Advancing Health

A cyberattack on a rural hospital or health system can have devastating impacts, leaving in its wake patient harm and financial distress. In part two of this conversation, John Riggi, national advisor for cybersecurity and risk at the American Hospital Association, and Justin Spelhaug, corporate vice president and global head of Tech for Social Impact at Microsoft Philanthropies, discuss the urgent need for stronger defenses, the role of technology leaders to combat these attacks, and Microsoft’s strategies for long-term resilience. 

Rural hospitals are facing escalating cyberthreats, with ransomware attacks putting patient lives and entire communities at risk. In part one of this conversation, John Riggi, national advisor for cybersecurity and risk at the American Hospital Association, and Justin Spelhaug, corporate vice president and global head of Tech for Social Impact at Microsoft Philanthropies, discuss the unique vulnerabilities rural hospitals face, the latest cyberthreats, and actionable strategies to strengthen defenses. 

WellSpan Health's commitment to health care innovation and quality earned it the American Hospital Association’s Quest for Quality Prize in 2024. In this conversation, Mindy Estes, M.D., former CEO of Saint Luke's Health System and former AHA board chair, and Roxanna Gapstur, Ph.D., R.N., CEO of WellSpan Health, discuss the strategies that enabled WellSpan to maintain high-quality care during and after the pandemic, solutions for nursing retention, and how WellSpan is addressing critical community health challenges.

Sanford Health, America’s largest rural health system, is revolutionizing care delivery with telemedicine and AI. In this conversation, Dave Newman, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer for virtual care at Sanford Health, discusses how innovative virtual care models and AI-powered solutions are breaking down barriers, improving patient outcomes and enhancing provider efficiency.

Accurate data, analytics and impassioned and inquisitive leaders are all important drivers of a strong patient safety mission for any health care organization. In this conversation, Mindy Estes, M.D., former CEO of Saint Luke's Health System and former AHA board chair, and Tori Bayless, CEO of Luminis Health and AHA board member, discuss how hospital leaders and boards can drive meaningful change, the impact of data-driven decision making, and the importance of mentoring future health care leaders.

Trust is a critical component of any healthy society. In health care, any potential erosion of trust can have negative impacts on the field as a whole. In this Leadership Dialogue conversation, Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health and 2025 AHA board chair, talks with two health care leaders, Lynn Hanessian, former chief health strategist at Edelman, and Robert Trestman, M.D., Ph.D., chair of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at Carilion Clinic, about why trust is eroding in society, how that impacts patient care, and what leaders can do to restore and strengthen it.

Patient safety is a core principle of every health care organization, and hospitals and health systems are always striving for new ways to boost their patient safety missions. In this conversation, Carlos Roberts, M.D., urogynecologist and vice president and chief medical officer of the Women and Children Service Line at WellSpan Health, discusses the organization's commitment to zero harm, its innovative tier structure for daily safety huddles, and its fostered culture of continuous improvement and celebration of patient safety.

St. Louis Children’s Hospital is helping new moms, families and communities thrive through its Raising St. Louis program. In this "Caring for Our Kids" episode, Traci Carter, program manager of Raising St. Louis, and Nicole Kozma, director of school and community outreach programs at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and BJC Community Health Improvement, discuss the scope of the Raising St. Louis program — from home visitation teams and early childhood development, to engagement with fathers and plans to expand support with doulas.https://www.stlouischildrens.org/health-resources/advocacy-outreach/raising-st-louis

Key findings from a report titled "The Case for Change" have identified four drivers of some of the most pressing challenges facing health care in New York state. In this conversation, Bea Grause, R.N., J.D., president of the Healthcare Association of New York State, discusses the tough findings and partnerships needed to solve these problems, insights into the correlation between health care and legislative advocacy, and how the report’s learnings are translatable to states around the country.

Children with serious medical conditions can also face complex psychosocial challenges and barriers, including food and transportation insecurity and housing instability. In this new “Caring for Our Kids” episode, David Wagner, Ph.D., pediatric psychologist at OHSU, discusses the Novel Interventions in Children's Healthcare (NICH) program, and how this innovative approach is transforming care for vulnerable children.

