Radio Advisory

For years, the story of ambulatory surgery centers was all about moving care out of the hospital. But the most important ASC trend today isn't growth. It's variation.

Organizations are using ambulatory surgery centers to pursue very different goals. Some view ASCs as a way to relieve inpatient capacity. Others are trying to lower costs, protect market share, recruit physicians, expand access, or create room for more complex hospital care. And those strategies can vary dramatically depending on the service line, ownership model, market dynamics, and state policy environment.

In this episode, host Rae Woods talks with Advisory Board researchers Nick Hula, Gaby Marmolejos, and Rachael Peroutky about why no two ASC strategies look exactly alike, and how healthcare leaders can determine the right role for ASCs in their market.

We’re here to help:

Webinar | How to design an ASC-specific commercial strategy

Report | Site-of-care shifts 2026: Inside the latest trends and data

Report | Which services are most at risk of leaving the hospital?

Quick Guide | Guide to today's top orthopedic trends

Report | Supplier playbook for developing an ASC commercial strategy

Episode | 291: If you build it, will they buy it? The new rules for proving value in life sciences

Sponsor link: Webinar | Value-based care demystified

Sponsor link: Report | 4 ways health systems are pursuing lab growth

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

Protecting provider margins has never been easy. But today’s combination of policy shifts, reimbursement changes, labor pressures, and evolving care models is forcing health systems to rethink where margin comes from and how to sustain it.

In this episode, Abby Burns sits down with Optum Advisory’s Samantha Wyld and Jess Garber to explore how both sweeping policy changes and smaller regulatory updates are reshaping margin management. Through real-world examples, they unpack three areas of opportunity: pricing strategy, clinical documentation and coding, and capturing economies of scale many organizations have yet to realize. Together, they explain why yesterday’s margin playbook is no longer enough and what it takes to take a more strategic approach to financial performance.

We’re here to help:

Expert Insight | 5 assumptions executives make about revenue cycle (and what to do instead)a>
Expert Insight | 6 strategies to improve your operating margins and financial resiliencea>
Ready-to-Use Resource | Mapping AI’s real role in the revenue cyclea>
E-book | 5 Provider Strategies to Help Improve Your Margins | Optuma>
Podcast | 303: The hard truths behind the fight for commercial volumesa>
Podcast | [Encore] How data savvy strategic planners will define the next era of health system growth

Get in Touch | Optum Advisory: Healthcare Consulting Services

Sponsor link: Quick Guide | Rethinking iodine contrast use: A stewardship maturity model

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

(This episode originally aired on February 10, 2026. Dr. Omar Lateef has since announced his intention to retire from Rush Health in June 2027.)

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

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

Sponsor link: Preserving iodine, protecting imaging

(This episode originally aired on February 3, 2026. Stay tuned towards the end of the conversation for an update on the state of pediatric hospitals midway through 2026.)

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.

Sponsor link: Q&A: How e-prescribing for vaccines may help close patient care gaps

(This episode originally aired on March 17, 2026.)

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.

We’re here to help:

Tools | Get in touch with a representative to learn more about Advisory Board's Market Intelligence tool

Podcast | 289: What are health systems doing in 2026? Results from our survey are in.

Playlist | Radio Advisory Provider Strategy and Financial Outlook Playlist

Case Study | How UT Southwestern closed genomic testing gaps in prostate cancer care

Sponsor link: How UCHealth lowered population-level obesity rates in their region