The ASHHRA Podcast

Featuring Ivy Singley, Director of Employment Services and Workforce Development, Infirmary HealthReplacing one bedside nurse ran just over $61,000 last year. Every single percentage point of RN turnover swings the average hospital's bottom line by roughly $290,000 a year. Treating that as a pipeline problem misses what happens inside the walls every day, and Ivy Singley has spent almost 30 years in those walls.

ChatGPT Is Inside Epic, 40 Mergers in Six Months, and 92% Bracing for StrainThree stories, one direction. Technology is accelerating, consolidation is accelerating, and the people running health systems have stopped waiting to see how it shakes out.

70% of Engagement Comes Down to One Thing. Your Boss.Featuring Burl Stamp, FACHE, President, Stamp and Chase | Author, Becoming a Better BossBefore we get started, sit with this number: 70%. That is how much of employee engagement is determined not by your comp structure, your benefits package, or your culture initiative. It comes down to one thing. The person they report to.Bo sits down with Burl Stamp, former hospital CEO, fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and author of the most timely leadership book in healthcare this year. Burl has spent more than two decades studying what separates the leaders people want to follow from the ones they simply tolerate.

Why Healthcare HR Tech Fails: It's Never the SoftwareFeaturing Stephanie Wright, Founder, Wright Talent AdvisoryOnly 43% of HR professionals say their HR technology is effective. Fewer than half. These are organizations that ran vendor selection, sat through demos, built a business case, got budget approved, signed a contract, and went live. Then more than half of them looked at what they bought and said it was not working.Luke sits down with Stephanie Wright, a healthcare TA implementation specialist who has worked across Workday, Phenom, and other major platforms at health systems including Carilion Clinic. She launched Wright Talent Advisory in Dallas to do full-time what most HR leaders only do once in a career.

Hospital M&A Is Up 33%, CommonSpirit Has 250 AI Tools Running & UHS Just Bought a Mental Health AppAugust 31st, 2026. Bo Brabo and Luke Carignan. Three stories, one theme: health systems are making big, deliberate moves. Merging before they have to, deploying AI at scale, and buying digital companies to own the front door to care.

96% of Applicants Fall Into the Abyss. Take2 AI Is Pulling Them Back Out.Featuring Yaniv Shimoni, Co-Founder, Take2 AI | ASHHRA Podcast SponsorThe average hospital has 43 unfilled nursing positions. It takes up to 102 days to recruit an experienced RN. And your recruiting team is talking to three to four percent of the people who apply. The other 96%? They fall into the abyss. Yaniv Shimoni built a company to fix that — and healthcare was not the plan. The CHROs made it one.Bo sits down with Yaniv, co-founder of Take2 AI and Stanford GSB alum, to unpack what agentic AI actually means for healthcare talent acquisition and how health systems like CommonSpirit, Temple Health, and the VA are already using it.

Four Years Left: The 2030 Staffing Cliff, APRN Expansion & Why 76% of Leaders Can't ExecuteAugust 24th, 2026. Bo Brabo, Luke Carignan, and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier. Four years to 2030. Three stories. One question underneath all of them: what are you actually doing about it?

Leadership Is a Verb, Not a Title — and New Hope Treatment Centers Is Proving ItFeaturing Tabitha Bramblett, Chief People Officer, New Hope Treatment CentersMost organizations promote their best performer into a leadership role and then wonder why everything falls apart. Tabitha decided to build the program that changes that — and she did it at a 500-person behavioral health organization serving kids and teens across four states.Luke and Bo sit down with Tabitha to talk about what leadership development actually looks like when you build it from scratch, why culture isn't a values poster, and what compassion has to do with your bottom line.

Nurses Tripled AI Use Without You, 170K New Grads Can't Fix 40% Turnover & CHROs Think They've WonAugust 17th, 2026. All three: Bo Brabo, Luke Carignan, and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier — plus a first for the Monday News Drop: a special field correspondent. Three stories, one thread: is your workforce moving faster than your strategy?

