Michelle Bruhn, CFO at Phoenix Children's, said the organization has turned to scenario modeling and smart budget planning to prepare for lower Medicaid reimbursement and ensure it can still invest in care. The organization also has a strong partnership with Arizona's Medicaid agency, which offers health insurance through KidsCare.

Bruhn also highlighted the importance of donor support in helping the pediatric health systems sustain access. Currently, philanthropy funds over 170 programs and services at the health system.

At Northwell Health, CFO Michele Cusack highlighted the importance of using data to identify and educate patients before they lose coverage and working with community and faith-based partners to advance health. Northwell's community health workers and financial counselors are also actively screening and re-enrolling patients in Medicaid coverage directly in EDs and practices with high Medicaid use. 

Similarly, Sharp HealthCare is strengthening its front-end financial counseling and eligibility screening process to help connect patients with all available coverage options, including Medicaid and financial assistance programs.

"We are also investing in digital tools and analytics that help us identify patients at risk of losing coverage and engage them earlier in the process," said Susan Green, CFO at Sharp HealthCare. "From an operational perspective, we continue to emphasize efficiency and cost discipline across the organization."

At Wellstar Health System, leaders are assessing the organization's structure and processes, finding opportunities for continuous improvement, and becoming more agile to improve access to care. This includes utilizing new technology like AI to improve safety, quality, and the patient experience.

"By thoughtfully adapting our model with a future-focused outlook, we will bend the cost curve to adapt and strengthen our operational and financial stability while enabling scalable, sustainable growth," CFO John Kerndl said.

According to Nick Olson, CFO at Sanford Health, the health system is taking a disciplined approach, which includes continuous financial planning, operational efficiency, and investments in technology and process transformation. Currently, Sanford is working on a patient access transformation initiative and investing in health guides, virtual care, predictive analytics, and more. 

Rick Talento, CFO of Inova Health, said the health system has been preparing for these challenges for several years by focusing on its Inova Cares network, which provides primary care, women's health, pediatric, and behavioral health services to patients who are uninsured, covered by Medicaid, or the system's charity care program.

"As coverage shifts, we are continuing to strengthen these access points and invest in new providers," Talento said. "We are expanding our patient-navigation and eligibility efforts across inpatient, outpatient and community settings."