Radio Advisory

(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

For years, regional health plans benefited from powerful tailwinds: Medicare Advantage growth, Medicaid expansion, and a prospering ACA marketplace. But many of those growth engines have stalled, just as new pressures emerged: rising utilization, runaway spend, pricing uncertainty and more scrutiny from patients and policy makers. The result is a dramatically different financial reality for health plans. In 2024, only eight of 33 Blues plans reported positive operating margins.

In this episode, host Rae Woods sits down with Jared Landis, Vice President of Advisory Board's Health Plan Research practice, to unpack how regional plans got here and the three-year turnaround strategy regional and Blues plans are now pursuing.

Together, they explore the market forces that upended the payer playbook, the operational and pricing changes plans are making to stabilize performance, and how AI-enabled transformation could reshape the future of the insurance business.

Stay tuned to the end of the episode for an update on the Rural Health Transformation Program, including a key deadline this fall.

We’re here to help:

Episode | Ep. 257: Paul Markovich on new builds, breakups, and bold healthcare bets

Episode | 305: “The work isn’t easy, but it’s clear”: How healthcare leaders are responding to the market

Episode | 302: CMS announced the 2027 MA final rate. What do payers and providers need to know?

Playlist | Radio Advisory Provider Strategy and Financial Outlook playlist

Expert Insight | Can health plans turn their MA business around this year?

Research | Health plan strategy

Report | Rural health transformation funds: Where they're really going

Ready-to-Use Slides | Health Plan Market Explorer

Webinar | Understanding health plan decision-makers

Sponsor link: Precision in motion: How digital tools support diabetes care providers

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

In this episode, Abby Burns welcomes back Megan Zweig, CEO of Rock Health Advisory, to answer audience questions submitted during Advisory Board's Research Summit in Carlsbad, California.

Together, they explore how health systems are engaging with the explosion in consumer-generated data, the role of medtech and pharma in AI-enabled innovation, and why AI enablement may be able to unlock personalized care for a wider range of patients.

We’re here to help:

Episode | 304: Boom, bust, or bubble? Rock Health weighs in on digital health funding in 2026

Playlist | Radio Advisory Tech and AI playlist

Playlist | Radio Advisory Provider Strategy and Financial Outlook playlist

Research | AI in healthcare: Evaluating promising use cases

Research | Truly personalized care is possible. Here's how to make it a reality.

Rock Health
H1 2026 funding and market overview: Durable roots, shifting routes | Rock Health

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Nearly 70% of adults ages 65 and over skipped the latest COVID vaccine. Learn how health systems can treat vaccine uncertainty as a routine care gap — not patient resistance — by reading Advisory Board’s expert insight.

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