Asaad Hakeem

expert panel

Healthcare organizations have never had more opportunities to communicate directly with patients and the public. Social media allows clinicians to explain complex health topics in accessible language, organizations to respond to emerging concerns and healthcare leaders to build communities around prevention, wellness and better care.But the opportunity comes with real challenges. A confusing post can undermine understanding. An unsupported claim can spread misinformation. A poorly handled patient story can compromise privacy. And when a false claim gains traction, a slow response can leave patients looking elsewhere for answers. A 2025 study of 3,805 U.S. adults found an association between perceived exposure to substantial health misinformation on social media and lower trust in the healthcare system.The question for healthcare leaders, then, is not whether to engage on social media, but how to do so in a way that strengthens the patient experience and protects the trust on which effective care depends.Members of the Senior Executive Healthcare Think Tank bring perspectives spanning patient experience, healthcare technology, telehealth, clinical systems, workforce health, health administration and responsible innovation. They examine how healthcare organizations can approach social media governance, empower clinicians to participate, reach the right audiences, verify health information and respond effectively when misinformation emerges.

expert panel

Patients do not experience healthcare in isolation. Their expectations are shaped by every other part of their lives—from the speed of a fintech transaction to the ease of online shopping and the proactive communication of a hotel—and the digital healthcare experience is lagging behind. Healthcare leaders may be able to glean key insights from other industries, but which lessons are worth borrowing, and where should they draw the line?In healthcare, patients make decisions that can be emotionally charged, financially consequential and deeply personal, with privacy, clinical judgment and safety influencing every interaction. A tactic that drives conversion in retail can have a very different meaning when applied to someone deciding when and where to seek care. For leaders, the key is to identify what makes other industries' experiences effective and adapt those principles without losing sight of healthcare's higher stakes.Members of the Senior Executive Healthcare Think Tank bring expertise across technology, digital health, systems engineering, telehealth, workforce health and transformation. Their perspectives examine how healthcare can rethink everything from patient navigation and pricing transparency to personalization, communication and data—while also identifying tactics that could undermine patient trust.

expert panel

Healthcare leaders are constantly being asked to do more: adopt new technology, improve efficiency, expand access and deliver better outcomes. But what if the better question is what they should stop doing, rethink or redesign?Members of the Senior Executive Healthcare Think Tank are challenging leaders to look beyond the usual measures of progress. Their perspectives examine whether healthcare processes are designed around patients, whether technology is actually reducing burden, whether clinicians are spending time on work that matters and whether organizations are willing to question structures and practices that no longer serve their purpose.Taken together, their answers make a compelling case for a different approach to healthcare leadership: Before asking how to do more, ask what is worth doing at all. Below, they offer up 11 questions they think healthcare leaders need to be asking, and how those questions could fundamentally improve care.

expert panel

Healthcare innovation has entered a new phase. Rather than focusing on technology for its own sake, many of today's most significant advances emphasize making care more personalized, proactive and sustainable. Artificial intelligence is helping clinicians reclaim time with patients. Digital platforms are connecting fragmented care journeys. Robotics and biotechnology are accelerating scientific discovery. At the same time, healthcare leaders continue to emphasize that successful innovation depends as much on people and organizational culture as it does on software or devices.So which innovations have the greatest potential to move beyond hype and deliver measurable improvements in care? Members of the Senior Executive Healthcare Think Tank—a curated community of executives specializing in patient experience, workforce strategy, policy, healthcare technology, analytics, quality, equity and operational leadership—offer their perspectives on the innovations they believe stand out most this year. While their expertise spans multiple sectors of healthcare, they believe the most promising innovations are those that move healthcare toward a more proactive, personalized and connected future.From enhancing clinical decision-making and expanding access to strengthening the systems that support patients, providers and communities, the future of healthcare will depend not only on adopting new capabilities, but on applying them thoughtfully to solve real-world challenges.

expert panel

Healthcare organizations have long been rewarded for consistency. Clinical protocols, regulatory oversight and quality standards are designed to reduce variation because mistakes can have life-changing consequences. Yet the same structures that protect patients can also discourage experimentation, making it difficult for organizations to improve care delivery, adopt new technologies or rethink outdated processes.Leading health systems are increasingly recognizing that innovation and patient safety are not opposing goals. Rather, the most successful organizations establish clear guardrails that allow teams to test new ideas in controlled environments, measure outcomes rigorously and scale only what proves effective. Research from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has consistently shown that organizations with stronger patient safety cultures encourage communication, organizational learning and continuous improvement while reducing preventable harm.Members of the Senior Executive Healthcare Think Tank bring perspectives spanning clinical medicine, medical technology, digital health, systems engineering, patient experience and healthcare operations. Below, they share how healthcare organizations can move beyond a fear of failure by combining strong governance, data-driven decision-making and structured experimentation to advance innovation while maintaining patient trust.

expert panel

Prior authorization has become one of the rare healthcare policy issues that unites physicians, health systems, insurers, employers and lawmakers around a common conclusion: The current process creates unnecessary friction for everyone involved. While prior authorization remains an important utilization management tool, growing evidence suggests that excessive administrative complexity delays care, contributes to clinician burnout and increases costs throughout the healthcare system.According to the American Medical Association's 2024 physician survey, physicians complete an average of 43 prior authorizations each week, while 95% report the process contributes to physician burnout and 78% say patients sometimes abandon recommended treatment because of authorization delays.Yet technology alone will not solve the problem. Members of the Senior Executive Healthcare Think Tank bring expertise spanning healthcare operations, technology, AI, interoperability, workforce strategy and patient experience. Collectively, they argue that meaningful reform requires more than faster approvals—it requires redesigning how prior authorization works altogether.The perspectives that follow explore where healthcare leaders believe reform efforts should focus first—from reducing unnecessary reviews and increasing transparency to advancing interoperability, automation and shared accountability across the healthcare ecosystem.