Strengthening Independent Medicine and Rethinking Employer Health Benefits with Scott Hurst

In this episode, William Scott Hurst, MBA, FACHE, CEO and President of PPNHCo Patient Physician Network Holding Co., L.L.C., shares how his 600 provider IPA is confronting payer disparities, scaling operations, and launching a multiple employer welfare arrangement to lower costs for practices and employers. He discusses the future of independent medicine, the need for operational alignment, and why thoughtful leadership must guide AI adoption in healthcare.

In this episode, JohnRich Levine, CNO of Reeves Regional Health, shares how Reeves Regional is strengthening rural nursing through leadership visibility, cross-training, and structured onboarding. He discusses the importance of culture, operational efficiency, and flexible staffing to retain talent and provide high-quality care in a small hospital setting.

In this episode, T.Y. Alvin Liu, MD, Inaugural Director of the James P. Gills Jr. MD and Heather Gills Artificial Intelligence Innovation Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine, explores the next waves of healthcare AI from voice enabled patient access to AI centric workflows and artificial medical general intelligence. He shares how oculomics, implementation strategy, and physician education will shape the future of medicine and redefine what it means to be a doctor.

In this episode, Dr. Laura Catena, emergency physician and 4th generation vintner, discusses the evolving research on moderate alcohol consumption, cardiovascular health, and cancer risk. She shares insights on the Mediterranean diet, a major ongoing study at the University of Navarra, and how physicians can thoughtfully navigate complex lifestyle conversations with patients.

In this episode, Scott Becker highlights 8 key healthcare stories including a $900 million hospital project in Tennessee, leadership changes at TriHealth, a ratings upgrade for UCHealth, a Leapfrog grading dispute, and more.

Medication access has long been a pain point for care teams and patients alike. We’re sitting down with experts from CoverMyMeds and Ontada to discuss the launch of the Specialty Access and Affordability Solutions, an industry-first solution designed to accelerate therapy starts by embedding multiple workflows directly into EHR systems. We’ll explore how automation and AI-driven insights are helping to reduce administrative work, improve predictability and shape the future of integrated care. Plus, hear a clinical perspective on what these innovations could mean for oncology practices and patient outcomes.This episode is sponsored by CoverMyMeds.

In this episode, Kate FitzPatrick, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Chief Nurse Executive at Jefferson Health, discusses integrating nursing teams across a newly expanded 33-hospital system, strengthening community partnerships, and scaling flexible workforce models. She also shares how nurse leaders can improve care transitions, support a growing number of early-career nurses, and redesign care delivery for the future workforce.

In this episode, Jay L. Robinson III, PsyD, MBA, Senior Vice President and Area Manager at Kaiser Permanente, discusses leading a 10,000 person operation serving more than half a million members in Northern California. He shares his focus on workforce culture, AI driven innovation, patient experience as an operating model, and building new care pathways that reduce hospitalizations while strengthening community health.

In this episode, Krista Nelson, CEO of Optum Health, shares her vision for strengthening value based care through a more focused care delivery model, stronger clinician support, and expanded technology capabilities. She also discusses Medicare Advantage policy stability, the role of AI in reducing administrative burden, and how partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem can improve outcomes and patient experience.

In this episode, Megan Eubanks, MBA, Senior Director of Business Operations for Perioperative and Procedural Services at The University of Kansas Health System, discusses how her team is using AI and advanced analytics to improve operating room utilization, increase surgical volume, and expand patient access to care. She also shares lessons on building resilient perioperative operations through transparency, governance, and data driven decision making.