You Can't Hire Your Way Out of This — St. Elizabeth Healthcare Proves ItFeaturing Brittany Sorrell, Director of Workforce Development, St. Elizabeth Healthcare700,000 open healthcare jobs every month. 306,000 unemployed healthcare workers to fill them. The math does not work. Brittany Sorrell has spent three years building the model that actually does — and it starts in high school.Luke sits down with Brittany, a former bedside nurse and nursing faculty member turned workforce development director, to talk about what it looks like when a health system stops trying to recruit its way to stability and starts building a workforce from the ground up.

Gen Z Nurses Need 2.5x More Manager Contact, 69% Lack Fraud Controls & New Hires Decide in 5 DaysAugust 10th, 2026. Bo is back. All three: Bo Brabo, Luke Carignan, and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier. Three stories, one thread — the distance between the workforce you have and the strategy you're running.

You've Been Treating Burnout. It's Actually Moral Injury.August 3rd, 2026. Luke Carignan is flying solo, and he has something to say. Three stories. One thread. An uncomfortable conclusion the research is forcing.

41% of Nurses Stay for One Reason: They Can't Afford to LeaveJuly 27th, 2026. Luke Carignan and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier open with a number that is hard to sit with — and spend the rest of the episode on the organizations doing something about it.

700,000 Openings, 306,000 Workers & Smart Rooms Are Keeping Nurses from QuittingJuly 20th, 2026. Luke Carignan and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier cover three stories connecting workforce math, program accountability, and the technology investment quietly becoming a retention strategy.

$60,090 Per Nurse Exit, 3.35 Million Workers Finally Protected & Virtual Nursing Is WorkingJuly 13th, 2026. Bo, Luke, and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier cover three stories that all connect to the same question: are you doing everything you can to keep the people you have?

The Hiring Automation Gap No One Is Talking AboutFeaturing Mike DeMarco, Senior Product Marketing Manager, PhenomHealthcare is ranked #2 out of eight industries for overall hiring automation maturity. Healthcare was among the first to deploy voice screening agents. So why are nurses still taking 64 days to fill and internal positions taking 57?Bo and Luke welcome Mike DeMarco — the self-described "Bruce Springsteen of Product Marketing" — to unpack Phenom's 2026 State of Hiring Automation Report, which audited over 200 companies across eight industries and surfaced a gap that explains almost everything.

Healthcare Is Dead Last in Recognition Culture. Plus: AI That Predicts Who's About to Quit & What CEOs Are Betting On in 2026July 6th, 2026. Bo, Luke, and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier are back from the long weekend with a deliberately positive episode — three stories built to give you energy heading into the week.

Inside Advocate Health's AI Strategy — From a Physician Who Builds ItFeaturing Dr. Andy McWilliams, Clinical AI Product Development Lead, Advocate HealthRecorded live at Advocate Health's The Pearl innovation quarter in Charlotte, North Carolina.Dr. Andy McWilliams is a practicing hospitalist — boarded in internal medicine and pediatrics — who has spent 15 years at Advocate Health and now helps lead its clinical AI strategy. He is not a theorist. He is a physician who uses these tools, sees patients, and builds governance around the same technology his colleagues depend on every day.

Hospitals Are Building Their Own Schools, AI Scribes Cut Burnout 13 Points in 30 Days & Healthcare Is the Only Thing Keeping the US Job Market PositiveJune 29th, 2026. Bo, Luke, and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier cover three stories this week that all point in the same direction: healthcare HR is not a support function. It is the engine.

What It Actually Looks Like to Move Beyond Traditional HRFeaturing Nakesha Lopez, Chief People & Culture Officer, Advocate HealthRecorded live at Advocate Health's The Pearl innovation quarter in Charlotte, North Carolina.Advocate Health is one of the three largest nonprofit health systems in the country — 175,000 teammates across six states. Nakesha Lopez leads the people and culture function for all of it. She started in HR because someone mentioned a job posting at Memorial Sloan Kettering. She didn't know what HR was. Twenty-five years later, she's redefining what it can be.

