Stephanie Schnittger will start as UVA Health’s new CFO in July.
Starting in July, Stephanie Schnittger will bring nearly three decades of experience in healthcare finance and a track record in complex turnarounds; Schnittger’s approach is shaped by lessons learned across community health systems and now refined for a leading academic medical center like UVA.
In this episode of HL shorts Schnittger discusses what strategic operational shifts she is preparing for as she transitions to her new organization.
The bill could slash Medicaid funding and end enhanced premium subsidies, threatening over $1 trillion in provider revenue.
The House recently passed a massive reconciliation bill that, if enacted, could dramatically alter the landscape of health system financing.
The bill proposes big cuts to Medicaid funding and the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits, potentially leading to a loss of more than $1 trillion in provider revenue over the next decade. This move poses grave challenges for safety-net hospitals, which serve a high proportion of low-income and uninsured patients.
Provider Impact
According to an analysis by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, providers could face a cumulative revenue loss exceeding $1 trillion between 2025 and 2034.
Hospitals alone are projected to experience a $306 billion revenue decline. Additionally, uncompensated care costs could increase by $278 billion, with hospitals bearing the brunt of this burden.
Financial pressures are expected to intensify if the enhanced premium tax credits, which currently assist millions of individuals in affording health insurance, are allowed to expire at the end of 2025. This could play out to nearly 16 million people losing Medicaid coverage, raising the uninsured rate by more than 50% (it currently hovers around 7%) and further straining hospital finances.
April Audain, CFO of Denver Health, says the bill would produce more uninsured patients.
"Denver Health sees close to 125,000 Medicaid patients per year – nearly half of all patients across our health care system, and more than 10% of all Colorado Medicaid patients get their care at Denver Health," she said.
"As a safety net, nearly two-thirds of our funding comes from the federal government, primarily through Medicaid funding," she added "Adding barriers to enrollment to Medicaid undoubtedly will result in more uninsured Coloradans. The net result will be delays in care for patients and additional financial burdens for safety-nets like Denver Health, who are disproportionately affected by reductions to Medicaid and increases in the uninsured."
The CFO To-Do List
CFOs, especially those in safety-net hospitals, should consider safeguarding their organizations and advocating against the funding cuts.
First, CFOs can develop detailed models to assess the impact the cuts would have on their health system. Taking this time to diversify revenue streams can also help prepare health systems for revenue losses. This may include expanding services, pursuing partnerships, or enhancing outpatient care offerings.
Cost efficiency initiatives are also attractive, especially when considering the uncertainty surrounding tariffs. Some CFOs are examining supply chain management, reducing administrative expenses, and leveraging technology to improve operational efficiency.
Lastly, CFOs should examine both their community partnerships and their advocacy efforts. CFOs should strengthen collaborations with community organizations to support patient populations affected by potential coverage losses. Community-based initiatives can also provide additional resources and support to vulnerable groups. They should also engage with policymakers to advocate for the continuation of Medicaid funding and enhanced tax credits. Active participation in policy discussions can help influence decisions that affect hospital revenue streams, and a CFO’s voice can hold a lot of power.
The bill is currently being debated in the Senate, where it will likely face changes, with the updated version then requiring another sign-off from the House.
This CFO leads with honesty to build trust and drive sustainable financial change.
UVA Health’s incoming CFO is bringing a leadership style rooted in transparency, strategic foresight, and a deep belief in people-first finance.
Starting in July, Stephanie Schnittger will join UVA Health with nearly three decades of experience in healthcare finance and a track record in complex turnarounds. Her experience has been shaped by lessons learned across community health systems and now refined for a leading academic medical center like UVA.
Schnittger has some words of advice for her fellow CFOs, check out this infographic for three tips CFOs can keep in mind as they lead their own health systems through today's fast-paced, volatile healthcare landscape.
For a deep dive on Schnittger’s experience and leadership style, check out the accompanying article.
Sutter Health's rural expansion offers CFOs a roadmap for strategic investment that improves access, integrates care, and strengthens the healthcare workforce.
Sutter Health's recent announcement of a $17.5 million investment to enhance healthcare access in Northern California's rural communities shows an important shift in care delivery, and CFOs should pay attention.
This move, encompassing the development of an Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment, and Healing (EmPATH) unit and a new primary care facility in Del Norte County, is designed to address healthcare disparities in underserved regions. Additionally, the establishment of a $5.5 million care center in Lake County aims to alleviate provider shortages and reduce patient wait times. Sutter Health’s expansion was made a reality through a large philanthropic donation of $110 million.
This community-first strategy is one all CFOs should consider.
By integrating services such as urgent care, rehabilitation, and specialty care into these new facilities, Sutter Health is not only increasing service availability, but fostering a more coordinated and sustainable system of healthcare. Sutter Health officials say this approach ensures that patients receive timely and appropriate care within their communities, which equates to enhancing overall health outcomes.
