Healthcare HR is entering a pressure point week. In this Monday News Drop, Bo Brabo, Luke Carignan, and Jeremy Sadlier break down three converging forces that are already reshaping labor strategy, care delivery, and executive decision making.

Segment 1: The “Peace Treaty” Hangover
The New York City nurses strike has officially ended at NewYork-Presbyterian and Mount Sinai, but the real impact is just beginning. The tentative agreement sets a national precedent: a 19% wage increase over three years paired with an ironclad staffing enforcement clause. If staffing ratios are missed, nurses receive automatic premium pay with no arbitration and no delay.

HR takeaway: This is not just a labor story. It is an operational and financial risk signal. HR leaders should immediately calculate their staffing miss rate and model what automatic penalties would have cost last month. If you wait for the union to raise this, you are already behind.

Segment 2: The Telehealth Countdown
Extended Medicare telehealth flexibilities expire in 11 days, on January 30, 2026. Without Congressional action, the geographic originating site rule snaps back on February 1, limiting reimbursement for home based telehealth visits outside rural areas.

HR takeaway: Do you know which providers in your system would be out of compliance on February 1? If not, why not? This is a data and workforce planning problem, not just a policy issue. Patient access, provider schedules, and employee time off will all be affected if telehealth abruptly contracts.

Segment 3: The Efficiency Wave Moves West
Following Alameda Health, Providence announced cuts of approximately 450 non clinical roles across Washington and Oregon, while CVS Health and its subsidiary Oak Street Health are closing clinics and reducing headcount. Growth at all costs is giving way to margin preservation.

HR takeaway: This is not panic. It is a phase change. Expect continued role consolidation, automation, and redeployment. The best organizations will reskill and redeploy talent with integrity, transparency, and real choice, not force disguised as opportunity.

The Bigger Picture
Labor contracts, care delivery models, and financial discipline are converging fast. If you are in healthcare HR and still see yourself as adjacent to strategy, it is time to step forward. The teams who engage now will be shaping enterprise decisions a year from today.

🎧 Listen in, get ahead, and lead from the center.

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In this week’s Monday News Drop, hosts Bo Brabo, Luke Carignan, and Jeremy Sadlier unpack the critical workforce, policy, and compensation trends shaping healthcare HR as we move deeper into 2026. From labor risk to pay strategy to the expiration of ACA subsidies, this episode delivers practical insight leaders can act on immediately.

Key Topics Covered:

Nurse Strike Risk & Staffing Ratios
With New York City facing potential large-scale nursing strikes, the conversation highlights how staffing ratios are shifting from policy language to enforceable labor contract terms. The takeaway for HR leaders is clear: transparency, staffing communication, and proactive workforce planning can reduce strike risk faster than wages alone.

Medicaid Cuts & ACA Subsidy Expiration
The team explores the real-world impact of Medicaid funding reductions and the expiration of ACA premium subsidies. Hospitals are already seeing layoffs, rising uncompensated care, and growing emergency department utilization. HR leaders are urged to prepare for budget volatility, workforce redeployment, and increased pressure on frontline staffing.

Workforce Redeployment Over Layoffs
Rather than defaulting to layoffs, this episode reinforces the case for redeploying and upskilling existing employees. From patient access to revenue cycle roles, proactive retraining can stabilize operations while preserving institutional knowledge and morale.

2026 Pay Strategy Reality Check
National merit increases have stabilized around 3–3.5%, but healthcare remains an outlier with sustained wage pressure. The hosts discuss why across-the-board increases no longer work and why differentiated pay strategies are essential to retain top clinical talent and manage wage compression.

The HR Imperative
This episode reinforces a core message: workforce shortages are now structural, not cyclical. Burnout is an organizational risk, not an individual failure. And HR leaders play a central role in navigating labor relations, compensation strategy, and policy-driven disruption.

Actionable Takeaways for This Week:
• Run a strike-risk audit with nurse leaders
• Audit per diem and part-time coverage options
• Review telehealth compliance timelines
• Identify redeployment and upskilling opportunities

🎧 Listen now to stay ahead of the workforce, policy, and compensation shifts redefining healthcare HR in 2026.