Pay Transparency Hits July 1, Two-Thirds of HR Leaders Don't Know What AI Can Do & 84% of Healthcare Workers Feel Taken for GrantedJune 22nd, 2026. Luke Carignan is flying solo — Bo and Jeremy are out — and he is not slowing down. Three stories: compliance, technology, and the most human challenge in healthcare right now.⚖️ Pay Transparency Laws Hit Virginia and Maine July 1 Every job posting in Virginia and Maine must include an actual salary range beginning July 1st. No "competitive compensation." No DOE. Virginia's law has no employer size threshold — a 20-person clinic and a 50,000-employee health system face the same requirement. A salary history ban is also in effect. 16 states now have pay transparency laws. Penalties start at $1,000 per violation, with a 15-day correction window that protects you from a lawsuit on that specific posting. Action: Audit your postings today. Then stop treating this as compliance and start treating it as competitive advantage. Candidates are three times more likely to apply when a salary range is included. In a market with 1.3 million open healthcare jobs, that is not a small number.

Greenwood LaFleur Is Still Fighting, Medicaid Work Requirements Land July 31 & the Layoff Tracker Is Telling You Where the Work IsJune 15th, 2026. Bo and Luke open with a Mississippi hospital that was supposed to close today — and is still open. Then a Medicaid rule taking effect without a real comment window. Then a layoff tracker that, read correctly, is actually a roadmap for HR.

The Layoff Tracker, Cigna's GLP-1 Cut & What Happens When Compliance FailsJune 8th, 2026. Bo and Luke break down three stories connected by the same thread: what happens when organizations wait too long to act.

Three Things That Escaped the Savannah Convention CenterLuke Carignan and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier are back from ASHHRA26 — and the sessions were too good to leave at the convention center. Bo is out this week, but the content more than covers for it. Three themes from the conference floor that every healthcare HR leader needs on their radar right now.

10,000 Nurses on the Edge, a Union Decertification & the GLP-1 Benefit Bomb Landing July 1Three stories in one week that cut across labor relations, trust, and total compensation strategy. Bo, Luke, and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier break down what every healthcare HR leader needs to act on before July 1st — with ASHHRA26 in Savannah just days away.

How Parkland Health Grows Its Own Workforce — And Why You Should TooFeaturing Stephanie Speights, PhD, SHRM-SCP, Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Parkland HealthWhat if the answer to your most pressing workforce shortage is already inside your building? Stephanie Speights has been proving that thesis for nearly seven years at Parkland Health — one of the most respected health systems in the country — by building a talent development engine that grows clinical staff from the inside out.

What a VP of Clinical Efficiency Needs HR to UnderstandFeaturing Katie Abebe, Vice President of Clinical Efficiency, Upstream RehabilitationIf you have ever wondered what it feels like to run clinical operations across 800 clinics in 25 states — and what that VP actually needs from HR to make it work — this is the episode. Katie Abebe took an unconventional path from construction to community college to a doctorate in physical therapy from Chatham University, and now builds systems for clinical quality and efficiency at one of the top five largest outpatient rehab providers in the country.⚙️ What Clinical Efficiency Actually Means Clinical efficiency is not just operational throughput. It is eliminating waste, aligning what payers require with what is best for the patient, and delivering high-quality care within insurance-constrained reimbursement models where margins are already thin. One missed clinician can eliminate an entire week's margin at a single clinic. The math is not forgiving.

April 27th, 2026. Three policy hits in the same week, all with direct workforce consequences. Bo, Luke, and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier break down what HR leaders need to do before July 1st.

Featuring Ricky Price, Founder, Game Ready Skills & Development | McDonald's All-American | Duke University | NBA VeteranHealthcare HR professionals spend their days building cultures where people can do their best work under extraordinary pressure. Ricky Price has lived that challenge at the highest level — growing up in Compton, earning a spot under Coach K at Duke, competing professionally for nearly a decade in the NBA, and now translating every lesson from that journey into leadership development for organizations that refuse to settle for average.This one hits different.

Hospital M&A Hits a 6-Year High, a 42,000-Worker Strike Looms & a Rural Hospital Has 56 DaysApril 20th, 2026. More than 1,000 hospital leaders are in Washington, DC for the AHA Annual Meeting. The urgency they are carrying into that building has never been higher. Bo, Luke, and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier break down three stories hitting simultaneously.