For CFOs
For CFOs, Sutter Health's initiatives offer valuable insights into strategic investment in community health. Evaluating the unique healthcare needs of local populations is crucial. CFOs should consider conducting community health needs assessments to identify service gaps and prioritize investments that align with the highest local health concerns.
Additionally, integrating behavioral health services into primary care settings, as demonstrated by the EmPATH unit, can lead to more holistic patient care and better resource utilization. Integrations like these not only address immediate health needs but also contribute to long-term cost savings by reducing emergency room visits and hospital admissions.
Investing in the Healthcare Workforce
One component to Sutter Health’s strategy that should not be overlooked is its focus on workforce development and retention. By recognizing the challenges posed by clinician shortages, especially in rural areas, Sutter Health has invested in workforce housing initiatives to attract and retain healthcare professionals. By acquiring land for affordable housing in Crescent City, Sutter Health is addressing one of the key barriers to workforce stability.
CFOs should assess the housing needs of their workforce and explore partnerships with local governments and developers to create affordable housing solutions where needed. These types of investments not only support staff retention but also contribute to the broader community's economic stability, and some health systems are already on this track.
"Our strategic investments in Del Norte and Lake counties reflect Sutter Health’s unwavering commitment to financial stewardship that drives meaningful impact," said Jonathan Ma, Sutter Health's CFO. "By allocating over $23 million to expand access to primary, urgent and behavioral health care, we’re not only addressing critical access needs for patients in these areas but also building sustainable infrastructure that supports long-term community health and economic vitality. These initiatives exemplify how thoughtful capital deployment can transform care delivery in rural regions while reinforcing our not-for-profit mission."
Sutter Health's community-focused strategy is a compelling model for health systems aiming to enhance service delivery and address health disparities. By aligning investments with community needs and supporting the healthcare workforce, CFOs can play a pivotal role in transforming healthcare delivery. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, embracing a community-centric approach will be essential for sustainable growth and improved patient outcomes.
Stephanie Schnittger is bringing a bold leadership approach shaped by transparency and people-centered values.
As UVA Health prepares to navigate a financial transformation, its incoming CFO brings to the role a leadership style rooted in transparency, strategic foresight, and a deep belief in people-first finance.
Starting in July, Stephanie Schnittger will bring nearly three decades of experience in healthcare finance and a track record in complex turnarounds; Schnittger's approach is shaped by lessons learned across community health systems and now refined for a leading academic medical center like UVA.
Transparency as a Financial Strategy
At the core of Schnittger's leadership philosophy is a principle that may sound deceptively simple: Tell the truth.
"In my first six weeks in my previous organization, what I heard consistently from board and finance committee members was, ‘Your transparency is refreshing,'" she recalled.
For Schnittger, honesty is more than a moral stance, it's a must for being a healthcare leader. In complex systems with unintended or unforeseen consequences, she believes that downplaying financial challenges only erodes trust and undermines the CFO's ability to influence change.
"The CFO has to be among the most trusted leaders in an organization for it to be financially viable and sustainable over time." she said.
Strategic Thinking, Minus Complacency
While she's cautious of buzzwords like "strategic mindset," Schnittger does believe in "thinking a few steps ahead." She approaches financial leadership with a cautious eye on federal and state reimbursement models, especially Medicaid, warning against over-reliance on current structures.
"I think it's fair to say there's a heightened degree of uncertainty at the federal level," she said. "Don't get too comfortable with this reimbursement structure because it could change."
Her policy acumen is both personal and professional—her proximity to Washington D.C. and her experience working with advocacy teams have made her a strong advocate for state-level engagement, particularly around Medicaid program design.
"If you think about it, with 50 different states, we likely have 50 different Medicaid programs," she said. "The Medicaid program has a huge impact on how health systems get paid for the services, so it's really critical to be vigilant and targeted in advocacy efforts at the state level."
Investing in People and Culture
Alongside a strong command of financial systems and technology, including ERP and EHR optimization, Schnittger also emphasizes that success comes down to people over platforms.
"Technology is an enabler to what a great team does and can take them to the next level," she said.
She's especially passionate about building curiosity-driven teams, encouraging staff to challenge norms and finding better solutions.
"Inspiring natural curiosity in folks, especially in the finance area, is so important," she said. "So they are always thinking about how to solve the next problem or thinking, ‘is there a better way we could be doing these things?"
This people-first mindset extends to succession planning.
"We should all be working ourselves out of a job," she joked. It is the responsibility of healthcare leaders, she says, to bring in people who can do the job and figure out a way to get them there.
As Schnittger transitions from community-based systems to UVA Health's academic medical center, she's preparing for cultural differences while embracing the mission-driven mindset. She views the academic model as a unique opportunity to strengthen the pipeline of future clinical leaders in an era of looming workforce shortages.
