As healthcare finance faces unprecedented pressures—from Medicaid cuts to inflation—this must-attend CFO panel at the HealthLeaders CFO Exchange reveals how top finance leaders are rewriting the financial playbook to lead through disruption.
As financial headwinds intensify across healthcare, a defining moment is upon finance leaders: how do they lead through an era where traditional cost controls may no longer suffice?
At this year’s HealthLeaders CFO Exchange one discussion panel will be essential viewing for finance executives: The CFO Panel: Healthcare Finance Under Pressure. This high-impact session brings together leading CFOs to tackle the mounting pressures stemming from deep Medicaid cuts and the uncertain status of federal healthcare funding.
For CFOs balancing on razor-thin margins, labor shortages, and inflation-driven expense increases, this panel offers a practical guide. It’s not just theories in this discussion, it’s a real-time exchange of what’s working and what’s not, shared by those making critical decisions in similarly volatile environments.
One of the most anticipated voices on the panel is William Bryant, CFO of UNC Health (Chapel Hill). As the finance lead of a major academic medical center, Bryant brings first-hand insights into navigating funding reductions that threaten institutions disproportionately reliant on Medicaid and federal dollars.
Bryant will delve into how UNC Health is responding, which is not only by tightening costs but by rethinking the entire financial playbook. From building stronger payer-provider partnerships to embracing advanced forecasting models that allow for greater agility, Bryant will share the financial tools and frameworks UNC Health is using to stay ahead of fiscal instability.
For finance executives in similar systems, especially safety-net hospitals, academic medical centers, and large integrated delivery networks, this is an opportunity to benchmark strategies against peers who are facing the same structural challenges. Expect candid discussions around the hard choices being made: reallocating capital projects, reworking revenue cycle strategies, and balancing investments in innovation with immediate fiscal sustainability.
The panel will also dive into how CFOs are using data in more strategic ways. With reimbursement rates in flux and patient volumes shifting post-pandemic, CFOs are turning to more dynamic, real-time analytics to make decisions faster and with greater confidence.
But perhaps the most valuable takeaway from the session will be the open dialogue among finance executives themselves. Whether it’s pioneering a new budgeting method, restructuring service lines for cost efficiency, or finding creative ways to tap new revenue streams, this panel is designed to foster peer exchange at the highest level.
As the healthcare finance landscape becomes more complex and unpredictable, CFOs must evolve from financial gatekeepers to architects of resilience and innovation. This panel offers a roadmap for doing just that, by learning directly from those on the front lines.
Marie DeFreitas is the CFO editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
CFOs are realizing traditional cost controls aren’t enough, and are embracing new models like payer-provider partnerships and advanced forecasting to stay agile.
With patient volumes and revenue patterns in flux, CFOs are leveraging real-time analytics for faster, more confident financial decisions.
At the HealthLeaders CFO Exchange, CFOs will share firsthand, practical strategies to navigate labor shortages, funding volatility, and shifting reimbursement.