90% of Healthcare Organizations Missed Their Hiring Goals Last Year. Here's Why.Featuring Casey Marquette, Founder & CEO, Covenant HR, which is an active member of the ASHHRA Preferred Partner Program (AP3).Hundreds of open reqs. Inboxes flooded with applicants. And somehow nine out of ten healthcare organizations still missed their hiring targets last year. Casey Marquette, founder of Covenant HR and creator of the AI recruiting platform Scout, joins Bo and Luke to talk about why the problem isn't the talent pool — and what an AI-native solution actually looks like in practice.⚡ Scout: From Application to Interview in Under Five Minutes Scout evaluates a candidate in 2.2 seconds and sends an interview invitation in under five minutes if they score high enough. All 500 applicants for a role are considered — not just the 50 a recruiter had time to open. The video interview format pressure-tests candidates technically, catches identity fraud, and eliminates the ghosting problem that has plagued candidates for years. Covenant's recruiters went from working 8 requisitions at a time to 20 — with better results and more time for the human conversations that matter.

Luke Carignan and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier take a deliberate step back from the doom and gloom to look at what is actually working in healthcare HR right now — and the data is genuinely encouraging.

When the Real Problem Is Identity, Not SkillFeaturing Dr. Marcia Reynolds, Master Certified Coach, Former Global President, International Coaching FederationWhat if the leader on your team who keeps struggling isn't missing a skill — they're missing a clear sense of who they are becoming? And what if the most powerful thing you could offer your workforce right now isn't another wellness app, but a thinking partner who helps them see themselves differently?Dr. Marcia Reynolds brings 30 years of neuroscience-informed coaching practice and a perspective shaped by working in 47 countries to one of the most underutilized conversations in healthcare HR: the transformative difference between coaching and mentoring, and what it costs organizations that confuse the two.

April 6th, 2026. Three separate policy shocks, all landing at the same time. Bo, Luke, and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier break down what may be the most consequential week of news healthcare HR has faced all year.

Strike Over, Margins Up & AI Saving Lives at Advocate HealthThe final Monday News Drop of Q1 2026. Luke Carignan and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier close out the quarter with three stories that are actually moving in a positive direction — and one significant asterisk on each of them.

What AI Can and Can't Fix About Healthcare Worker BurnoutFeaturing Dr. Rich Safeer, Chief Medical Director of Employee Health & Well-Being, Johns Hopkins MedicineTwo in five healthcare workers say their jobs feel unsustainable. AI is sitting right in the middle of the burnout crisis, the staffing shortage, and the well-being conversation. The question isn't whether it will change healthcare work — it already is. The question is whether your organization uses it to squeeze more out of your workforce or to finally give them their lives back.Dr. Rich Safeer returns to the ASHHRA Podcast to answer that question with clarity, nuance, and a perspective shaped by decades at the intersection of medicine, leadership, and workforce well-being.

3,400 Layoffs, No Staffing Floor & Nurses Walking Out — And It's Only MarchMarch 23rd, 2026. California hospitals have already cut more than 3,400 healthcare workers in six weeks. CMS just erased the federal minimum staffing standards for long-term care. And this morning, two separate nurse strikes began — one in Massachusetts, one in Maine. Bo and Luke break down what each story means for healthcare HR leaders right now.

The $6 Billion Influence Machine Targeting Your Benefits PlanFeaturing Kyra Hagan, Senior Vice President of Marketing, RxBenefits.Six billion dollars. That is what pharmaceutical companies spend every year marketing high-cost, high-profit prescription drugs directly to your employees — and the clinical and financial consequences are landing squarely on your health plan.Bo sits down with Kyra Hagan, a 25-year healthcare industry veteran and SVP of Marketing at ASHHRA Platinum Sponsor RxBenefits, to unpack the direct-to-consumer advertising machine and why healthcare HR leaders need to understand how it works.

Agentic AI Is Already in Your Building — Do You Know Where?HIMSS 26 just closed in Las Vegas with 24,000 healthcare technology leaders sending one unmistakable message: agentic AI has moved from the exhibit hall into your operations. Meanwhile, the largest nurse strike in US history ended at Kaiser Permanente with a 21.5% wage deal — and that number is now living in the institutional memory of every union organizer in the country. Bo, Luke, and ASHHRA Executive Director Jeremy Sadlier break it all down.Also — happy Healthcare HR Week! March 16th through Friday. Head to ashhra.org to celebrate the HR leaders keeping healthcare running.

When the CHRO Has Never Worked in Healthcare Featuring Margie Zyble, SVP & Chief Human Resources Officer, UC HealthMargie Zyble came to UC Health by way of GE and a vertical farming startup. That unconventional path is exactly what makes her perspective on healthcare HR worth listening to.

