Beyond Recovery: Thriving as a Health System Into the 2030s and Beyond (56X)

Not-for-profit health systems across the country are struggling to return to pre-pandemic operating performance as significant drug, supply and wage cost inflation; labor shortages; and increased competition are challenging the return to normalcy and contributing to deteriorating financial performance. While nearly all systems implemented traditional cost and performance improvement levers to optimize their performance and achieve financial turnaround, the usual playbook has proven insufficient to adequately address the scale of the challenge. Leading health systems that seek to not only survive on minimal operating margins but also to continue to grow and expand their impact can employ a broader suite of tools to enable them to navigate ongoing challenges. The headwinds of an aging population, deteriorating payer mix, accelerated cost inflation from high-cost drugs such as biologics and no end in sight to clinical workforce shortages have breached the traditional cost-subsidization wall that has been the historical lifeblood of hospital system operating performance. As the traditional model crumbles, forward-thinking systems can not only survive but also emerge into the future stronger and more agile, as well as deepen their community impact through a process of redesigning their system to overcome the challenges and accelerate the opportunities presented by the rest of this decade. This interactive session will equip leaders to chart a sustainable future for their organization based on contemporary examples of successful transformations, leading-edge strategic and financial planning approaches, and peer-to-peer sharing with other senior leaders on the same journey.