How Health Systems Work
Interviews with the U.S Health Systems Brightest Minds. Over the years, Jim Burke has had the privilege of engaging in deep, insightful conversations with some of the brightest minds in healthcare. These leaders possess invaluable perspectives that could offer solutions to many of the challenges facing the U.S. health Systems today. Driven by his curiosity and passion for learning, Jim created this podcast to amplify these voices and share their stories. This series invites healthcare leaders to tune in, learn from these mental models, and be inspired to collaborate and challenge the status
Episodes
Rob Cavagnol, MD, MHA, FACS: From the OR to the Boardroom - A Surgeon’s Path to Health System Leadership
Most physician executives will tell you they never planned to leave the operating room, and Dr. Rob Cavagnol is no exception. A board-certified general surgeon and former Navy trauma surgeon, he was a busy practicing surgeon at Mercy Health in Missouri when a colleague in the doctors’ lounge asked him to become medica...
Most health systems have spent the past two decades consolidating around acute care and shedding post-acute and senior living operations. Sun Health took the opposite path. In 2008, the organization merged its hospitals into Banner Health and restructured entirely around senior living, wellness coordination, and community-based health services. Today it operates five life plan communities in the Phoenix market, serves a growing pop...
Health systems depend on legal counsel for everything from physician agreements and regulatory compliance to middle-of-the-night operational crises. How that legal function is organized, and how in-house and outside counsel work together, has a direct impact on the quality and speed of the advice reaching executive teams.
In this episode, Jim Burke and Steven Pratt speak with Susan James, a healthcare attorney who has moved between ...
AI tools in clinical settings are getting easier to use, but ease of use does not mean safe use. Automation bias, hallucinations that look convincing, and the risk of de-skilling are real concerns as health systems move from pilot deployments to broader adoption.
In this episode, Jim Burke, Steven Pratt, and Michael Batt speak with Dr. Nadia Smati, an internal medicine physician and faculty member at Houston Methodist who also serve...
AI tools in health systems have moved well beyond ambient listening. Organizations with the infrastructure to adopt are now deploying AI across clinical documentation, coding support, order entry, chart summarization, and revenue cycle operations. The gap between those organizations and the ones still trying to begin is widening.
In this episode, Jim Burke, Steven Pratt, and Michael Batt speak with Dr. Mark Mabus, CMIO and SVP of th...
Season 2 begins with a three-part series exploring one of the most significant transitions facing healthcare today: the rise of artificial intelligence in patient care and health system operations.
In Part 1, Jim Burke and Steve Pratt are joined by healthcare attorney Mike Batt for a wide-ranging discussion on how AI is already reshaping clinical care, operational decision-making, governance, and healthcare strategy.
The conversation...
In this episode of How Health Systems Work, Jim Burke and Steve Pratt talk with Todd Nova, a nationally recognized attorney at Hall Render and one of the foremost legal experts on the 340B drug pricing program. Todd brings his two decades of experience advising hospitals, health systems, and safety-net providers to help unpack the complex reality of 340B — its origins, its current pressures, and how health systems can navigat...
From cyber‑risk and patient privacy to post‑shutdown policy drama — this episode brings together regulatory insight from a privacy lawyer and legislative specialists to help health systems anticipate what’s next.
As healthcare becomes more digital and data-driven, the risks around privacy and cybersecurity grow.
In this episode, privacy and security attorney Mark Swearingen joins Jim Burke and Steve Pratt to unpack how health systems can protect themselves from breaches, ransomware, and vendor risk — while navigating the next frontier of data use in AI and analytics.
How does a small rural hospital maintain five-star performance for six straight years?
In this episode, Carthage Area Hospital CEO Ada Bair joins hosts Jim Burke and Steve Pratt to share how strong culture, creative workforce strategies, and deep community partnerships are helping rural health systems not just survive—but thrive.
In this episode of How Health Systems Work, Jim Burke and Steve Pratt sit down with Pamela Jones, Vice President & General Counsel at Reed Health and former long-time GC at Franciscan Health. Pamela brings a unique blend of legal insight, rural health experience, and a deep commitment to community-driven care.
Pam shares the challenges and opportunities she’s tackled moving from a large, urban hospital system to a rural on...
Former SSM Health General Counsel Doug Long joins hosts Jim Burke and Steve Pratt to discuss the economic pressures reshaping healthcare today.
From AI implementation and behavioural health challenges to hospital-at-home services and new Medicare payment models, Doug shares insights from leading legal operations at a $12 billion health system.
The conversation covers essential leadership lessons for healthcare CEOs and practical ad...