March is here, and healthcare HR is staring down three stories that cut straight to the core of organizational trust, workforce safety, and labor vulnerability — all in one week.⚖️ LeapFrog's Credibility Collapse A federal judge ruled that LeapFrog deliberately assigned artificially low safety grades to hospitals that declined to participate in its voluntary survey. Five Florida hospitals were affected. This isn't a data dispute — a court found deliberate punishment of non-participants credible enough to act on.The HR takeaway is urgent: every external rating your organization amplifies — LeapFrog, U.S. News, Magnet — carries reputational weight with nurses, recruits, and your community. When a rating agency's methodology is found to be punitive rather than objective, the credibility problem belongs to you, not them. Audit your ratings dependencies now.

We are living in what one CHRO recently called “an era with no destination.” Jobs are evolving, technology is accelerating, and the rules of career progression are being rewritten in real time.In this forward-looking conversation, executive recruiter and career strategist Becky Heidesch joins us to unpack what AI, automation, and digital acceleration really mean for the workforce, especially for leaders and ambitious professionals trying to stay relevant.Becky opens with a bold reality: over the next five years, millions of jobs are projected to change or disappear. Is this a crisis moment or a reinvention moment?Her answer: both.For those who lean in, upskill, and embrace the tools, it is an unprecedented opportunity. For those who resist or delay, it can quickly become disruptive.We explore:• Why AI is coming for tasks, not people • How automation can elevate human interaction instead of replacing it • The growing digital skills divide across generations • Why learning must become continuous, not episodic • How leaders can prepare teams for roles that do not yet existBecky shares her STEEP Qualifications Framework, focusing on Skills, Tools, Education, Experience, and Personal qualifications as a practical way to manage career growth. Her message is clear: you must get in the driver's seat of your own career.One of the most compelling ideas in this episode is her “three-career strategy.” Instead of betting your future on a single lane, she encourages professionals to stack skills and think in phases. What you want in your 20s may not serve you in your 50s. Building multiple streams of income and developing adaptable capabilities creates resilience in uncertain markets.We also tackle education reform, corporate training, and the need to shift from memorization to comprehension. In a world where information is instantly accessible, competitive advantage shifts to adaptability, curiosity, and execution.This episode is not about fear. It is about agency.If you want to future-proof your career in the next 90 days, Becky's advice is simple and powerful: get clear on your direction and start aligning your resources accordingly.AI is accelerating change. The question is not whether disruption is coming. The question is whether you are preparing for it.Be sure to check the show notes for Becky's book, The Career Masterclass for Women.From Our Sponsor(s)...Optimize Pharmacy Benefits with RxBenefitsElevate your employee benefits while managing costs. Did you know hospital employees fill 25% more prescriptions annually than other industries? Ensure cost-effective, high-quality pharmacy plans by leveraging your hospital's own pharmacies. Discover smarter strategies with RxBenefits.Learn More here - https://rxbene.fit/3ZaurZN HealthCare Associates Credit Union partners with healthcare organizations to offer a no-cost financial wellness benefit for employees. Built specifically for healthcare professionals, HACU provides everyday banking, loans, mortgages, and financial education - all with no added administrative burden for HR teams. Learn more at HACU's Human Resource Benefit or email directly at busdev@hacu.org and we are happy to take you through the process whether it's opening a membership for yourself or bringing us on as your employee benefits partner. HealthCare Associates Credit Union — a healthier benefit for healthcare HR leaders and their teams.  Support the show

In this week's News Drop, we unpack three developments that could directly impact provider compensation, skilled nursing operations, and your employee benefits strategy.

