Edge Perspectives

This week, Steve Rixen, Senior Government Relations and Public Policy Director for Vizient, shares how the Biden administration is prioritizing the fight against COVID-19 through vaccine distribution and economic stimulus, along with how—and when—the new administration may return its focus to the ambitious health care priorities from its campaign.   We are always excited to get ideas and feedback...

This week, Mark Larson, Principal Sg2 Intelligence, and Steven Lucio, Senior Principal in Vizient Pharmacy Solutions, join us to discuss pharmacy strategy and how it’s not just about cost savings anymore. Instead, pharmacy leaders are now starting to look across the System of CARE for new coordination opportunities and cost-effective sites, as well as how to operate pharmacy like its own service l...

As the population and the economy look toward post-pandemic recovery, health systems must contend with the challenges of payer mix volatility. In this week's episode of Sg2 Perspectives, hosts Kelly Richard and Trevor DaRin, along with Associate Principal, Brian Esser and Director, Tori Richie, discuss the economic trends driving Sg2's 5-year Insurance Coverage Forecast.   We are always excited to...

Last week, Sg2 Perspectives took a look back at 2020 to review the health care industry’s major learnings and how provider organizations are applying them. This week, the same expert team - Bill Woodson, Jennifer O’Connor and Henry Soch - returns to provide you with some bold predictions for the health care industry in 2021.   We are always excited to get ideas and feedback from our listeners. You...

In this week’s episode, Sg2’s Bill Woodson, Jennifer O’Connor and Henry Soch discuss the health care industry’s major learnings from 2020 and how leading health care provider organizations are applying those learnings to better prepare themselves for 2021 and beyond.   Sg2 members can register here for our annual The Year Ahead webinar on January 13 to learn about the unavoidable forces impacting...

COVID-19 continues to reveal existing gaps in the health care system; however, academic medical centers (AMCs) are leading the way in closing those gaps, as they increasingly turn to partnerships to serve populations with needs growing in depth and scope. In this week’s episode of Sg2 Perspectives, the Sg2 Intelligence Team’s Justin Cassidy, PhD, Director of Medicine, and Kelly Richard, Associate...

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the economy, and health systems—despite serving a crucial clinical role—are not immune from its financial impact. This week on Sg2 Perspectives, Kelly and Trevor interview Tori Richie, Director on Sg2’s Intelligence team, about COVID-19’s effect on unemployment and insurance coverage, as the 3 of us play the role of experts in discussing the economic trends driving ma...

In this week’s episode, learn the results of Vizient's latest consumer pulse survey from Mark Larson, Principal, Sg2 Intelligence, as well as Dr. Tom Villanueva, practicing internal medicine physician and Associate Vice President of Clinical Resources at Vizient, who will also share how patient preferences and expectations have changed in his practice.   Sg2 members can read more of our consumeris...

Andrea Leslie, Regional President of four rural hospitals in Michigan's Spectrum Health System, shares their unique rural challenges and the creative solutions they devised to keep their community and staff safe and healthy.

The Sg2 team of policy experts, Valinda Rutledge (former hospital CEO and a leader of CMMI) and Leslie Kamel, unpack the proposed payment changes for virtual health and Chris Pagano, Senior Director of Virtual Health, explain the strategic implications for health systems.

The Sg2 team of policy experts, Valinda Rutledge (former hospital CEO and a leader of CMMI) and Ryota Terada, Director Orthopedics and Policy, unpack the proposed payment changes around site of care and Chad Giese, Associate Principal Cardiovascular, explores the varying impact it will have across service lines.

Health care is considered a high stakes issue in the 2020 presidential election in terms of both health insurance coverage and affordability of care. In Part 2 of Sg2 Perspectives' 2-part election series, Vizient Senior Government Relations and Policy Director Steve Rixen once again joins Sg2’s Bill Woodson and Valinda Rutledge to discuss the potential fate of the Affordable Care Act as well as th...

