HealthTrust Helps Lead Main-Stage Conversation at 2026 Healthcare Sessions

HealthTrust Performance Group™ (HealthTrust) took the main stage at 2026 Healthcare Sessions, Sept. 13-15 in Nashville, Tenn., bringing clinical, operational and strategic viewpoints to conversations about how healthcare organizations can strengthen results amid rising complexity, persistent cost pressures and rapid technological change.

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Aashish Shah, M.D., J.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, HealthTrust, moderated the main-stage panel “Strengthening the System: How Health Systems Are Adapting for What’s Next” featuring: • David Dill, Chairman and CEO, Lifepoint Health • Erin Satterwhite, CEO, Optum Insight Provider, Optum • Fahad Tahir, President and CEO, Ascension Saint Thomas • Seema Verma, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Oracle Health and Life Sciences

Produced by the Nashville Health Care Council, Healthcare Sessions convenes leading healthcare decision-makers and change-makers in Nashville, the Healthcare City, for dialogue centered on innovation, finance, collaboration and the forces shaping the industry’s future.

With a mission to help make healthcare missions possible, HealthTrust’s involvement spanned both the conference main stage and a HealthTrust-presented program focused on a central challenge for healthcare leaders: moving beyond isolated solutions to create stronger connections across the continuum of care.

On Monday, Aashish Shah, M.D., J.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, HealthTrust, moderated the main-stage panel “Strengthening the System: How Health Systems Are Adapting for What’s Next” featuring:

• David Dill, Chairman and CEO, Lifepoint Health

• Erin Satterwhite, CEO, Optum Insight Provider, Optum

• Fahad Tahir, President and CEO, Ascension Saint Thomas

• Seema Verma, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Oracle Health and Life Sciences

The panel focused on what it takes for health systems to successfully adapt and execute in a fast-changing environment. Speakers discussed the importance of building change-ready cultures, moving from point-solution vendors toward more multifaceted, shared-risk partnerships, and creating greater intelligence in clinical operations through stronger data and analytics infrastructure. They also emphasized operational excellence as the foundation for successful transformation—whether organizations are implementing AI, advancing new technology or pursuing broader strategic initiatives.

“Healthcare’s most consequential challenges do not exist in silos, and neither can the solutions,” said Dr. Aashish Shah. “Progress depends on stronger collaboration across health systems, technology partners and other industry stakeholders. By bringing different perspectives together, we can better align around shared priorities, build more effective partnerships and create the operational foundation needed to improve care and performance.”

That theme carried into Tuesday, when HealthTrust presented “Operations Perspectives: Navigating the Ever-Evolving Healthcare Ecosystem,” bringing together stakeholders from different parts of the industry to examine the challenges and opportunities shaping modern care delivery.

The session featured:

• John Baker, VP, CFO & Chief Administrative Officer, GPO – HealthTrust

• Derek Dedeker, Principal, Frist Cressey Ventures

• Jeff Easterling, CEO, AdvantageTrust

• Dr. Chris Frost, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality Officer, Lifepoint Health

• Rich Philbrick, Chief Customer Officer, HealthTrust

• Dr. Aashish Shah, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, HealthTrust

The conversation examined what happens when clinical, operational and investment priorities intersect, including where friction can emerge and how cross-industry collaboration can contribute to a more resilient, accessible and sustainable system.

“Operational rigor is about more than controlling cost—it is about creating the discipline to make better decisions across price, utilization and outcomes,” said John Baker, VP, CFO & Chief Administrative Officer, GPO. “As healthcare organizations evaluate new technologies, automation and AI, the real test is whether those investments can be integrated into workflows, supported by reliable data and tied to measurable operational and financial impact. That requires CFOs to think as operators, work closely with clinicians and remain focused on the changes that can create sustainable value.”

For AdvantageTrust, part of HealthTrust Performance Group, the conversation also highlighted the distinct realities of organizations operating outside the traditional acute-care setting.

“Healthcare is increasingly delivered beyond the four walls of the hospital, and that requires a different way of thinking about how organizations operate,” said Jeff Easterling, CEO of AdvantageTrust. “Non-acute providers work across diverse and often highly distributed settings while facing many of the same pressures around cost, labor, technology and consumer expectations. The opportunity is to bring the benefits of scale, discipline and connectivity to those organizations while preserving the flexibility they need to serve their individual markets.”

The session also considered how executive responsibilities are changing as organizations contend with more complex demands. From strengthening operational rigor and supporting clinical consistency at scale to assessing investments through the lens of long-term value, each stakeholder has a distinct role in building more durable organizations.

Across both sessions, a common principle emerged: sustainable improvement requires connecting priorities that have historically been managed separately.

Clinical quality, workforce strategy, supply chain, technology, financial discipline and market execution are deeply interdependent. Better coordination across those areas can help organizations reduce unwarranted variation, make more informed decisions and develop operating models equipped for continued change.

“Operational resilience is not simply about responding to the next disruption,” said Rich Philbrick, Chief Customer Officer of HealthTrust. “It is about creating the rigor, relationships and capabilities that allow organizations to execute consistently as conditions evolve. Bringing stakeholders together around shared priorities is essential to making meaningful progress.”

HealthTrust’s participation at Healthcare Sessions reflects its continued focus on engaging with industry leaders and connecting the clinical, operational and strategic expertise needed to address complex challenges.

Learn more about how HealthTrust Performance Group supports its members at healthtrustpg.com.

About HealthTrust Performance Group

HealthTrust Performance Group™ (HealthTrust) is a leading healthcare improvement organization owned and operated by seven health systems. Dedicated to making missions possible, HealthTrust strengthens provider performance and clinical excellence through an aligned membership model and business advisory solutions that leverage expertise, scale and innovation. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, HealthTrust is the only national GPO with direct responsibility for the performance and outcomes of some of the largest healthcare supply chains—bringing a uniquely accountable perspective, supporting 25% of U.S. hospitals, including eight of the 15 largest health systems, with a membership including more than 1,900 acute care and over 90,000 non-acute care facilities across the U.S. and U.K. For five years, HealthTrust has been recognized as a Top Workplace. Learn more at healthtrustpg.com.

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