In this episode, Jim Burke and Steve Pratt discuss the intricacies of Value-Based Enterprises (VBEs) in healthcare, focusing on their regulatory framework, key components, and practical applications. They explore the differences between Stark Law and AKS Safe Harbor, the importance of risk models, and how to effectively engage physicians in these initiatives. The conversation also highlights common mistakes in implementing VBEs and...
In this episode of How Health Systems Work, hosts Jim Burke and Steve Pratt sit down with Gwen Sandifer, interim president at Henry Ford Genesis Hospital and founder of Loud Minds. Gwen brings over 25 years of experience in healthcare administration and a deeply personal perspective shaped by her upbringing in a small rural town.
She shares powerful stories—from a near-paralyzing injury in high school to her mother’s str...
In this episode of How Health Systems Work, Jim Burke and Steve Pratt are joined by Andrew Dick, a healthcare real estate attorney with 18 years of experience helping hospitals and health systems navigate complex property decisions.
Andrew breaks down why real estate strategy is no longer just about buildings—it’s about survival. From the explosive growth of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) to the shifting role of nonpr...
In this conversation, Dr. Larry Bucshon shares his extensive experience in healthcare, discussing the evolution of payment systems, the impact of government regulations, and the importance of collaboration between physicians and hospitals. He emphasizes the need for alternative payment models, the role of data in improving healthcare quality, and the unique challenges faced by rural healthcare. Dr. Bucshon also highlights the signi...
In this episode, Jim and Steve talk with James Junger, a healthcare attorney at Hall Render who works with hospitals and health systems to strengthen their operations through strategic compliance and data-driven decision-making.
Drawing from his work with safety-net providers, James explains how health systems can better leverage programs like 340B and provider-based rural health clinics, not just for compliance, but as essential to...
In this episode, Jim and Steve sit down with Bain Farris, a veteran healthcare executive with decades of leadership experience across hospitals, health systems, and payers. Bain shares what he learned over a career spent building stronger partnerships between hospital leadership and physicians—and why real engagement is key to meaningful change.
From the early days of physician-hospital collaboration to today’s push towa...
In this episode, healthcare attorney Mike Greer from Hall Render joins the show to help health system leaders understand how federal antitrust enforcement is shifting—and what it means for provider networks, hospital partnerships, and managed care contracts.
With deep experience advising systems, hospitals, and physicians, Mike breaks down the key changes happening at the FTC and DOJ, including the withdrawal of prior guidance...
In this episode, Jim and Steve talk with Anthony Long, partner at Pinnacle Healthcare Consulting, about one of the most critical challenges facing healthcare organizations today: the growing disconnect between system leadership and frontline teams.
Anthony shares what he’s seeing inside hospitals and health systems across the country—from strained physician relationships and stagnant strategies to the gaps in communicati...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
DISGRACELAND is an award-winning music and true crime podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. Jerry Lee Lewis's 5th wife? Dead. Sid and Nancy? Both dead. Why? Because musicians are insane, and insane things happen to them. Why did we lose Amy Winehouse at 27? Was Debbie Harry really abducted by Ted Bundy as she claims? Is Patti Smith not just the "Godmother of Punk", but also the "Original True Crime Girl"? What really happened the night of the Jay Z nightclub stabbing? What do the Diddy indictments truly reveal? All these stories and more, on artists from every genre and their true crimes, in our massive 260-plus story archive. The Dead, the Stones, Johnny, Willie, Frank, Kurt, Courtney, Gaga, Lana, Taylor, and too many to name. DISGRACELAND is music history come to life through audio storytelling as you've never heard it before, with revealing facts: yes, assassins are the real reason the Beatles quit touring—reclaimed myths: no, Mama Cass didn't die from choking on a ham sandwich––and constant reckoning between art and artist––all told through the lens of true crime. This is the podcast for the self-proclaimed "Disgos", the musically obsessed and the true crime heads; the outsiders, the independent thinkers who know that the best history is the history that gets buried. DISGRACELAND is where host Jake Brennan tells the stories they didn't want told. The kind you'll end up telling someone else. Get ready to uncover hidden truths and buckle up for truly edge-of-your-seat storytelling. New, fully scripted, sound-designed episodes are released every Tuesday. Bonus chat-style episodes where Jake responds to voicemails, texts, and emails from Disgos hit on Thursdays, and "Rewind" episodes from our archive drop on Sundays. DISGRACELAND is not a journalistic podcast. It's an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. Certain dialogue and scenes are dramatized, as is common in scripted entertainment based on real stories. Sources and credits for each episode are available at www.disgracelandpod.com. To unlock ad-free listening, exclusive content, and connect with your fellow Disgos, go to www.disgracelandpod.com to become an All Access member. Rocka Rolla.