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.

We’re here to help:

• 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.

We’re here to help:

• 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.

Across the industry, leaders are talking about a “battle of the bots”—with payers and providers racing to deploy AI across the revenue cycle. But that narrative may be more hype than reality.

In this episode, Rae Woods is joined by Advisory Board experts Isis Monteiro and Elysia Culver to separate fact from fiction. They break down where AI is actually delivering value today—and why it’s showing up as efficiency gains and cost avoidance, not revenue growth.

And they make the case for a different approach: stop chasing AI for its own sake, and start focusing on margin protection, operational discipline, and the problems that actually need solving.

We’re here to help:

• Report | Revenue cycle claims denial benchmarks
• Report | Addressing plan-provider friction: 3 insights from Optum’s Payer-Provider Abrasion survey
• Case Study | 3 steps to prevent prior authorization denials
• Learn | AI in healthcare: Evaluating promising use cases
• Playlist | Radio Advisory Provider Strategy and Financial Outlook playlist
• Playlist | Radio Advisory Tech and AI playlist

Learn about Advisory Board's 2026 summits

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

After more than a decade of effort, healthcare still struggles with the same consumer pain points: affordability, access, and trust. Despite investments in price transparency, virtual care, and navigation tools, the patient experience remains fragmented, leaving leaders to wonder whether healthcare consumerism ever truly delivered on its promise.

In this episode, host Rae Woods invites Advisory Board experts Devin Airey, Shay Pratt, and Natalie Trebes to take a candid look at why the consumer revolution stalled, what consumerism tactics healthcare leaders need to let go of, and where the industry should double down heading into the next decade.

We’re here to help:

• Report | 6 insights on consumer preferences in healthcare
• Report | Setting up your ambulatory network for the future
• Expert Insight | 3 strategies to boost healthcare consumer engagement
• Expert Insight | 3 trends shaping healthcare in 2026 (and how to respond)
• Playlist | Radio Advisory Provider Strategy and Financial Outlook playlist

Subscribe to The Daily Briefing, a must-read daily newsletter for thousands of healthcare executives across the nation

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

What has price transparency data taught us about healthcare prices? Price transparency laws were originally put in place to make it possible for patients to act like consumers. We’re not there yet. But as federal requirements and enforcement tighten, health plans and providers are sharing more and better data, giving us a clearer picture of the price of care across services, organizations, and markets.

In this episode, host Abby Burns sits down with CEO of Revelar Analytics, Maria Nikol, to better understand how and why leaders across the industry should leverage price transparency data to help them navigate mounting financial pressures. Maria shares concrete examples of how organizations are using the data to defend rates, uncover underpayment, and prepare for rate negotiations — while also breaking down common data pitfalls and why interpretation matters. They also discuss recent and proposed policy changes and what they mean for healthcare leaders in 2026 and beyond.

We’re here to help:

• Infographic | Real-time transparency
• Report | 4 steps for successful risk contracting with payers
• Expert Insight | 3 ways to make VBC contracting easier
• Learn more | Revelar Analytics l Price Transparency l Home Page

2026 State of Healthcare Procurement: Cost, Quality, Resilience

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

The U.S. healthcare system is approaching a major inflection point. Nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts are set to take effect in January 2027, driven by new work requirements, more frequent eligibility checks, and tighter limits on state financing.

While the policy changes are months away, their consequences are already clear: millions of Americans are at risk of losing coverage, and provider organizations — many operating on margins near zero — will absorb the downstream impact through rising uncompensated care.

In this episode, hosts Rae Woods and Abby Burns are joined by former Optum Executive Director of Product and Strategy Sunay Shah to help healthcare leaders move from “scramble” to strategy. Drawing on lessons from past Medicaid shifts, including redeterminations and state level work requirement experiments, they explain why administrative disenrollment —not ineligibility — is the biggest threat facing patients and providers alike.

Together, they break down what health systems can do now to keep eligible patients covered: redesigning workflows earlier in the patient journey, using technology more thoughtfully, partnering with community organizations, state agencies, and operational support partners, and rebuilding trust with patients during moments of vulnerability.

We’re here to help:

• Episode | 288: Health policy update: VBC, site-neutral payments, and 340B
• Playlist | Radio Advisory health policy playlist
• Ready-to-Use Resource | Your guide to CMMI’s 25+ innovation models
• Expert Insight | How policy changes will impact your bottom line
• White Paper | Navigating the next era of Medicaid
• On-Demand Webinar | Adapting to the changes in Medicaid policies
• Want to learn more about how Optum can help? Connect with our team today

Register today for the 2026 Advisory Board Summit in Washington, D.C.

2026 State of Healthcare Procurement: Cost, Quality, Resilience

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

In this bonus episode of Radio Advisory, managing producer Chris Phelps and host and executive producer Rae Woods compare notes from the 2026 ViVE digital health conference. They break down what stood out on the main stage and the show floor—from where AI is over and under hyped, to why point solutions keep falling short, to what it actually takes to scale technology in healthcare. They also surface the big questions they still have about the healthcare industry’s digital future.

We’re here to help:

• Podcast | Ep. 294: Live from ViVE: How payers can reduce friction when the rules change
• Podcast | 276: The AI gold rush is changing how humans (and clinicians) make decisions
• Research | How to succeed using AI: Lessons from 4 leading organizations
• Expert Insight | Inside CMS' final rule changes for 2026
• Podcast | Ep. 205: Live from ViVE 2024: Four leaders on how technology is redefining clinical work

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

Payers are operating at the center of converging pressures: rising costs, accelerating utilization, heightened public scrutiny, and a wave of CMS reforms that are reshaping expectations around transparency, interoperability, prior authorization, and accountability. Medicare Advantage has become the front line for these shifts—exposing tensions between regulatory oversight, margin compression, and growing demands for better member and provider experiences.

Against this backdrop, health plans are being asked to do more with less—while proving real value through measurable outcomes, trust, and access.

In this episode, recorded in February at the ViVE digital health and healthcare innovation conference, Rae Woods moderates a conversation with payer and technology leaders on how AI and data are being used to reduce payer–provider friction, rethink prior authorization, and improve the member experience—without losing sight of accountability or return on investment.

Panelists include:

• Ali Khan, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Medicare at Aetna (a CVS company)
• Kay Judge, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Medicare at Blue Shield of California
• Syed Mohiuddin, MD, Head of Healthcare, Anthropic

We’re here to help:

• Podcast | 276: The AI gold rush is changing how humans (and clinicians) make decisions
• Research | How to succeed using AI: Lessons from 4 leading organizations
• Expert Insight | Inside CMS' final rule changes for 2026
• Learn more about the ViVE conference

Register today for the 2026 Advisory Board Summit in Washington, D.C.

Updating COVID-19 management protocols may help address long-term impacts

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