The Health Management Academy

The conversation on proactive workforce planning delivered. Thank you to everyone who joined us to explore how health systems can move from reactive staffing to sustainable workforce strategies. Our session with Arnot Health and Hallmark - Healthcare Workforce Technology reinforced a clear reality: short-term fixes no longer work. Key takeaways: • Internal float pools and workforce technology strengthen resilience and care quality. • Centralized, data-driven staffing reduces reliance on agency labor. • Expanding flexible models to include locum tenens supports total labor management. • Proactive workforce planning improves clinician well-being, patient safety, and financial health. Thank you to Jerikah Gilliland, MSN, RN, TCRN, NEA-BC (Arnot Health) and Matt Dane, DNP, MBA, RN (Hallmark) for sharing real-world results from their workforce transformation journey. Missed the discussion? View the full recording → https://lnkd.in/eqcDjpDg

Margin pressure, workforce strain, and policy uncertainty continue to shape today’s health system environment. For industry executives, the path to meaningful CXO engagement lies in positioning your solution as a strategic asset—not a transactional offering. Insights from the 2025 Executive Priorities Survey point to where leaders are concentrating their improvement efforts: • Chief Nursing Executives are focused on reducing care team administrative burden. • Chief Financial Officers identify divesting underperforming assets and services as their top opportunity. • Chief Physician Executives report a sharp rise in the importance of AI strategy heading into 2025. • Chief Information Officers continue to elevate cyberthreat detection and response above all other priorities. To influence decision-makers and accelerate commercial conversations, your solution must show clear impact on cost stability, operational efficiency, and long-term strategic alignment. Learn how to align your approach with the challenges CXOs are navigating → https://lnkd.in/eGrA4VDM

Looking for ways to stay engaged with The Health Management Academy in 2026? Consider nominating - or joining - the next class of physician leaders in the Physician Leadership Program (PLP). PLP is a uniquely transformative experience for physicians stepping into administrative leadership roles. Through collaborative learning, mentorship, and applied skill development, participants bridge clinical expertise with executive-level leadership capabilities to guide their organizations forward. If you know a colleague who would be an excellent fit for the 2026 PLP cohort, or if you’re ready to elevate your own leadership journey, reach out to LDPrograms@hmacademy.com to learn more. Applications are open through December 15, 2025.

Nearly half of health system finance leaders expect budget reductions next year, making clear competitive intelligence more important than ever. The Health Management Academy’s Executive Insights Summary distills the budget priorities, policy pressures, and investment strategies shaping decisions among CFOs and VPs of Finance at health systems with more than $750M in annual revenue. A few highlights from the double-blind survey: • Shifts in investment: Automation/AI and permanent physician staffing lead anticipated spending increases (96% and 73%). • Labor reductions: Most leaders plan to reduce premium labor spend, including travel/contract nurses (73%) and locum tenens (45%). • Financial priorities: Cost containment and revenue cycle improvement remain the dominant strategies for navigating economic uncertainty. • Policy risk: Medicaid reform stands out as the most significant financial threat for 2025. For industry executives, the path forward is clear: focus on solutions that deliver measurable, near-term financial impact. Access the full summary to align your strategy with where finance leaders are expanding and where they are pulling back: https://lnkd.in/ebxQwCES

“I think the most important thing for a prospective person as they're looking at the Fellowship Program to evaluate is the opportunities that you get as you come here.” Pat McCabe, Executive-in-Residence at The Health Management Academy, underscores the unparalleled access to national executive perspectives that defines the Fellowship. He notes that while healthcare operations can often feel "parochial," the program provides a critical, broader view for future leaders.

What’s top of mind for leading health system executives right now? For industry leaders, understanding health system priorities is the foundation for meaningful partnerships. Our latest analysis draws from direct conversations across our community of health system executives, offering a real-time look at what’s driving strategy and investment decisions in the year ahead. Read the full insight → 

Cyberattacks targeting healthcare organizations increased 93% last year. Meanwhile, CMS is pushing us to open the front door wider through the Health Tech Ecosystem initiative. How do we improve access and interoperability while strengthening security? In our upcoming webinar on Nov. 18th at 1 PM ET, Securing Identity in Healthcare: Lessons from Leading Health Systems, leaders from Wellstar Health System, Tampa General Hospital, and Hackensack Meridian Health will share how they’ve advanced multi-layered identity strategies that strengthen security while preserving trust. What's on the docket for discussion? → Strengthening cybersecurity posture while maintaining seamless experiences → Combating fraud and compliance risks in today’s threat landscape → Modern identity strategies that align with regulatory priorities and build patient confidence Join: • Bill Bellando, VP & CTO, Wellstar Health System • Sameer Sethi, SVP & Chief AI Officer, Hackensack Meridian Health • James B., VP & CISO, Tampa General Hospital • David Bardan, GM Healthcare, CLEAR If your organization is navigating the intersection of security, compliance, and patient experience, this conversation is designed for you. Register here: https://lnkd.in/evwQQ6iD

Understanding how large health systems allocate capital in a period of economic uncertainty is the crucial distinction between strategic partnership and misaligned efforts. The Academy's "Industry Executive Insights Summary: 2025 Finance & Budget Priorities" offers a direct examination of the financial calculus performed by Chief Financial Officers and Vice Presidents of Finance at organizations exceeding $750 million in annual revenue. Consider the focused objectives revealed in this summary: Cost Containment Dominance: More than ninety percent of finance leaders designate cost containment as a principal strategy for economic responsiveness, often prioritizing this over long-term diversification initiatives. Targeted Investment: Limited capital is strategically directed toward the integration of Artificial Intelligence and the stabilization of permanent staff, while expenditures on temporary labor and corporate overhead face deliberate reductions. Policy Risk Assessment: The potential financial impact of federal policy shifts, specifically Medicaid reform and site-neutral payments, is a key consideration demanding immediate executive focus. To ensure your proposals address the demonstrable, near-term priorities of health system finance leadership, click here: https://lnkd.in/ehGtkuyu

When Mayo Clinic Health System set out to transform rural primary care, they didn’t start with new buildings; they started with a new model. At our September briefing, Chris Hasse, PhD, FACHE, FACMPE, Administrative Officer at Mayo Clinic Health System, and Ran Shaul, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at K Health, shared how their digital-first approach is: • Bringing patients same-day primary care access regardless of location • Integrating AI to enhance, not replace, clinical workflows • Creating a sustainable model without major capital investment For leaders navigating similar challenges, the recording is now available on demand. Access it here → https://lnkd.in/ecBEFmJC

“The experts from The Academy, especially related to public policy, and the convening meetings for The Academy - we get to learn a lot about what's going on around the nation.” For Giancarlo Lyle-Edrosolo, Market Chief Nurse Executive at Advocate Health, participation in The Health Management Academy directly fuels executive effectiveness. He pinpoints specialized policy knowledge and strategic convening as vital components for success in a changing environment.