, Driscoll Children's Hospital has emerged as a national leader in pediatric heart care and health equity.

In this episode of Healthcare Insider, Dr. Stephen M. Langley, medical director and chief of pediatric cardiac surgery at Driscoll Children's Hospital, shares powerful insights into how the hospital is elevating care for complex and underserved pediatric populations across south Texas.

From groundbreaking outcomes in congenital heart surgeries to culturally informed, family-centered care models, Dr. Langley outlines how Driscoll is redefining "best care" for children and what other healthcare leaders can learn from their approach.

Surprise bills and opaque healthcare costs continue to frustrate consumers. Health plans must do more to address these concerns or risk losing members.

In this episode of Healthcare Insider, Jay Deady, president of price optimization at Zelis, joins Modern Healthcare to explore how payers can evolve beyond call centers and generic outreach to offer personalized, transparent billing support.

Learn how new tools and approaches are helping health plans build trust, improve member satisfaction and reduce financial stress—one interaction at a time.

The payment process in healthcare is often slow, fragmented and paper-based, creating frustration for providers and patients, inefficiencies for payers and rising costs across the system.

In this episode of Healthcare Insider, Yusuf Qasim, president of payments optimization at Zelis, shares how digital innovation can meaningfully change the healthcare payment ecosystem.

From reducing friction to improving cash flow, Qasim outlines what it takes to transform outdated systems into streamlined, digital-first operations.