Healthcare leaders share how they’re building “ecosystem-ness”

Hospitals and health systems are rethinking care delivery as market pressures intensify, consumer expectations rise, and digital innovation accelerates. 

In a new Guidehouse-sponsored American Hospital Association Knowledge Exchange e-book, a group of healthcare executives describe a shift from traditional systemness—focused on internal alignment across an organization—to ecosystem-ness, a more expansive strategy for coordinating care across community partners, technology platforms, employers, academic institutions, and other providers.

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The e-book, which was featured in AHA Today, captures thoughts from healthcare leaders gathered for roundtable discussions of today’s most pressing issues facing the industry. They agreed that the concept of ecosystem-ness involves more than adding technology to existing workflows. Instead, they emphasized the need to redesign care models around the full patient journey through digital front doors, ambient documentation, telehealth, and AI-enabled tools. This can reduce administrative burden, simplify navigation, and create more seamless experiences across settings.

Participants also noted that sustainable transformation requires more than innovation pilots. Health systems need governance structures that keep human connection at the center, payment models that support new approaches to care delivery, and board-level alignment on where to invest for long-term value. 

As healthcare continues to move beyond the four walls of hospitals and clinics, ecosystem strategies can help organizations improve access, strengthen community impact, and build more resilient operating models for the future. 

Discussion participants included:

• Marjorie Bessel, MD, Chief Clinical Officer, Banner Health
• Brent Davis, CEO, Primary Health Division, AdventHealth
• Sandee Gehrke, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, St. Luke’s Health System
• James “Jay” Higgins, Executive Director, Network Development, Mass General Brigham
• Jaya Kumar, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Fairview Health Services
• Lindsey Lehman, Associate Administrator, Hospital Operations, Mayo Clinic
• Thomas McGinn, MD, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Executive Officer, CommonSpirit Health
• Jennifer O’Neill, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President for Clinical Operations, RWJBarnabas Health/Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
• Tipu Puri, MD, Chief Medical Officer, UChicago Medicine
• David Zaas, MD, CEO, Duke University Health System
• Moderator: Elisa Arespacochaga, Group Vice President, Clinical Affairs and Workforce, American Hospital Association 

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