The Strategy Catalyst Dispatch

 This week's episode covers key takeaways from the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, the bipartisan healthcare reform package in Congress, insights from our latest Strategy Catalyst webinar on payviders, PE, and distributors, and Zarminali Pediatrics' expansion into new markets. 

 Women in midlife are the highest healthcare spenders on the managed care side and women use healthcare more than men, even when you take obstetrics out. In this episode, Kathleen McHugh, AVP of Corporate Strategy, and Jennifer Todd, VP of the Women's Service Line at Memorial Hermann walk us through the business case for investing in women's health, why they partnered with MIDI Health to...

This week's episode explores OpenAI's new healthcare-focused AI products, Cencora's new majority stake in OneOncology, the 340B rebate pilot ruling, and our predictions for 2026.

In this episode of The Strategy Catalyst Dispatch , we unpack why expanding a physician workforce alone can't fully resolve access challenges and how Inova Health System has targeted the problem through a coordinated access-and-flow strategy.  Michelle Vassallo, VP of Operations, Clinical Enterprise, walks us through the systemwide standards, centralized infrastructure, and unified referral a...

This week's edition recaps our favorite intel and insights from the Fall 2025 CSO Forum held in San Diego. We also take a look at the new ACCESS model unveiled by CMS with outcomes-based payments.

In this episode of The Strategy Catalyst Dispatch, we explore a commonly cited theme in strategic plans that rarely gets commensurate investment: culture transformation. Matt Terry, Chief Strategy Officer at Wellstar Health System, shares how Wellstar has positioned culture as a strategic pillar to make it visible, measurable, and fundable alongside other enterprise priorities. Building on Strateg...

This week's edition looks at Intermountain Health's pediatric growth strategy, Ballad Health's lawsuit against UnitedHealth, AI highlights from the HLTH 2025 conference, and a recent Senate HELP Committee hearing on 340B reform.

This week's episode covers the shifting landscape for CMS innovation payment models, the challenges that the government shutdown poses for AMCs, Amazon Pharmacy's new prescription drug kiosks, and the Hospital for Special Surgeries partnership with General Atlantic to establish a nationwide ASC chain.

 This week’s episode covers the ongoing federal government shutdown and its implications for health systems, including lapses in telehealth and hospital-at-home flexibilities, paused Medicaid payments, and the potential loss of coverage for millions if ACA subsidies expire. It also explores major insurers’ contraction in Medicare Advantage markets, Evolent Health’s sale of its ACO to Privia Health...

CFOs and COOs are navigating one of the most turbulent years in recent memory since 2020. From historic Medicaid cuts to escalating battles with payers, health system leaders are bracing for financial, political, and reputational pressures that demand new strategies. In this episode of The Dispatch , we unpack the key themes from The Health Management Academy's 2025 CFO and COO forums: The fa...

As the Trump administration continues its tariff agenda, health systems are grappling with a new wave of disruption, spanning medical goods, supplies, capital infrastructure, and the pharmaceutical pipeline. In this episode of The Dispatch, hear from Jerome Pagani, Executive Director of Strategy Catalyst, who breaks down what this means for health systems, along with supply chain and procurement e...

This episode covers the Trump administration's rollout of reciprocal tariffs on 60 trading partners, followed by a 90-day pause after market turmoil, with health systems anticipating significant supply cost increases despite pharmaceuticals being initially exempted. The episode also discusses insights from a health strategy leadership forum, CMS's 5.1% Medicare Advantage rate increase fo...

Health systems are increasingly turning to virtual second opinions (VSOs) as a strategic lever to extend global reach, differentiate in competitive markets, and unlock long-term value. In this episode of The Strategy Catalyst Dispatch, we speak with Jarrett Fowler, Senior Director of Strategic and International Initiatives at NCHL and leader of USCIPP, a consortium supporting over 60 U.S. hospital...

This episode covers the merger between hospital-at-home operators Dispatch Health and Medically Home, which combines health system and payer-oriented products but raises questions about the combined company's loyalties and financial sustainability. The episode also discusses Stanford Health's partnership with midwife provider ULA to expand into Connecticut, private equity consolidation i...

This episode covers insights from the Strategy Catalyst Summit (Feb 2025), covering direct-to-employer healthcare partnerships, Washington policy shifts under Trump, cybersecurity threats, and urgent care strategies for improving payer mix. The episode also discusses Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly's direct-to-consumer GLP-1 delivery platforms, conservative estimates of $1.1 trillion in Medicaid i...

This episode covers the hospital-at-home market through interviews with leaders from Mass General Brigham, Mayo Clinic, Advocate Health, and Mount Sinai, highlighting how programs are diversifying revenue beyond Medicare and finding strategic value despite not reaching financial breakeven. The episode also covers Walgreens' potential private equity deal with Sycamore Partners, Teladoc's...