2025 will bring new and familiar challenges for the health care industry, and the American Hospital Association is ready to support hospitals and health systems across the nation. In the first Leadership Dialogue of 2025, Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health and 2025 AHA board chair, talks with two policy experts at the AHA — Stacey Hughes, executive vice president of government relations and public policy, and Ashley Thompson, senior vice president of public policy analysis and development — about the current political climate, the potential impacts to health care policies, and how the AHA is primed to continue its mission to advance health in America.This podcast has been edited for time. To view the entire video conversation, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8b68lu1kOk

Opioid use has been on the rise in post-pandemic America, and its effects on communities have been devastating. Decreasing opioid use is a major priority for health systems across the nation. In this conversation, Vinnidhy Dave, D.O., hospice specialist and director of palliative medicine at Englewood Health Physician Network, and Lauren Savage, director of population health at Englewood Hospital, discuss what Englewood Health is doing to prevent opioid use in its communities, and how an opioid risk tool provides guidance and protocols to protect higher-risk patients.

In the last of this four-part conversation, four leaders from Scripps Health — Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO, Todd Walbridge, senior director of corporate and system safety and security, Shane Thielman, corporate senior vice president and chief information officer, and Gerry Soderstrom, corporate senior vice president and chief audit, compliance and risk officer — discuss the future of cyberattacks on America's health care, the real-time threat to patients, and recovery efforts once an attack is over.

The unprecedented rise of cyberattacks on the nation's health care system has hospitals and health systems deploying multitudes of cyberdefenses. Yet, even with the most innovative shields, cybercriminals can still pierce through. In the third of this four-part conversation, three experts from Scripps Health, Chris Van Gorder, president & CEO, Shane Thielman, corporate senior vice president and chief information officer, and Gerry Soderstrom, corporate senior vice president and chief audit, compliance & risk officer talk through the day the organization experienced a cyberattack, the preparation playbook that leaders rapidly deployed, and what comes first in responding to these types of critical situations.

In health care, one of the biggest challenges facing patients and families is being able to access appropriate care, and that struggle is even more present in behavioral health. At Boston Medical Center (BMC), a health equity transformation looked to change that reality. In this conversation, three experts from BMC discuss the development of the Health Equity Accelerator, the partnerships needed to sustain the work, and how BMC was able to expand access to behavioral health services to historically underserved communities.

Alleviating provider burnout and promoting a culture of wellness are two huge areas of focus for any successful health care organization. But with the rapid-fire pace of health care, what strategies and solutions can be implemented? In this conversation, Kristin Jacob, M.D., medical director of the Office of Physician and APP Fulfillment at Corewell Health West, discusses the organization’s foundation for well-being strategies, the successes they’ve had in reducing burnout, and the vital importance of "change agents" to propel the work forward.

Thanks for listening to the Advancing Health podcast — we hope you have found it engaging and informative! As we wrap up 2024, we’re sharing highlights from two of our most popular episodes of the year. Advancing Health returns with new episodes in 2025. Until then, we hope you and your family have a safe and wonderful holidays and a happy New Year!

Thanks for listening to the Advancing Health podcast — we hope you have found it engaging and informative! As we wrap up 2024, we’re sharing highlights from two of our most popular episodes of the year. Advancing Health returns with new episodes in 2025. Until then, we hope you and your family have a safe and wonderful holidays and a happy New Year!

Workforce issues, financial sustainability and new technologies are just a few of the unknowns facing health care organizations across the United States. But with uncertainty, comes opportunity. In this Leadership Dialogue conversation, Joanne M. Conroy, M.D., CEO and president of Dartmouth Health and 2024 AHA board chair, and Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health and AHA board chair-elect, share insights on health care's current and future challenges, the impact the AHA can have on the field, and Tina's excitement as incoming AHA board chair.This conversation has been edited for time. To view the full video conversation please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJmBETVQOc0

Titus Regional Medical Center is the main health care destination for five rural counties in northeast Texas. With that responsibility comes an unshakeable commitment to health equity for all the patients it serves. In this conversation, Terry Scoggin, CEO of Titus Regional Medical Center, discusses how the organization has designed a system of care to ensure that every patient has equitable access, and how the AHA's Health Equity Roadmap has provided valuable resources to support Titus’s mission of transforming the health of its communities.