All day, every day we are flooded with 2020 presidential election coverage, but rarely do we get a nuanced analysis of how a new or continued administration will impact policies most important to health systems. In Part 1 of Sg2 Perspective’s 2-part election series, we discuss one such policy as Vizient Senior Government Relations and Policy Director Steve Rixen joins Sg2’s Bill Woodson and Valind...

Sg2’s Principal Tawnya Bosko, DHA, and Senior Director Justin Cassidy, PhD, share insights on what the last six months of the pandemic looked like for academic medical centers, and how those challenges and adaptations are contributing to the evolution of their historic role from destinations for care to destinations of expertise. Sg2 members can dive deeper with our AMC Resource Kit . Contact the...

As Providence St. Joseph Health System’s James Harker, Chief Population Health Officer, said, “…value-based care, though,” calling out that even though 2020 hasn’t been smooth, value-based arrangements are helping health care organizations. This week, we continue our focus on value-based care with him, discussing the opportunity for business model disruption in Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial p...

We all know it: 2020 has been a rough year so far. But as this week’s guest, Providence St. Joseph Health System’s James Harker, Chief Population Health Officer, said “…value-based care, though.” What he means: payment news in health care isn’t all bad, and those with value-based care arrangements are faring a bit better. In this episode, we discuss how value-based care models serve as a stable bu...

News is changing fast about the rapid progress being made to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.  Sg2 Principals Henry Soch and Jeff Moser help sort through the noise and highlight the most important things for health systems to know. Please share your feedback about this episode, or other comments with Trevor and Kelly at sg2perspectives@sg2.com

The shift to value from fee-for-service in health care was already progressing slowly before COVID-19 overtook the US. In the spring, the pandemic has all but halted elective care, laying bare the vulnerability of a volume-based model, as well as emphasizing the importance of revenue predictability. In this week’s episode, Sg2’s Principal Jim Reilly and Associate Principal Brian Esser discuss the...

COVID-19 continues its unpredictable surges and declines across the world. In the US, and across the northern hemisphere, a more predictable virus is around the corner in seasonal influenza. While we have never seen seasonal influenza during a global pandemic, symptom overlap and fear of simultaneous infections add significant uncertainty to this flu season. Sg2’s Medicine expert, Justin Cassidy,...

COVID-19 has revealed critical weaknesses in health system supply chain, which is an area long relegated strictly to hospital operations that could now benefit from strategic scrutiny by other areas of the organization. On this week’s episode of Sg2 Perspectives, Vizient Senior Principal Dr. Blane Schilling and Sg2 Principal Mark Larson change the supply chain discussion to shift away from price a...

Health care has long been plagued by challenges with behavioral health issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only brought more: an epidemic of mental illness and substance use disorders. This week, Sg2’s behavioral health experts, Principal Jayme Zage and Senior Consultant Stephanie Snider, discuss how health systems can address both new and old challenges through creative care delivery, cost avoi...

In today’s climate, health systems are focused on the short-term now more than ever. However, it’s also necessary to plan strategies across various timeframes, while navigating tough decisions on how to prioritize the multiple opportunities on their horizons. This week, Sg2’s National Vice President Jim Jacobsohn and Consulting Principal Amit Sharma join Trevor to discuss strategy leader uncertain...

Executive Summit is Sg2’s leading annual conference series that provides our members with Sg2 experts’ strategic perspective and expertise across the health care landscape. This year, the COVID-19 public health crisis took center stage, and we not only pivoted to provide our members with a virtual experience, we took on the theme of Tomorrow Is Here: Strategy for the New Clinical Enterprise, cover...

Shawn Valenta, MUSC Administrator for Virtual Health, joins Trevor and Sg2 virtual health expert Chris Pagano to share their long journey to use virtual health as a tool to improve access and convenience for patients.  Their historic work positioned them well to rapidly expand virtual visits and remote patient monitoring as in-person business shut down.  Now they are looking forward and planning b...

Skilled nursing facilities have been difficult places to both receive care and work during COVID-19.  These challenges led to changes in payment and policy that accelerated the shift to home as a safer and more effective site of care.  Jayme Zage, PhD, and Katie Elia join Trevor to discuss the trends in post-acute care that were already transforming the industry and how responding to COVID-19 has...