Recorded live at AdventHealth, this episode explores what it truly means to operationalize employee wellbeing at scale — and why it cannot live inside a single benefits line item.Kristin Duquaine, Executive Director of Employee Wellbeing, and Sarah Hawkins, Senior Manager of Employee Wellbeing, share how AdventHealth embedded wellbeing into its brand promise of “Feel Whole,” translating it into strategy, structure, and measurable impact.Wellbeing Is Not a Program — It's a SystemIn many healthcare organizations, wellbeing is folded into an EAP or buried in the health plan. At AdventHealth, it has dedicated leadership, executive visibility, and cross-functional integration.Kristin, a nurse with nearly three decades at AdventHealth, explains how her clinical experience shaped her belief that holistic wellbeing — mind, body, and spirit — drives long-term outcomes. That philosophy now informs systemwide workforce strategy.Measuring What MattersWellbeing ROI rarely shows up in Year 1.The team is building a centralized data strategy to evaluate engagement, health risk movement, chronic condition outcomes, mental health impact, and differences across workforce segments. The goal is not participation alone — it is bending long-term workforce stability curves.The Health Champion MultiplierA cornerstone of the strategy is the Health Champion Network: 2,800 volunteer team members advocating for wellbeing within their departments.Key insight: volunteers, not “voluntold.”Champions are culture carriers and influencers. Departments with champions show significantly higher engagement in wellbeing programs.For smaller hospitals without dedicated FTEs, this offers a scalable model: build a grassroots network, equip them with tools, and multiply impact without adding headcount.Advice for Smaller HR TeamsIf you only have a few hours a week:• Make communication consistent, not episodic.• Tap natural influencers inside departments.• Integrate wellbeing into daily leader messaging.Wellbeing is not about marathons or meal plans. It is about helping people see themselves in the solution.This episode proves scale and humanity can coexist — when leadership commits to both.From Our Sponsor(s)...Optimize Pharmacy Benefits with RxBenefitsElevate your employee benefits while managing costs. Did you know hospital employees fill 25% more prescriptions annually than other industries? Ensure cost-effective, high-quality pharmacy plans by leveraging your hospital's own pharmacies. Discover smarter strategies with RxBenefits.Learn More here - https://rxbene.fit/3ZaurZN HealthCare Associates Credit Union partners with healthcare organizations to offer a no-cost financial wellness benefit for employees. Built specifically for healthcare professionals, HACU provides everyday banking, loans, mortgages, and financial education - all with no added administrative burden for HR teams. Learn more at HACU's Human Resource Benefit or email directly at busdev@hacu.org and we are happy to take you through the process whether it's opening a membership for yourself or bringing us on as your employee benefits partner. HealthCare Associates Credit Union — a healthier benefit for healthcare HR leaders and their teams.  Support the show

In this episode, we track three major developments shaping healthcare HR strategy right now: a catastrophic escalation in the Kaiser strike, a growing middle management collapse, and a new IRS benefit that could fast-track your workforce into the AI era.

Building Your Personal Brand Without Losing Your Professional Edge, featuring Susie Jamerson, Chief People Officer of Corporate Services, AdventHealthRecorded live in Altamonte Springs, Florida, this episode brings real energy, real conversation, and real leadership insight.Susie Jamerson returns to the podcast, and this time, the conversation goes deep into something every healthcare leader is navigating right now:How do you show up authentically online without compromising your professional brand?

This Monday News Drop covers three developments that should be squarely on every healthcare HR leader's radar.