She's also grounded in operational realism.
"I'm not the most organized person by nature," she admitted. "But I prioritize well, . I prioritize the most important things that add value."
To other CFOs managing today's margin pressures and workforce constraints, Schnittger offers this: "Have confidence and conviction, but don't take it all on as your own responsibility. It's not the CFOs job to just make sure we can make the margin or hit the targets that we've set out, it's the whole organization's responsibility."
To Schnittger, being the CFO "means being the communicator, having integrity, having a healthy dose of self-awareness, and hopefully with those attributes I have the ability to inspire and motivate others."
CFOs will need to ensure their organization can easily comply with the updated regulations.
The Trump administration is taking new steps to enforce its price transparency requirements, with updated guidance for providers and payers, and a request for public input on how to boost compliance with existing transparency rules.
Some of the key developments in the update:
-The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued new guidance requiring hospitals to disclose actual prices for services, including cash prices, gross charges, payer-specific negotiated rates, and any minimum negotiated charges.
-Payers are now required to update their price reporting formats to include rates for covered items and services, out-of-network allowed amounts, and negotiated rates for covered prescription drugs. Enforcement of these requirements will begin in February 2026, with potential audits, warnings, corrective plans, or financial penalties for non-compliance.
Some states, like Colorado, have expanded price transparency regulations to include pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and prescription drug data, adding another layer of compliance for health systems operating across multiple jurisdictions.
To ensure compliance, CFOs will have to step up on a few measure.s Check out this infographic for a quick CFO guide, and dive into the full article here.
CFOs are rethinking their labor strategies amid rising costs. This week’s webinar will focus on how they’re getting things done.
Reducing labor costs is a steady concern for CFOs, and scaling back on agency staffing is a top tactic. Now that stimulus funding has disappeared, many are asking how they can reduce contracted labor and focus more on recruiting and retaining home-grown staff.
On Tuesday, HealthLeaders’ The Winning Edge will feature a discussion with UW Health’s vice president of finance, Jodilynn Vitello, who will highlight the challenges finance leaders face in organizing their workforce and cutting down on costs.
The conversation will dig into key topics like:
What workforce management technologies are helping CFOs to strategically organize labor and bring down costs?
Will contract labor be a forever expense?
What are key retention levers that health systems should be focused on?
Contract labor is a huge pain point for CFOs. UW Health has been using contract labor. especially non-permanent hourly positions and nonpermanent fixed duration appointments, which can be terminated at the discretion of the University. The health system has also used nursing contract labor, which has become increasingly common for health systems as the demand grows for healthcare services and staffing shortages continue. UW Health even hires contract specialists to manage their contracted workers.
Vitello, who is also a member of the HealthLeaders CFO Exchange, has served as the VP of Finance at UW Health since 2017. Prior to this, she held various roles at the UW hospitals and clinics, including. director of finance and controller, director of budget and government reimbursement, and director of government reimbursement.
Her conversation with HealthLeaders will dive into how health systems can build sustainable staffing models by investing in internal talent pipelines, enhancing retention strategies, and leveraging predictive analytics to anticipate staffing needs.
Vitello understands one of the components that builds the foundation of a successful staffing model is consistent, transparent communication with clinical staff as well as the executive team.
“Finance touches everyone in the organization, and it’s important to make sure they are aware of current operations, future changes, etc. so there are no surprises,” she said last December. at the HealthLeaders UpNext Exchange
The discussion will also examine the financial toll of contract labor on operating margins and how targeted initiatives, such as reducing dependency on premium pay rates, can lead to long-term cost savings without compromising care quality.
Additionally, as the healthcare industry moves towards a more tech-based approach, the discussion will examine how workforce management technologies such as AI-driven scheduling tools and streamlined clinical workflow automation can optimize staff deployment and minimize reliance on costly contract labor.
Hospital price transparency compliance enforcement is set to rise.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) enacted Hospital Price Transparency Rules in 2021, yet price transparency is still evolving.
The Trump administration is taking new steps to enforce its price transparency requirements, with updated guidance for providers and payers, and a request for public input on how to boost compliance with existing transparency rules.
The CMS guidance updates now require hospitals and health systems to list “actual prices of items and services, not estimates.”. Additionally, the departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor and Treasury are requesting information on payers’ readiness to comply with drug price disclosure requirements, a consistent pain point for the industry. The request follows Trump’s executive order in late February that sought to strengthen price transparency regulations that were instituted in his first term.
To do: Providers
Providers are required to create and maintain a patient-friendly pricing display for up to 300 shoppable services and a machine-readable file with negotiated rates for every service the health system provides.
The federal government is also getting more specific about what hospitals and insurers need to do to be in compliance with the price transparency rules.