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We made it to Episode 200, and this milestone edition of The ASHHRA Podcast could not be more timely.

Kicking off 2026, co-hosts Bo Brabo and Luke Carignan are joined by Jeremy Sadlier for a wide-ranging Monday News Drop that examines the forces reshaping healthcare HR, workforce strategy, and hospital operations right now—and what leaders must prepare for next.

What’s Inside Episode 200:

Workforce Shortages Are Structural, Not Cyclical
The conversation opens with a hard truth: healthcare workforce shortages are no longer temporary. Leaders must move beyond short-term hiring fixes and focus on long-term workforce redesign, redeployment, and internal talent mobility.

Burnout Is an Organizational Risk
Burnout is no longer framed as an individual resilience issue. The team discusses why burnout is increasingly viewed as a system failure—one that impacts safety, engagement, retention, and financial performance across health systems.

Upskilling Is the New Retention Strategy
Degree pathways, certifications, and employer-funded education are emerging as the most powerful retention tools. Developing internal talent is no longer optional—it’s essential to sustainability.

AI in Healthcare HR Is Moving Faster Than Governance
From recruiting and scheduling to workforce analytics and productivity modeling, AI adoption is accelerating. The challenge? Governance, bias controls, and leadership readiness are lagging behind the technology.

The Expiration of ACA Subsidies and Its Ripple Effects
One of the most urgent discussions centers on the recent expiration of ACA subsidies. The group breaks down what this means for hospital finances, emergency department utilization, workforce planning, and HR budgets in 2026 and beyond.

Why This Episode Matters

This isn’t just a look back—it’s a clear-eyed look forward. Episode 200 challenges healthcare HR leaders to think systemically, plan strategically, and step confidently into their role as operational leaders during a time of unprecedented change.

Whether you’re focused on workforce planning, employee engagement, AI strategy, or healthcare policy impacts, this episode delivers perspective you can use immediately.

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In this returning episode of The ASHHRA Podcast, co-host Luke Carignan sits down with Jeff Knapp, for a timely and candid conversation about artificial intelligence, workforce transformation, and what it truly means to lead with humanity in an age of rapid automation.

Jeff brings a rare and powerful perspective to the discussion. With a career spanning roles at Aramark, Walgreens, PE-backed organizations, nonprofits, and large public companies, Jeff frames AI not as a threat to HR, but as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to refocus the profession on what humans do best.

Key Themes Explored:

• AI in Human Resources: Why generative and agentic AI are best used to eliminate repetitive, transactional tasks so HR leaders can focus on strategy, leadership development, and culture.
• From Deskilling to Reskilling: Jeff challenges the fear-based narrative around AI, arguing instead that HR is entering a reskilling era that demands curiosity, adaptability, and courage.
• The New Role of the CHRO: Today’s HR leaders must be part strategist, part technologist, and fully human. Jeff explains why fluency in AI, data, and change management is now essential for executive relevance.
• Preserving Humanity at Scale: As automation increases, empathy, compassion, and authentic leadership become more valuable, not less. AI should amplify the human experience, not replace it.
• Workforce Planning & Learning Innovation: How AI-driven insights can enable real-time learning, personalized development paths, and smarter workforce decisions.

Throughout the episode, Jeff and Luke emphasize a core truth: the future of HR is not about replacing people with machines, but about freeing leaders to lead more deeply, thoughtfully, and humanely.

Whether you are an HR executive, business leader, or someone navigating organizational change, this episode offers clarity, reassurance, and practical insight into what’s coming next—and how to lead confidently through it.

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In this week’s Monday News Drop, Bo Brabo, Luke Carignan, and Jeremy Sadlier tackle two headlines that should have every healthcare HR leader paying close attention: reported job eliminations at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and a new survey showing more than half of U.S. healthcare workers are considering leaving their roles.

The conversation cuts through headlines and focuses on what HR leaders need to understand, question, and act on.

