Radio Advisory

After years of uncertainty, many healthcare executives say they’ve experienced more change in the past five years than in their entire careers. Policy shifts, evolving patient expectations, and rapid advances in AI are all colliding at once — forcing leaders to rethink how they operate and where they invest.

But here’s the surprising part: the overwhelming sentiment isn’t panic. It’s clarity.

In this episode, host Rachel (Rae) Woods sits down with Advisory Board researchers Morghen Philippi and Marisa Nives to share what they’re hearing from months of research conversations with leaders across the ecosystem. Together, they offer a grounded look at how peers, partners, and competitors are thinking right now — where leaders are aligned, where they’re making different bets, and what they’re prioritizing next.

We’re here to help:

Episode | Ep. 303: The hard truths behind the fight for commercial volumes

Episode | Ep. 232: The rise of ICHRAs: Why some employers are turning to the individual market

Playlist | Strategy and Financial Outlook playlist

Report | 12 things CEOs need to know in 2026

Report | Survey insights: The 5 trends redefining health system strategy in 2026

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.

Ready-to-Use Slides | Market outlook for individual and small group health insurance

Webinar | How to embrace a proactive (not reactive) approach to change

Q&A with a clinical pharmacist: Reimagining diabetes care

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

Digital health funding is heating up—but where are the dollars going? And what does it mean for health systems’ digital health strategies?

In this live episode, recorded at Advisory Board’s Research Summit, host Abby Burns sits down with Megan Zweig, President and CEO of Rock Health Advisory, for an update on what’s going on in the world of digital health funding. Together, they unpack what investment activity looks like and explore questions around what constitutes an investable thesis in 2026, how health systems are—or could be—engaging in the startup ecosystem, and what it takes to be a good incubation partner.

We’re here to help:

Episode | 298: Battle of the bots? Separating AI hype from value in revenue cycle

Episode | 254: Stop searching for the “perfect” AI product and do this instead

Playlist | Radio Advisory Tech and AI playlist

Playlist | Radio Advisory Provider Strategy and Financial Outlook playlist

Research | AI in healthcare: Evaluating promising use cases

Rock Health

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.

The role of pharmacists in cardiometabolic care

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

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.

We’re here to help:

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))

We’re here to help:

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.

We’re here to help:

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.