CMS’ recent update requires health systems to publicly share, whenever possible, a “standard charge dollar amount” for services, including cash prices, gross charges, payer-specific negotiated rates, and any minimum negotiated charges. When a dollar amount isn’t available, providers can list prices as a percentage.
To do: Payers
This update also pressures payers to be more transparent. Payers will have to update their price reporting format for rates for covered items and services, out-of-network allowed amounts, and negotiated rates for covered prescription drugs.
Ultimately, the updates are aimed at creating more patient-friendly files that are easier to navigate and reduce duplicate and redundant data. The full report will be released in October and enforcement will start in February 2026. If payers don’t comply, they can be audited, receive warnings, and be subjected to a corrective plan or financial penalties.
For CFOs
CFOs should note that states are taking action to address price transparency. Colorado expanded its price transparency regulations around PBMs and prescription drug data, and other states have implemented similar laws requiring providers to comply with federal price transparency laws.
Non-compliance with price transparency laws can damage a health system’s reputation. As more patients demand pricing clarity, failing to meet transparency rules could lead to a loss of business, lower patient satisfaction, and potential legal challenges. See this article for some tips on navigating compliance.
CFOs should take the time to submit feedback on the updates, as well as making sure they are involved in healthcare at the regulatory level.
Compliance
Although providers can face fines for noncompliance, the Patient Rights Advocate and the HHS’ Office of Inspector General both issued reports last year that detailed widespread noncompliance with the rules, partially due to a lack of oversight from CMS.
While CMS has only fined 17 health systems for noncompliance, the fines were substantial, often in the ballpark of 50,000.
Healthcare executives have voiced frustration with reporting requirements, and CMS’ enforcement actions show that providers are still struggling to respond.
Recruitment and retention strategies look different after the COVID pandemic.
In a post-pandemic world, CFOs are facing countless workforce woes. And they don’t have stimulus funding to help them out anymore.
Executives attending the recent HealthLeaders CFO Exchange offered a few observations on the differences between the pre-pandemic workforce and what they’re dealing with now.
Recruitment
While some health systems have found recruitment success in their local markets, others are struggling. Exchange members spoke about the importance of showing support for the communities they serve by partnering and providing opportunities for local medical students.
Many have started partnering with local universities and tech schools, recruiting for positions such as ultrasound technicians. Some CFOs said the main idea is to “put your money where your mouth is” and ensure the health system is supporting schools and the incoming workforce with consistent outreach and offering shadowing opportunities.
“We have been paying out market adjustments to ensure our team members are being paid a living wage and that they feel fairly compensated,” said Kaitlyn Anderson Advent Health’s VP of finance. “We also offer tuition assistance as part of our benefit package. That has been a really big part of our recruitment and retention strategy.”
Retention
CFOs are diving deep on how they create and keep “homegrown employees,” as well as what retention programs provide the most value
Some Exchange attendees said they are looking at repurposing positions to fill gaps rather than just removing positions. CFOs talked about the struggle of going through long interviews and credentialing, only to have an employee decide to leave anyway.
Executives discussed how today’s healthcare “churn” of employees feels more prevalent, with staff seemingly moving more often, and chasing better opportunities rather than staying. Nursing in particular is a consistent challenge, as nurses can now command higher wages, more flexible schedules, better nursing staffing ratios, and more nurse safety measures.
Culture
CFOs are also grappling with the challenge of fostering culture. Attendees emphasized that this is a team act, and having all C-suite leaders at the table and on the same page is a must.
CFOs highlighted a few key elements in fostering the right organizational culture:
Close-knit communication.
Making infrastructure and platforms that work seamlessly with each other.
Advocating for the tools that CFOs and staff need.
Culture is especially important during and after mergers, when clashing cultures might take the spotlight. This sometimes lead to challenges integrating workforces and workflows.
CFOs can examine how they can create the creating resources to educate staff around new workflows and technology. CFOs should work with the C-suite, particularly CTOs, to make sure that all resources align with the organization and are available. The CFO’s role in fostering culture begins with ensuring access to the appropriate tools and resources.
“[It’s important to] really listen to our employees to try to understand what it is that they need, ‘how can you be more efficient?’” said Brandon Williams, CFO of Providence .
The HealthLeaders Exchange is an executive community for sharing ideas, solutions, and insights. Please join the community at our LinkedIn page.
To inquire about attending a HealthLeaders CFO Exchange event, email us at exchange@healthleadersmedia.com.
To maximize tech value, CFOs need to examine the specific challenges facing their health system.
As CFOs are called upon to do more than just manage margins, they are expected to be instrumental in improving both clinical and operational outcomes through thoughtful financial acumen, this includes investing in the right technologies to support the organization's goals.
Check out this infographic for a quick guide on making the right tech investments as a CFO.