🔍 Topics Covered in This Episode

VA Job Cuts: What’s Really Happening?
Reports indicate the VA plans to eliminate up to 35,000 healthcare positions. Bo, Luke, and Jeremy question whether these are true workforce reductions or long-standing vacant roles finally coming off the books. The discussion highlights why transparency matters, especially for veterans, clinicians, and HR leaders trying to understand the real impact on access to care and workforce planning.

55% of Healthcare Workers Considering a Job Change
A new survey reveals 55% of healthcare workers plan to switch jobs, while 84% feel underappreciated and only 20% believe their employer is invested in their long-term growth. The hosts break down why this isn’t just a retention issue—it’s a leadership and engagement problem hiding in plain sight.

Why Surveys Aren’t Enough
Annual engagement surveys alone aren’t fixing the problem. The episode emphasizes the importance of frequent, real conversations, visible follow-through, and leaders being willing to share results transparently and act quickly before employees disengage or leave.

HR Visibility Matters
With HR teams shrinking and more roles moving off-site or remote, Jeremy underscores the risk of losing connection to frontline staff. When HR isn’t present, stress signals are missed—and engagement declines.

AI Is Already Reshaping Work
The hosts discuss real-world examples of AI in healthcare, including ambient clinical documentation and coding. While AI can reduce administrative burden and improve patient care, it also raises urgent questions about workforce redeployment, career pathways, and change management.

💡 Key Takeaway

Workforce challenges are converging—burnout, perceived lack of appreciation, structural cuts, and rapid technology change. The solution isn’t software alone. It starts with listening, acting, and treating employee engagement as a strategic priority tied directly to patient experience and organizational sustainability.

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In this week’s Monday News Drop, Co-hosts Bo Brabo and Luke Carignan, along with ASHHRA Executive Director, Jeremy Sadlier, break down the biggest healthcare HR trends and policy changes shaping the road to 2026—what HR leaders need to watch, prepare for, and take action on now. From telehealth reimbursement cliffs to workplace violence standards and double-digit benefit increases, this episode arms you with a strategic playbook for the year ahead.

🔍 Key Topics Covered

1. The 2026 Telehealth Cliff
Major Medicare telehealth flexibilities expire on January 31, 2026, unless Congress acts. HR teams must evaluate which roles, programs, and services rely on telehealth revenue and prepare contingency plans. Telehealth remains essential for rural healthcare access, care continuity, and patient convenience—making this deadline one of the most urgent risk points for 2026.

2. New Workplace Violence Prevention Standards Coming
California’s OSHA will finalize its workplace violence prevention standard by December 31, 2026, setting the stage for national adoption. Even if you’re not in California, expect other states to follow. HR leaders should begin preparing now, focusing on safety protocols, staff training, and readiness for tighter regulatory oversight.

3. The Coming 10% Benefits Cost Surge
Employer benefit costs are projected to surpass 10% increases, driven by GLP-1 medications and catastrophic claim trends. Traditional cost-shifting to employees has reached its limit. HR must pivot to precision benefit design, using data to tailor plan eligibility, target high-cost categories, and protect affordability.

4. Physician Payment Cuts & Retention Challenges
CMS’s 2026 rule includes a 2.5% “efficiency adjustment,” triggering tension between rising admin burden and lower physician compensation. HR will need to rely on non-monetary strategies—flexible scheduling, administrative relief through AI, and culture improvements—to retain clinical talent.

5. Hospital at Home Stability Through 2030
With a five-year extension secured, HR should stop treating Hospital at Home roles as pilots and begin building permanent job codes, staffing models, and career pathways for home-based acute care teams. This is now a core component of the care delivery ecosystem.

6. The Employer Network Problem
As healthcare delivery narrows into high-performance networks, employees increasingly report, “I can’t find a doctor in my network.” HR must ensure access aligns with the organization’s own employee health plans and proactively manage communication around provider availability.

🎧 Why Listen?

