Sg2 Blog

For most health systems, the post-COVID survivor mode has ended. Systems have reached some level of cost structure and workforce stability, and they can turn their attention once again to strategic investments and growth. But that doesn’t mean the coming years will be without challenges. Top of mind for many is ambulatory growth and access, capacity management, new revenue generation, and s...

St. Luke’s Hospital, a nonprofit health system in the greater St. Louis area, consists of two hospitals with 636 beds, two ambulatory surgery centers, eight urgent care facilities, nearly 200 employed physicians, and a medical staff of over 1,000 physicians across 60 specialties. Post-pandemic, the hospital faced challenges due to the lack of a formalized strategic plan and wanted to refine ...

Hospital system chief financial officers (CFOs) face an increasingly complex financial landscape, one shaped by regulatory shifts, technological advancements and evolving patient expectations. Here are 3 top takeaways to effectively navigate in 2025. ► Pharmacy Optimization: With systems reporting 25% of revenue tied to pharmacy operations, this area represents a significant revenue opportunity fo...

Did you know that patients—who know you, trust you and chose you—are quietly walking out the door to your competitors? In today’s market, it’s rare for a health system to capture more than 50% of a patient’s share of care. Even among systems with loyal patients and high-functioning teams, more than half of the revenue opportunity is silently slipping away—undete...

I've started labeling cybersecurity as the "Achilles' heel" of digital health. Across meetings, workshops, and events, Sg2 experts have touted the opportunities that telehealth, AI, and other digital technologies can bring to health care, but cybersecurity risk always pumps the breaks on those discussions. It's the looming dark cloud. The elephant in the room. A digital skeptic's favorite topic to...

AI tools are beginning to play a key role in scaling the behavioral health workforce. At Sg2, we believe the most impactful solutions are those that supplement—not replace—clinical judgment, especially in high-need areas like triage, intake and early intervention. AI can extend care teams by managing low-acuity interactions and flagging patients who need a higher level of support. Effo...

Eric Spann, MD, is a family medicine physician at Baxter Health, based in Mountain View, Arkansas. Q: Dr. Spann, how do you envision AI impacting your day-to-day work, your patient interactions and what defines good medicine? A: If we thought that addressing “Dr. Google” was a big part of our daily work, this is going to be Dr. Google on steroids. Patients are now going to have a large...

Increasing demand is making it difficult for provider systems’ cardiovascular service lines to maintain access for patients across the care continuum. Growth is fueled not only by the aging of the population but also a concerning rise in disease onset and acute events in patients younger than 45. Here at the start of 2025, a couple of areas have bubbled to the top of systems’ CV priori...

Sg2 is tracking the top four areas in which innovation will most significantly impact orthopedic care over the next five years. Health systems must stay abreast of these advances to make informed technology investment decisions and seamlessly integrate new technology into their orthopedic offerings. 1. Robotics Use varies significantly across organizations, especially as procedures shift outpatien...

Children’s hospital leaders have a full plate in 2025—managing the challenges and opportunities presented by innovative therapeutics, emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, policy uncertainties, regionalization and subspecialty shortages—the list goes on and on. To help you focus and cut through the noise, Sg2 experts have identified four top priority strategic action...