In this episode, Luke Carignan sits down with Kelly Trummer, AVP of Talent Acquisition at Wellstar Health System, to unpack what's next for healthcare recruiting in a rapidly evolving workforce landscape. With prior experience at Yale New Haven Health and Southcoast Health, she brings a national perspective on what's changing—and what must change—inside healthcare TA. For Kelly, talent acquisition in healthcare is about direct impact. Every hire affects patient care. That purpose continues to fuel her work and leadership approach. The Post-Pandemic Reality The workforce challenge has shifted. We are no longer hiring our way out of shortages in nursing, imaging, and therapeutic roles. Instead, organizations must rethink strategy: • Develop internal pipelines• Engage future talent earlier• Reduce friction in recruiting processes• Compete in an increasingly tight labor market AI Is Not Replacing Recruiters One of the most powerful themes of the conversation: AI is not eliminating recruiters—it is elevating them. By removing administrative burdens, automation allows recruiters to focus on what matters most: relationship building, intentional conversations, and strategic workforce planning. However, adoption requires balance. Healthcare organizations must bridge generational divides in comfort with AI while ensuring candidate experiences remain human-centered and frictionless. The recruiter of the future? Agile, relationship-driven, and technologically fluent. Differentiation in a Crowded Market For Wellstar, competitive advantage comes down to how the organization treats its people. Total rewards, wellbeing programs, and individualized career paths are not just benefits—they are differentiators. Kelly reinforces that talent acquisition leaders must invest in their own teams and build peer networks across the industry. Collaboration, not isolation, will define success in the years ahead. Final Advice for TA Leaders • Plug into your national healthcare TA network • Invest in your people • Build internal pipelines early • Stay agile • Embrace change proactively The future of healthcare talent acquisition will belong to leaders who move early, think long-term, and bring others with them. From Our Sponsor(s)...Optimize Pharmacy Benefits with RxBenefitsElevate your employee benefits while managing costs. Did you know hospital employees fill 25% more prescriptions annually than other industries? Ensure cost-effective, high-quality pharmacy plans by leveraging your hospital's own pharmacies. Discover smarter strategies with RxBenefits.Learn More here - https://rxbene.fit/3ZaurZN HealthCare Associates Credit Union partners with healthcare organizations to offer a no-cost financial wellness benefit for employees. Built specifically for healthcare professionals, HACU provides everyday banking, loans, mortgages, and financial education - all with no added administrative burden for HR teams. Learn more at HACU's Human Resource Benefit or email directly at busdev@hacu.org and we are happy to take you through the process whether it's opening a membership for yourself or bringing us on as your employee benefits partner. HealthCare Associates Credit Union — a healthier benefit for healthcare HR leaders and their teams.  Support the show

Healthcare HR leaders finally get a moment to exhale, but the work is far from over. In this week's Monday News Drop, Bo Brabo, Luke Carignan, and ASHHRA President & CEO Jeremy Sadlier break down three critical developments shaping workforce strategy, compliance, and recruiting right now. Segment 1: The 11th-Hour Telehealth Save Congress narrowly avoided the telehealth cliff. The Healthcare Access and Modernization Act of 2026 has been signed, extending Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027. Patients can continue receiving care from home, but new guardrails are in place. Starting in Q2, CMS will conduct quarterly audits of providers billing more than 50% of visits via telehealth. HR takeaway: Release February 1 claims, but immediately flag high-volume telehealth providers and refresh documentation protocols to prepare for increased scrutiny. Segment 2: Kaiser Strike Enters Week Two The Kaiser Permanente labor dispute continues to escalate. With more than 2,000 travel nurses deployed to maintain operations, unions have filed unfair labor practice charges, arguing replacement workers are being paid double what staff nurses requested. Tensions are rising, and public perception is becoming a key pressure point. HR reality check: The hardest work comes after the strike ends. Rebuilding trust, preventing “us vs. them” culture, and aligning leadership, HR, and labor relations will define long-term outcomes. Segment 3: The Visa Surprise The State Department's February 2026 Visa Bulletin delivered unexpected good news. EB-3 priority dates for nurses from the Philippines and India advanced nearly nine months, opening a rare window to accelerate international hiring. Strategic guidance: Speed matters, but ethics matter more. Vet international recruitment partners carefully, ensure compliance with ethical standards, and invest in structured onboarding and community integration to support long-term retention. This Week's Priorities: • Green-light telehealth billing while preparing for CMS audits • Monitor labor activity and cultural risk inside union environments • Accelerate international nurse pipelines with integrity and structure Healthcare HR is no longer reacting to disruption. It is shaping what comes next. From Our Sponsor(s)...Optimize Pharmacy Benefits with RxBenefitsElevate your employee benefits while managing costs. Did you know hospital employees fill 25% more prescriptions annually than other industries? Ensure cost-effective, high-quality pharmacy plans by leveraging your hospital's own pharmacies. Discover smarter strategies with RxBenefits.Learn More here - https://rxbene.fit/3ZaurZN HealthCare Associates Credit Union partners with healthcare organizations to offer a no-cost financial wellness benefit for employees. Built specifically for healthcare professionals, HACU provides everyday banking, loans, mortgages, and financial education - all with no added administrative burden for HR teams. Learn more at HACU's Human Resource Benefit or email directly at busdev@hacu.org and we are happy to take you through the process whether it's opening a membership for yourself or bringing us on as your employee benefits partner. HealthCare Associates Credit Union — a healthier benefit for healthcare HR leaders and their teams.  Support the show