This episode gives healthcare HR professionals a clear, actionable forecast of what’s coming—and how to build a strategy before the pressure hits. If you’re preparing budgets, workforce plans, or leadership updates for 2026, this is your essential Monday briefing.

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In one of our most eye-opening conversations yet, Bo Brabo and Luke Carignan sit down with clinical pharmacist Langley Kyle to unpack the truth behind GLP-1 medications—Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound, tirzepatide, and their compounded counterparts. Whether you're an HR leader, benefits strategist, or simply trying to understand why GLP-1s dominate workplace conversations, this episode breaks it all down with clarity, expertise, and a surprising amount of laughter.

From skyrocketing utilization to social-media-driven demand, Langley reveals what she’s seeing across employer plans nationwide…and what’s coming next.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1️. Why GLP-1 Coverage Is So Complicated
Only 20–30% of self-insured employers currently cover weight-loss GLP-1s. Langley explains why cost, demand, and new FDA indications (sleep apnea, cardiovascular risk reduction, MASH) are forcing employers to rethink their approach.

2️. Compounded GLP-1s: Benefits, Risks, and the FDA Crackdown
With compounding pharmacies filling the gap during shortages, Langley outlines the regulatory gray zones, quality concerns, and why the FDA is beginning to tighten oversight.

3️. The Retention Strategy No One Expected
Luke and Bo share firsthand experiences using compounded tirzepatide—and reveal why GLP-1 coverage may soon become a powerful recruitment and retention tool, particularly in healthcare organizations competing for scarce talent.

4️. The Real Problem: Maintenance vs. Cure
Most members stay on GLP-1s long-term. Langley discusses behavior change, wellness integration, and why employers must pair medication access with coaching, nutrition, and lifestyle programs to create sustainable health outcomes.

5️. The Future of Pharmacy Costs
From oral GLP-1s to AI-accelerated drug development, the trio explores how innovation—and litigation—may reshape pricing, access, and plan design over the next decade.

💬 Quote to Remember:
“GLP-1s aren’t going anywhere. The conversation just keeps getting louder.”

🎧 Why This Episode Matters
GLP-1s are no longer a fringe benefit topic. They are transforming employee expectations, affecting plan costs, and reshaping how HR leaders think about population health. Langley’s insights provide a roadmap for making smarter, more sustainable decisions in 2025 and beyond.

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In this week’s Monday News Drop, co-hosts Bo Brabo and Luke Carignan dive into one of healthcare’s most persistent and pressing issues — the national nursing shortage. But this time, they go deeper than headlines to ask the hard question: Is it really a “trend,” or just a long-term problem we keep failing to solve?

Bo and Luke trace the roots of the shortage through decades of reports and research, revealing that the so-called “hot topic” isn’t new — it’s been part of America’s healthcare conversation for years. Together, they unpack why solutions haven’t stuck and explore how operations, education, and compensation must all evolve to make a real difference.

💡 In This Episode You’ll Learn:

🩺 Why the Nurse Shortage Isn’t New:
Bo uncovers 15 years of headlines proving this workforce crisis has been ongoing, highlighting how awareness alone doesn’t equal progress.

⚙️ The 28% Problem:
Luke references a past guest’s insight — only 28% of a nurse’s time is spent on direct patient care — and discusses how operational inefficiencies continue to drive burnout and turnover.

🎓 Workforce Innovation at VCU Health:
A spotlight on Virginia Commonwealth University’s proactive model for workforce development, where over 90% of nursing graduates stay and work in-state. Bo and Luke explore how academia and healthcare systems can collaborate to close workforce gaps.

🤖 The Role of AI in Talent Strategy:
The hosts discuss how artificial intelligence can accelerate recruitment, improve retention, and help hospitals compete for top nursing talent — if used strategically.

💬 A Thought-Provoking Takeaway:
“You can’t fix the national nurse shortage alone, but you can control your organization’s piece of the puzzle.”

And because it’s Thanksgiving week, the duo keeps it light too — reflecting on gratitude, football rivalries, and what the world might look like if humans really could live 200 years.

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