Patient access is often measured by speed—but its true value runs much deeper.

In this episode of The All-Access Pass, Elizabeth Woodcock, DrPH, MBA, is joined by Brett Butler, Vice President of Access Services at Baylor Scott & White Health, for a candid conversation about what it really takes to elevate access from a transactional function to a system-level strategy.

Together, they explore how governance, relationships, and intentional design can unlock capacity, improve clinician experience, and create more equitable, patient-centered care—even amid financial pressure and constrained supply. Brett shares how Baylor Scott & White is scaling access across a complex, multi-market enterprise, why fragmentation is access’s greatest enemy, and how technology can illuminate opportunity rather than promise false fixes.

This episode challenges access leaders to ask a different question: not how fast can we schedule, but how might we redesign care to truly meet demand—for patients, clinicians, and the system alike.

AI may automate the “what” of scheduling, but the “why” still belongs to humans. In this episode of All Access Pass, host Elizabeth Woodcock sits down with Aramis Cherrington, Vice President of Patient Access at RWJBarnabas Health to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the work of access centers, shifting them from reactive call hubs to predictive, omni-channel orchestrators of the patient journey.

They discuss why AI will likely handle most routine transactions while elevating human schedulers into empathetic care navigators, what it means to design access around the patient rather than the process, and how traditional metrics like abandonment rate and average speed of answer fall short of capturing true accessibility.

In this episode, we cover AI’s impact on scheduler roles, the rise of omnichannel digital front doors, new outcome- and experience-based access metrics, and why investing equally in people and platforms is essential to delivering frictionless, timely, connected care.

Waiting lists have long been treated as an unavoidable part of healthcare — a symptom of limited capacity. But Professor Katherine Harding believes otherwise.In this episode, she joins PAC founder Elizabeth Woodcock to unpack the STAT model, a research-backed approach developed in Australia that replaces backlogs with real-time scheduling and equitable flow.
Harding shares insights from clinical trials, lessons from implementation, and her bold challenge to health systems everywhere: waiting isn’t destiny — it’s design.
Tune in to learn how STAT reframes access, equity, and efficiency for modern healthcare.

Article Link: https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-020-05824-z

Website: https://www.thestatmodel.com/

Behind every oncology referral is a patient—and a family—waiting, hoping, and depending on the system to move fast. In this episode, host Dr. Elizabeth Woodcock, Executive Director of the Patient Access Collaborative, is joined by three oncology access leaders: Kristen Thatcher of The James at Ohio State University, Jennifer Kennedy-Stovall of Duke Cancer Institute, and Kate Healy-Levine of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Together, they explore how leading cancer programs are redefining timely access—balancing urgency with empathy, operational efficiency with equity, and data with culture.

Tune in to hear how these systems are tackling workforce constraints, leveraging APPs, and redesigning scheduling models to ensure that every patient receives the right care, at the right time.

Topics include culture and urgency in access, diagnostic and APP models, template standardization, financial navigation, and equity in oncology care.

Collaboration is the engine of innovation in healthcare access, and nowhere is that spirit stronger than at the upcoming PAC Access Summit, a two-day event co-hosted by Emory Healthcare on October 13–14. In this episode of All Access Pass, host Chris Profeta sits down with three Emory leaders who will be presenting at the Summit: Kelsey Thomas, Director of Program Development in Patient Access; Nick Woodbury, Assistant Director of Capacity Management in Patient Access; and Josiah Thomasson, Senior Manager of Data Foundations & Engineering.

Together, they offer a preview of their sessions and share how Emory is advancing access through program development, capacity management, and data innovation. From building frameworks that support frontline teams to leveraging system solutions and analytics for smarter decisions, this conversation highlights the interdisciplinary work driving access transformation.

Whether you’re preparing to attend the Summit or looking for fresh ideas to bring back to your own organization, you’ll gain insights into how Emory Healthcare is helping to shape the future of patient access.

What does it take to lead patient access at scale—and with heart? In this inspiring episode, we celebrate the Patient Access Collaborative’s inaugural Access Leaders of the Year: Jamie Kern, MBA, Senior Director of Access & Capacity Management at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and Ann Blanchard, BSN, MBA, Director of Access Innovations, Capacity Management & Referral CORE at Nebraska Medicine.

From turning “scapegoats” into strategic powerhouses to building trust through data transparency and team empowerment, Jamie and Ann share their personal leadership philosophies, operational strategies, and digital transformation journeys. You’ll hear how OSU is tackling scalability through behavior change and rigor, while Nebraska Medicine’s “Access Delta” initiative and digital redesign efforts have transformed lag time and self-scheduling at an enterprise level.

Together, they reflect on the evolving role of access, the myth of linear digital adoption, and why listening—not just fixing—is the key to lasting change. Whether you're redesigning visit types or shifting culture, this episode delivers lessons in resilience, innovation, and keeping the patient at the center of it all.

At the 2025 Patient Access Collaborative Symposium, Stephanie Schmidt, MS, Senior Director of Ambulatory Operations, and Adam Stone, MS, Director of Clinical Data & Analytics of Oregon Health & Science University led a high-impact workshop on building a culture of data fluency and accountability in access operations. As leaders in both operations and analytics, Stephanie and Adam shared real-world examples of how their teams are aligning key performance indicators (KPIs) with meaningful metrics, using dashboards to bring data to life, and building the infrastructure for consistent governance across departments. Their focus: turning insights into action—and making data not just visible, but transformative.

In this episode, they reflect on the collective wisdom shared by access leaders nationwide—from the most common metrics (like fill rate and new patient lag) to the shared barriers (like attribution and cultural resistance). They also unpack the often-overlooked ROI of access initiatives, discuss how to improve organizational fluency, and share their aspirations for the future of access analytics. Whether you’re launching a dashboard or leading enterprise-wide transformation, this conversation offers powerful takeaways to guide your next step.

Join us for a dynamic conversation with two powerhouse leaders in patient access: Alexandra Blake Martinez, MHSA, Associate Vice President of Access Strategic Operations at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Tesha Montgomery, BSN, MHA, Senior Vice President of Access at Houston Methodist. Speaking from their shared hometown of Houston, the site of the 2025 Patient Access Collaborative Symposium, these visionary leaders reflect on the event’s key themes — from the rising strategic importance of access to transformative innovations like AI. You'll hear candid insights on moving from reaction to prevention, navigating workforce challenges, embracing data-driven leadership, and redefining access as a strategic imperative. Whether you attended the symposium or not, this episode delivers valuable takeaways and fresh perspective from two of the nation’s top access executives.  

How many patients are too many? In this episode, Dr. Kevin Shah, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Primary Care at Duke University Health joins us to unpack the complex science—and art—of managing patient panels.

Joy of Practice is the beating heart of healthcare.It represents the very reason our clinicians practice medicine in the first place, underscoring the fundamental purpose behind their care delivery. Despite their passion for patients, clinician burnout is threatening to destabilize the entire supply of the already-burdened healthcare industry. In this month’s inspiring episode, we explore why clinicians’ well-being is essential to patient access, and how access leaders can uplifttheir efforts through compassionate leadership.

Elizabeth Woodcock, Founder and Executive Director of PAC,is joined by Lisa Griffin, MBA, CCCM, Chief Consumer Officer atUniversity Hospitals, and Dr. Christine Sinsky, Vice President ofProfessional Satisfaction at the American Medical Association.

Together, they unpack the recent surge in clinician burnout,and the responsibility of access leaders to build meaningful relationships with the clinicians who make up the ambulatory enterprise. Tune in on Spotify and Apple podcasts for more!