Employer-sponsored insurance is reaching a tipping point. What was once a predictable 2–4% annual increase in employer health spending has given way to double digit growth, driven by surging drug costs, rising utilization across all age groups, and escalating provider rates. For many employers—especially smaller organizations with less margin for error—absorbing these costs is no longer viable. As economic conditions shift and the labor market cools, the balance of power between employers and employees is changing, opening the door to more aggressive cost-control strategies.

In this episode, host Rachel (Rae) Woods is joined by Advisory Board expert Sally Kim to unpack what’s behind the spike in employer health costs—and what employers are doing about it. They walk through the full “menu” of options now on the table, from benefit redesign and navigation tools to network strategy, direct contracting, and alternative funding models. The conversation explores what these moves mean for health plans and providers competing for commercial lives—and why understanding employer behavior is no longer optional.

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How UT Southwestern closed genomic testing gaps in prostate cancer care

A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

For life sciences companies, access and adoption of clinical products is no longer as simple as demonstrating strong outcomes at a fair price. As payers and providers face mounting financial pressure and operational complexity, they are scrutinizing their partners more closely — expecting clearer evidence, more relevant value narratives, and support that reflects real world constraints.

In this episode, host Rachel (Rae) Woods sits down with Advisory Board experts Gina Lohr and Nick Hula to unpack how med tech and pharma companies should adapt their product and partnership strategies. Together, they explore why a single value story no longer works — and how life sciences organizations can better align their products, evidence, and engagement strategies to meet the rising expectations of payers, health systems, ambulatory leaders, clinicians, and patients.

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How Highlands Oncology expanded access to oral oncolytics treatment

A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

As health systems pursue growth beyond traditional avenues, the role of the strategic planner is becoming increasingly complex. High level directional data is no longer enough — achieving meaningful, differentiated growth now requires leveraging granular, sophisticated data to inform investment decisions.

In this episode, host Rachel Woods sits down with Advisory Board experts Sebastian Beckman and Ellie Wiles to explore how health systems can rethink strategic planning for 2026 and beyond. Together, they unpack what it should actually look like to democratize data, why data governance matters just as much as data access, and how service line leaders can partner with planners to make faster, more precise, margin savvy decisions.

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Comprehensive women’s healthcare: Redefining the standard of care

A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

How did health systems perform in 2025, and which strategic growth priorities are top-of-mind for 2026?

Health systems have entered the year with both momentum from buoyed volumes, and mounting pressure as those volumes don’t necessarily translate to healthy margin.

This week, host Abby Burns sits down with Advisory Board expert Marisa Nives and Optum consulting expert Alex Kist to unpack results from Advisory Board’s annual Strategic Planner Survey. They explore how health systems are—and aren’t—running at growth, and what separates the systems that are able to turn volumes and revenue into margin, from those that aren’t.

Be sure to catch next week’s episode, when Advisory Board experts discuss the data that planners need (and often lack) to make these strategic decisions with confidence in 2026.

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Real-time transparency infographic

A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

After a turbulent 2025, the early months of 2026 are proving that the policy landscape isn’t quieting down. Federal agencies are rolling out new payment models, lawmakers are revisiting long debated rules, and courts continue to shape what policies move forward and which stall. From value based payment to drug pricing and site of care policy, leaders are navigating a fast shifting environment with real implications for finances, operations, and long term strategy.

In this episode, host Abby Burns invites three Advisory Board experts to break down the major policy forces that leaders need to watch now:

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Radio Advisory’s Health Policy playlist

Webinar | Join Optum Advisory experts at this upcoming webinar to learn how optimizing patient access unlocks the value of digital innovations and drives long-term sustainability

A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

Infusion services make up a roughly $150 billion market in the U.S., and underpin the financial stability of major service lines, especially oncology. Historically, health systems have enjoyed strong volumes, favorable reimbursement, and access to 340B discounts that keep their infusion business profitable. But rising competition, payer and employer driven site of care shifts, and looming policy changes are putting pressure on what many leaders have relied on as a stable, margin accretive business.

In this episode, host Abby Burns sits down with Advisory Board expert Chloe Bakst to break down what’s actually happening in the infusion market — and why every health system leader should be paying closer attention. Together, they explore how new competitors are capturing leakage you may not even see, how payers and employers are steering patients away from hospital outpatient departments, and how upcoming 340B reforms and Medicare drug price negotiations could reshape the economics of infusion over the next three years. Chloe also shares the strategies forward thinking systems are using to protect their infusion business and prepare for rapidly emerging headwinds.

