At the upcoming CFO Exchange, CFOs will explore strategies to stabilize margins, drive digital transformation, and lead workforce innovation amid policy uncertainty and shifting care delivery models.
As healthcare deals with the weight of reimbursement volatility, rising labor costs, and disruptive technologies, CFOs will gather to share financial leadership strategies at the HealthLeaders CFO Exchange.
The exchange will deliver strategic insights into how CFOs can not only navigate today's challenges, but also lead transformative change across their organizations.
During the Community and Rural Hospital Impact Roundtable, CFOs from smaller health systems will discuss creative strategies for remaining financially viable amid shrinking margins and limited patient volumes. A key focus will be on adapting to Medicaid funding shifts and how those changes are influencing care access and long-term sustainability in underserved regions.
The 340B program, a financial lifeline for many health systems, will be under review as panelists explore its uncertain future. Participants will address both advocacy efforts to preserve the program and practical alternatives if it continues to erode.
CFOs are also expected to analyze strategies for cost restructuring that preserve hospital mission alignment. With pressure to cut costs without compromising quality or community value, they will explore tactical pivots, including outsourcing, digital transformation, and workforce realignment, all avenues that are helping systems stabilize their bottom lines.
Virtual care investment is also a hot button topic. CFOs will share their frameworks for determining where and how to invest in telemedicine, virtual nursing, and broader digital infrastructure. With ROI still elusive for some, this conversation is expected to be grounded in real-world metrics, pilot outcomes, and program structural considerations.
Cross-functional collaboration will also be a recurring theme, especially in sessions focusing on how CFOs and CMOs are working together to improve quality metrics tied to value-based purchasing, streamline provider compensation models, and boosting clinical productivity. Likewise, partnerships with nurse leaders will be highlighted, with a focus on efforts to reduce length of stay, optimize staffing to match demand, and curb reliance on costly agency labor.
The conference will also address how CFOs are preparing for policy and reimbursement changes under the current administration. These sessions will focus on structural cost reductions, reworking CMS strategies, and contract language updates in response to supply chain risks and tariff implications.
Also drawing heavy interest is the session on AI and digital investments. This session will showcase emerging use cases for AI in operations—such as FTE optimization, protocol standardization, and physician change management—while also addressing critical technology governance, data-sharing risks, and finding decent and measurable ROI. AI’s intersection with cybersecurity and robotics deployment will also be explored, along with how to budget for these technologies and assess vendor partnerships.
Lastly, the exchange will close with a forward-looking discussion on optimized labor forecasting. CFOs will examine tech-enabled resource planning, succession strategies, and how leadership coaching is becoming an essential financial investment to ensure long-term hospital resilience.
For CFOs looking to strengthen their leadership toolkit and prepare their organizations for an uncertain future, this event offers more than just theories—it’s a roadmap for actionable transformation.
Marie DeFreitas is the CFO editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
CFOs will share tactics for cutting costs such as outsourcing, digital investments, and labor optimization.
Sessions will focus on determining when, where, and how much to invest in telehealth, virtual nursing, AI, and robotics, with an emphasis on real-world ROI and governance.
CFOs are partnering closely with CMOs and CNOs to enhance productivity, improve quality metrics, and manage labor costs through smarter forecasting and staffing.