On the Brink — Season 2

Working Framework

A season-level planning overview for the videocast — thesis, audience, story arc, and episode ideas.

Season 2 Thesis

A new era for health systems

What is changing, what it means, and how to respond strategically

Health systems are entering a new era of margin pressure, location strategy, and care model transformation. Season 2 of On the Brink helps leaders understand what is changing, what it means, and how to respond strategically.

Season 2 Audience

Who we're talking to

Hospital and health system leaders responsible for strategy, margin, growth, and care delivery transformation

Health System CFOs
Chief Strategy Officers
Health System CEOs
COO / Operations Leaders
Ambulatory Strategy Leaders
Service Line Leaders
Tied to growth and margin
Season 2 Story Arc

Five parts. One throughline.

Part 1 — The pressure is real
Set up the financial and policy environment. Explain why this moment matters and why leaders cannot afford to delay.
Part 2 — The care model is shifting
Show how the pressure accelerates the move away from hospital-centric delivery and toward ambulatory, outpatient, and distributed care.
Part 3 — The portfolio has to change
Explore what health systems must do with their real estate, service mix, footprint, and market strategy.
Part 4 — New models will win
Highlight the facility types, partnerships, and capital strategies that may define success going forward.
Part 5 — Leadership at the edge of change
Close the season with forward-looking episodes about who will adapt well, what mistakes to avoid, and what the future may look like.
Part 1 — 2 Episodes

The pressure is real

Setting up the financial and policy environment

Explain why this moment matters and why health system leaders cannot afford to delay strategic action.

Episode Ideas

On the Brink of a New Healthcare Reality
A big-picture opening episode about what is changing, why this moment matters, and why health systems need to reassess strategy now.
On the Brink of Margin Compression
A closer look at reimbursement pressure, uninsured populations, and why already-thin health system margins are under even more strain.
Part 2 — 2 Episodes

The care model is shifting

From hospital-centric to distributed care

Show how financial pressure accelerates the move away from hospital-centric delivery and toward ambulatory, outpatient, and distributed care.

Episode Ideas

On the Brink of Outpatient Migration
Why more care is moving out of the hospital and what that means for system strategy.
On the Brink of Site Neutrality
What happens when reimbursement equalizes across settings and hospital-based care models come under more pressure.
Part 3 — 3 Episodes

The portfolio has to change

Real estate, service mix, footprint, and market strategy

Explore what health systems must do with aging facilities, underused buildings, consolidation opportunities, and repurposing decisions.

Episode Ideas

On the Brink of Portfolio Reassessment
How health systems should evaluate aging facilities, underused buildings, consolidation opportunities, and repurposing decisions.
On the Brink of a New Location Strategy
How leaders should think about access, market coverage, competition, and where care should go next.
On the Brink of Service Mix Transformation
What to keep, what to consolidate, what to move, and how to think about the continuum of care in a new environment.
Part 4 — 2 Episodes

New models will win

Facility types, partnerships, and capital strategies

Highlight the facility types, partnerships, and capital strategies that may define success going forward.

Episode Ideas

On the Brink of Ambulatory Opportunity
How ambulatory facilities, multispecialty buildings, urgent care, and other lower-cost settings create strategic advantage.
On the Brink of Capital Strategy
How health systems should think about partnerships, financing, capital preservation, and real estate strategy under pressure.
Part 5 — 1 Episode

Leadership at the edge of change

Who will adapt, what mistakes to avoid, and what the future may look like

Close the season with a forward-looking episode about strong leaders who are acting now — and the choices that will define long-term success.

Episode Idea

On the Brink of the Next Decade
A forward-looking close on what strong leaders are doing now and what choices will define long-term success.