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Webinar | Join Optum Advisory experts at this upcoming webinar to learn how optimizing patient access unlocks the value of digital innovations and drives long-term sustainability.

Expert Insight | How data-driven risk reduction protects patients and providers

A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

Once a high growth, high margin line of business for health plans, Medicare Advantage (MA) is now in the middle of a financial reset.

Growth has slowed, margins have turned negative, and federal financial support is eroding — with CMS proposing a near flat reimbursement increase for 2027. As a result, plans are exiting markets, tightening benefit designs, and shifting their focus toward Special Needs Plans (SNPs). At the same time, seniors are facing rising costs, fewer perks, and more frequent plan changes.

To cut through the noise and understand what’s really happening beneath the headlines, host Rachel (Rae) Woods speaks with Advisory Board experts Sally Kim and Aaron Hill about the new divide emerging in MA: between plans equipped to manage the intensive needs of high cost seniors and execute on SNP strategies — and those that will be forced to exit markets or rethink their MA ambitions entirely.

Listen as they break down how MA’s financial and clinical headwinds are reshaping payer–provider relationships — and why future success depends on disciplined focus, deeper provider partnerships, and new investments in technology and cross benefit management.

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2026 Advisory Board Summit Washington, D.C.

A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

As financial pressure mounts and the healthcare safety net continues to strain, academic medical centers are drawing on their culture of innovation to pursue better outcomes — and narrow life expectancy gaps in the communities they serve.

In this episode of Radio Advisory, host Rae Woods sits down with leaders from Rush University Medical Center to explore how health systems can stay focused on results amid tightening margins, political scrutiny, and ongoing uncertainty in grant funding.

Dr. Omar Lateef, President and CEO of Rush, and Dr. David Ansell, Senior Vice President for Community Health Equity, describe how Rush treats gap-reduction as a long-term operating strategy rather than a moral or messaging exercise. They share practical examples of how local partnerships, targeted investments, and day-to-day operational choices can improve outcomes while still making financial sense — and why avoiding battles over language helps keep the focus squarely on results.

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2026 Advisory Board Summit Washington, D.C.

A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

Pediatric hospitals are one of the most important segments in the industry to watch right now. Although children’s hospitals make up only 5% of total hospital market share, more than 40% of U.S. children rely on Medicaid, leaving pediatric organizations disproportionately exposed as the Medicaid-related provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act take effect.

The pressures inside pediatric care were mounting even before this moment. After years of outperforming adult hospitals, children’s hospitals have seen margins fall from double digits to just 1% last year. Rising bad debt, higher supply and labor costs, a rapid shift toward lower margin outpatient care, and emerging challenges like declining birth rates and vaccine policy upheaval have created a perfect financial storm. While some of these dynamics are unique to pediatrics, the sector also offers an early warning signal for the rest of healthcare — and an opportunity to translate lessons across both worlds.

In this episode, host Abby Burns and Advisory Board expert Vidal Seegobin break down why pediatric leaders must simultaneously manage immediate-term margin pressure, prepare for a more ambulatory-dominant model, and futureproof their organizations amid shifting demographics. Vidal also shares actionable steps leaders can take now, along with the critical lessons pediatric hospitals offer the wider healthcare ecosystem.

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Learn how outpatient shifts can impact your organization by using Advisory Board’s Market Scenario Planner tool.

Sign up today for this Optum Health Webinar: Scaling your EHR: How Optum Health built an enterprise platform to redefine care delivery.

A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.

GLP-1s have quickly become a cornerstone of obesity and metabolic care — but the real challenge isn’t whether they work, it’s how the healthcare system uses them. Leaders are grappling with tough questions around hype, access, safety, cost, and long-term sustainability.

In this episode, recorded live at the 2025 HLTH conference, Rae Woods moderates a candid conversation with four physician leaders:

Drawing from frontline clinical experience and emerging data, the panel explores why medication only approaches fall short, how wraparound care improves outcomes and adherence, and what it will take for GLP 1s to deliver true value for patients, employers, and payers.

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From reactive to proactive care: 4 key takeaways about today's COVID-19 landscape

A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on RadioAdvisory.advisory.com.