Radio Advisory

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:

[1:35] Clare Wirth explains the newest wave of value based payment models out of CMMI, and what they signal about this administration’s posture toward value-based care.

[10:20] Nick Hula explores how site neutral payments, the return of inpatient only list changes, and state level certificate of need laws could accelerate site of care shifts.

[20:51] Chloe Bakst unpacks the chaos surrounding 340B — from the halted rebate pilot to impacts of HR1 and emerging state reporting requirements — and the decisions leaders must make today to prepare for what’s coming next.

We’re here to help:

Webinar | How to be successful under TEAM

Cheat sheet | 340B Drug Pricing Program

Ready-to-Use Resource | Policy Scenario Impact Calculator

Expert Insight | How policy changes will impact your bottom line

Expert Insight | Inside CMS' final rule changes for 2026

Stay Informed | Healthcare Policy Updates Timeline

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.

We’re here to help:

Webinar | The top trends in today’s infusion market

Tool | Market Scenario Planner

Ready-to-Use Resource | Policy Scenario Impact Calculator

Expert Insight | The 3 trends reshaping the specialty drug pipeline today

Podcast | 270: Service line snapshot: What every health leader needs to know

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.

We’re here to help:

Tool | Medicare Market Explorer

Webinar | Medicare Advantage: Insights on today’s more competitive market

Webinar | Medicare Advantage: The latest on product design and growth

Podcast | Ep. 227: The changing tide of Medicare Advantage

Expert Insight | 3 data-driven insights on Medicare Advantage Star Ratings

Ready-to-Use Slides | Medicare Advantage market outlook

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.

We’re here to help:

How Rush University Medical Center is addressing the root causes of social determinants of health

264: Research funding is being slashed. What’s the real industry impact?

How research funding cuts are impacting healthcare (and how to respond)

12 things CEOs need to know in 2026

Healthcare Policy Updates Timeline

Tool: How policy changes will impact your bottom line

Who gets the chance to be healthy? | Rush

The Rush Center for Community Well-Being at Sankofa Wellness Village | Rush

Health disparities in Chicago and the work to solve them with Rush University Medical Center (AMA)

The Anchor Strategy — A Place-Based Business Approach for Health Equity | New England Journal of Medicine

Rush Signs on as First Partner for Local Laundry Service | Rush

David Ansell Books – New: The Death Gap

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.

We’re here to help:

5 insights on the state of pediatric hospitals today

12 things CEOs need to know in 2026

The State of the Healthcare Industry in 2026

Read Advisory Board's 2026 research agenda

3 trends shaping healthcare in 2026 (and how to respond)

278: Dr. Emily Oster on fighting misinformation and rebuilding trust in healthcare

277: Patient distrust is costing you. Here’s how to rebuild it.

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.