Introducing Changes, our new program on healthcare’s evolution

The healthcare industry is facing enormous changes, and Chief Healthcare Executive® wants to offer more perspective and insight for the leaders of hospitals and health systems.

So today, we’re launching a new video series called “Changes.” As the title suggests, the series will examine the rapid and sweeping changes taking place in the healthcare industry.

The program will explore shifts in government policy, business trends, new technology and the transformation of the industry. These will be lively conversations diving into these changes and how healthcare leaders can find success in a turbulent time.

Our first episode features a conversation with Soumi Saha, a healthcare executive, attorney and pharmacist. She’s advised health systems, industry leaders and policymakers on federal policy, so she is the ideal expert to be the first guest of our new program.

Here are some excerpts of our conversation.

Q: There have been just enormous changes the Trump administration has brought in since taking office a little over a year ago. Just in terms of the pace of change coming out of Washington, is this more accelerated than we've seen in the past from your perspective?

A: “One thing you need to know about a Trump administration, is that it is never boring. The key is that everything that is happening is known. They tell you what they're going to do. So what is happening isn't the challenge.

“The challenge, however, is the speed at which that change is happening. And coupled with that speed is oftentimes that whiplash effect that we see where something is true today, not true tomorrow, back to being true 72 hours from now. And so I think that's the biggest challenge is, how do you just keep up with the multitude of change that is all coming at the same time? And how do you prioritize within that mound of change, as far as what do you need to focus your time and energy on today, versus what may be able to sit on the back burner for a little bit?”

Q: It feels like, at least from the healthcare leaders I've talked to, that they are definitely struggling to keep up with those changes, just trying to understand, like you said, with tariff policies, for instance, and some other policies, too. What might be the direction today is not necessarily the direction a week from now or even a few days from now. So, do you feel like that's been a struggle for healthcare organizations to keep up?

A: “Absolutely. And oftentimes, the lack of detail is also really frustrating for healthcare leaders.

“So for example, this is an administration where a lot of policy is announced via social media, which may be appropriate given just where we are in the 21st Century and how important of a role social media plays. But often times what you do see is a social media post and no additional details, and so you are left to try to figure out and discern, what does that really mean? And a lot of tariff policy, unfortunately, has come forward from social media posts.

“So you see this frenzy occur where you see a social media post that says, 100% tariff from this country starting this date, and immediately any healthcare leader is going to go directly to their CFOs, their supply chain leaders, and say, let's try to figure out the impact. But then you have questions such as, are pharmaceuticals included? What about generics? What about this? What about that? And that lack of detail makes it very difficult to understand the true impact.”

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Check out the full, wide-ranging conversation. We discuss Medicaid, negotiating with the Trump administration on policy, artificial intelligence, prior authorization, mergers and acquisitions, maternal health, and more.

If you’re a healthcare leader, this conversation is very much worth your time, as Soumi Saha offers practical guidance for moving forward and succeeding in a period of upheaval and uncertainty.

Podcast: We also are debuting the “Changes” podcast, a companion to our video series. It’s a great way to enjoy the conversations on the commute, during a workout or juggling multiple tasks.