Healthcare HR leaders are heading into one of the most consequential weeks of the year. In this episode of the ASHHRA Monday News Drop, Luke Carignan, Bo Brabo, and ASHHRA President & CEO Jeremy Sadlier unpack three fast-moving developments that demand immediate attention from HR, finance, and executive teams. Segment 1: A Tale of Two Coasts While New York nurses return to work after securing historic staffing protections, the West Coast is waking up to a massive escalation. More than 31,000 healthcare workers across California and Hawaii, including nurses, pharmacists, and imaging professionals, have launched an open-ended strike over staffing ratios and wages tied to inflation. HR reality check: The contagion effect is real. Enforceable staffing guarantees are now the most powerful organizing and recruiting tool in healthcare. Union or not, organizations that fail to visibly address staffing risk becoming the next target. Segment 2: The Telehealth Hail Mary With just days remaining before the January 30 deadline, the House has passed a two-year extension of Medicare telehealth flexibilities. The Senate still must act. A lapse, even for 48 hours, could trigger denied claims and major revenue disruption. Actionable guidance: Do not dismantle telehealth infrastructure. Instruct revenue cycle teams to hold telehealth claims from February 1–3 until Senate confirmation is secured. This single step could prevent a costly billing crisis. Segment 3: The “Great Healthcare Plan” and PBM Reform The White House has released a new healthcare framework emphasizing aggressive PBM reform and price transparency, while notably stepping away from enhanced ACA subsidies. Premium pressure for employees is likely to persist. HR opportunity: PBM reform is not just a finance issue. Use this moment to demand transparency from your benefits partners, audit rebate structures, and identify savings that can help offset rising employee costs. This Week's Focus: • Monitor West Coast labor activity and prepare for patient surges • Protect telehealth revenue during legislative uncertainty • Reassess staffing strategy, benefits cost exposure, and PBM risk Healthcare HR is no longer adjacent to strategy. It is central to it.  From Our Sponsor(s)...Optimize Pharmacy Benefits with RxBenefitsElevate your employee benefits while managing costs. Did you know hospital employees fill 25% more prescriptions annually than other industries? Ensure cost-effective, high-quality pharmacy plans by leveraging your hospital's own pharmacies. Discover smarter strategies with RxBenefits.Learn More here - https://rxbene.fit/3ZaurZN  Support the show

Healthcare HR is entering a pressure point week. In this Monday News Drop, Bo Brabo, Luke Carignan, and Jeremy Sadlier break down three converging forces that are already reshaping labor strategy, care delivery, and executive decision making. Segment 1: The “Peace Treaty” Hangover The New York City nurses strike has officially ended at NewYork-Presbyterian and Mount Sinai, but the real impact is just beginning. The tentative agreement sets a national precedent: a 19% wage increase over three years paired with an ironclad staffing enforcement clause. If staffing ratios are missed, nurses receive automatic premium pay with no arbitration and no delay.HR takeaway: This is not just a labor story. It is an operational and financial risk signal. HR leaders should immediately calculate their staffing miss rate and model what automatic penalties would have cost last month. If you wait for the union to raise this, you are already behind. Segment 2: The Telehealth Countdown Extended Medicare telehealth flexibilities expire in 11 days, on January 30, 2026. Without Congressional action, the geographic originating site rule snaps back on February 1, limiting reimbursement for home based telehealth visits outside rural areas. HR takeaway: Do you know which providers in your system would be out of compliance on February 1? If not, why not? This is a data and workforce planning problem, not just a policy issue. Patient access, provider schedules, and employee time off will all be affected if telehealth abruptly contracts. Segment 3: The Efficiency Wave Moves West Following Alameda Health, Providence announced cuts of approximately 450 non clinical roles across Washington and Oregon, while CVS Health and its subsidiary Oak Street Health are closing clinics and reducing headcount. Growth at all costs is giving way to margin preservation. HR takeaway: This is not panic. It is a phase change. Expect continued role consolidation, automation, and redeployment. The best organizations will reskill and redeploy talent with integrity, transparency, and real choice, not force disguised as opportunity. The Bigger Picture Labor contracts, care delivery models, and financial discipline are converging fast. If you are in healthcare HR and still see yourself as adjacent to strategy, it is time to step forward. The teams who engage now will be shaping enterprise decisions a year from today.