Radio Advisory

As health systems anticipate greater downward pressures on margins in the months and years to come, they’re homing their growth strategies accordingly. As we’ve been saying in our research the past couple of years, “sustainability” is now the name of the game. Here’s the conundrum: our research also shows that 90% of systems are betting on the same growth plays as their competition. And more and more, those bets converge on a common goal: win more commercial volumes.

In this episode, host Abby Burns sits down with Advisory Board experts Shay Pratt and Emily Heuser to unpack the three main avenues health systems are exploring to win commercial volumes: ambulatory care, service lines, and direct-to-employer contracting. For each, they explore a “hard truth” and corresponding mindset shift leaders must face as they weigh what it will take to generate margin-accretive growth.

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Ambulatory research | Ambulatory care

Market trends research | Market trends and growth strategy

Service line research | Service lines and specialty care

Episode | 290: How data savvy strategic planners will define the next era of health system growth

Playlist | Provider Strategy and Financial Outlook playlist

Tool | Check out Advisory Board’s Market Scenario Planner and other Advisory Board analytics and data tools to inform your strategy for growth, cost control and more.

Learn more about Advisory Board’s 2026 summit series.

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

CMS continues to pull on the levers it has at its disposal to rein in national healthcare spend, including rulemaking around Medicare Advantage. In April, CMS announced the final rate for MA plans for CY2027, after a controversial proposed rule generated animated pushback — and a fair bit of panic — among payers.

In this episode, host Abby Burns speaks with Alex Balmes, Vice President of Actuarial Services at Optum, to unpack what did — and didn’t — end up in the final rate announcement, and what that signals for the future of the Medicare Advantage program. Together, they explore the components of the final rate that are most important for payers and providers to pay attention to, respectively, and why.

Also in the 2027 final announcement, but not discussed in this episode: four measures are being added or updated in Star ratings calculations (Colorectal Cancer Screening; Care for Older Adults – Functional Status Assessment; Concurrent Use of Opioids and Benzodiazepines (COB); Polypharmacy: Use of Multiple Anticholinergic Medications in Older Adults (Poly-ACH)) and three are being removed (Care for Older Adults – Pain Assessment, Medication Reconciliation Post-Discharge, Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Program Completion Rate for Comprehensive Medication Review (CMR))

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Read the 2027 CMS Announcement | 2027 | CMS

Episode | 286: A Medicare Advantage reset — and what comes next

Ready-to-Use Slides | Medicare Advantage market outlook

Stay informed | Healthcare policy updates

Tool | Policy Scenario Impact Calculator

Connect with an Optum Advisory expert | Optum

Learn more about Advisory Board’s 2026 summit series.

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

Maternity care touches nearly every corner of the U.S. health system. About 25% of all hospitalizations involve a mother or newborn, and maternity spending accounts for roughly 0.8% of U.S. GDP — making it one of the most economically significant service lines in health care. Against that backdrop, a little noticed decision to unbundle maternity billing codes represents a generational shift in how pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care are paid for.

In this episode of Radio Advisory, host Rae Woods sits down with Neel Shah, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Maven Clinic, to break down what the new maternity billing codes mean for providers, health plans, and patients. Together, they explore why the old bundle broke down, how unbundling could reshape care delivery, and what health leaders should be doing now as 2027 approaches.

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Read Neel’s article | The great unbundling - by Neel Shah, MD - The Preprint

Episode | Ep. 261: Maven Clinic on how holistic women's health is the key to reducing cost and engaging employees

Quick guide | Guide to today's top women's healthcare trends

Learn more about Advisory Board’s 2026 summit series.

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

Health care leaders are navigating one of the most volatile policy environments in decades. The next major reform fight hasn’t arrived yet — but in its place, a steady wave of rulemaking, regulatory shifts, and enforcement actions is driving real change. Policies are evolving faster, reversing more often, and creating a level of uncertainty that makes even the most seasoned strategists question what to act on, what to wait out, and what to ignore.

This moment of policy whiplash isn’t theoretical — it’s reshaping care delivery models, workforce strategy, and long term investment decisions across the industry.

In this live episode, recorded at Advisory Board’s Washington, D.C. Summit on May 4, 2026, host Rae Woods sits down with Julie Rovner — chief Washington correspondent at KFF Health News and host of the What the Health? podcast — to make sense of this “in between” moment of health policy.

Drawing on four decades of reporting across multiple administrations and reform cycles, Julie helps leaders separate meaningful signals from noise, understand where real policy power sits today, and anticipate what could define the next era of health reform.

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Playlist | Radio Advisory Health Policy playlist

Expert Insight | How policy changes will impact your bottom line

Tool | Policy Scenario Impact Calculator

Want to see a live recording of Radio Advisory? Register for an Advisory Board summit and get the insights your organization needs to navigate uncertainty and build lasting resilience.

What the Health? From KFF Health News Archives - KFF Health News

4 ways health systems are reducing EVS costs while improving performance

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

After a decidedly difficult few years in the world of nursing, things have seemingly gotten better — at least, on paper. And that’s reflective of a lot of hard work on the part of nursing leaders. But when we look at how long nurses plan to stay in the profession, we see a different story taking shape.

In this episode of Radio Advisory, host Abby Burns is joined by Advisory Board nursing expert Ali Knight and Optum expert Sherilynn Quist. Together, they unpack what today’s workforce data is really telling us and what it misses, the root causes driving nurses’ discontent, and why strengthening the nursing workforce can’t be left to nurse leaders alone.

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Episode | 274: The nurse engagement tactic leaders may be missing

Expert Insight | Labor costs continue to go up. What does it mean for health systems?

Expert Insight | Engage frontline staff to increase margin

Webinar | 5 key trends shaping the nursing workforce today

Webinar | Inform your workforce decisions with Advisory Board's benchmarks

Learn more | Optum Advisory: Sustainable Growth and Margin Consulting

5 strategies to close gaps in bladder cancer care

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