Becker's Hospital Review

13 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP health systems to bridge the gap between their aspirational visions and their operational realities. For most health systems, improving the health of the communities they serve has long been the vision. To get a sense of how they are operationally stacking up to align with that vision, Mr. Willis proposes a rigorous three-part diagnostic to test strategic authenticity. First, look at the system's top five revenue-producing service lines. Second, review the five largest capital investments made in the past three years. Finally, analyze the components of variable compensation for the executive team. Mr. Willis says this test is somewhat a showstopping conversation as most people start to do the math in their head and answer bigger questions for themselves. "e answer to those three questions tends not to support that the organization is as focused on improving the health of the individuals in the communities that they serve as they would like to believe that it does," he says. is misalignment becomes particularly evident in brand positioning. Take the common shi from "Healthcare" to "Health" in system names. While this signals laudable aspirations toward population health management, the operational and financial infrastructure of most organizations remains anchored in traditional acute care delivery models. "Most healthcare today still focuses on diagnosis and treatment as opposed to prevention categories that we might associate with consumer wellness, whether it's diet or nutrition or exercise, sleep, self-care," Mr. Willis observes. "ose all tend to be dominated by non-health system brands. And I think that's a problem because there's also oen a lack of scientific rigor behind some of those products and services. Whereas if a health system were doing that, I think they would bring more science and more evidence to bear." A truly health-focused organization, Mr. Willis argues, would demonstrate three key characteristics largely absent in today's market: omnipresence in consumers' daily health decisions beyond appointment reminders, ease of use that encourages repeated engagement, and scientific rigor in wellness and prevention services. e gap between these characteristics and current operational models represents both a strategic vulnerability and an opportunity. "ere's a gap in my mind between what many organizations are saying they are about and what a true health brand would look like," Mr. Willis says. "I think that gap can be closed, but I also think it's an imperative that we close it. It's a real risk for an industry and an organization if what we promise to the market, but what we're actually delivering are if not divergent, not very well aligned. So this is one where I oen challenge organizations to do some hard thinking and hold up a mirror." e strategy litmus test As health systems enter 2025, Mr. Willis poses a crucial question: "If I went into your market, if I looked at your current strategic plan and I went to your two biggest competitors and did the same thing and compared them, what would I truly see from you that was unique, bold, differentiating, sustainable?" For many organizations, the last four years have focused on survival rather than differentiation, leaving this question difficult to answer. Now, systems will likely face even greater pressure and urgency in answering it, marking a welcomed and needed change: the return of long-term strategy. Find more thought leadership about strategic resets from Mr. Willis, colleagues and ECG Management in this whitepaper: Deriving More Value from the Role of Strategy in Healthcare. n Ardent CEO talks 18 urgent care clinic acquisitions, Epic integration By Madeline Ashley I t's been a busy 2024 for Ardent Health acquisitions. The Brentwood, Tenn.-based health system acquired nine urgent care centers in 2024 in Topeka, Kan., and East Texas, and 18 urgent care clinics across New Mexico and Oklahoma in early 2025. The system, which went public in July 2024, comprises 30 acute care hospitals, 200 care sites and more than 1,800 providers across six states. "This is exactly what we said we were going to do when we went public," Marty Bonick, president and CEO of Ardent Health, told Becker's. "Inside of our eight markets, we've got a plan [looking at] what are the necessary outpatient and ambulatory components we need, whether that's urgent care, ASC, freestanding emergency room, micro hospital [or] imaging centers." Ardent added 170 new employees following the 18-clinic acquisition, including 50 providers, a spokesperson for Ardent confirmed with Becker's. The system has also integrated Epic's electronic health record into the nine clinics acquired in 2024, and is working to integrate the platform into the other 18 clinics, which will take around six months. "We want to build that connectivity, and Epic is a key platform for us to be able to do that," Mr. Bonick said. "To have visibility into health needs, as well as our continuum to connect you to the right level of care, the right level of primary specialty or procedural care, and to be able to meet [patient] needs." Mr. Bonick said providing patients with care close to home was a driving factor when selecting locations for the clinics. Looking to future growth, he also said the system has no plans of slowing down. "[W]e will continue to look for acquisition opportunities, but we will also be looking to put shovels in the ground to build new facilities where it makes sense, or where there's not an acquisition available." n

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