General Sessions

AHA Rural Hospital Excellence in Innovation Award

The award recognizes rural hospitals that are redefining healthcare through visionary innovation. By implementing transformative programs and applying cutting-edge technologies, these hospitals have addressed the unique challenges of their rural communities. A culture of innovation and a commitment to patient-centered care have led to measurable improvements and set a new standard for scalable rural health solutions.

The Five Forces No Rural Hospital Can Ignore

Tim Johnsen, FACHE, Healthcare Executive and Speaker

Workforce. AI. Financial pressure. Consumer expectations. New care models. Five forces are converging on rural hospitals, reshaping strategy and operations. This session unpacks each force, explains its trajectory and gives senior leaders a framework for responding to the transformation rural healthcare demands. Drawing on more than 30 years of executive leadership and front-line clinical experience, Tim Johnsen offers a strategic interpretation grounded in operational reality. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of the forces affecting hospital strategy, practical frameworks for leading through financial pressure without sacrificing quality or workforce and examples from organizations navigating similar change.

The Critical Path Forward for Affordable, Accessible Healthcare

Vin Gupta, MD, Managing Director of Healthcare Innovation, Manatt; Visionary Tech Innovator; Former Chief Medical Officer, Amazon

Rural healthcare is being reshaped by forces that demand urgency and strategic vision. Dr. Gupta will examine how technology is transforming care delivery and what that means for communities where access, workforce and affordability challenges are most acute. Drawing on experience across the military, tech and media sectors, he will discuss three pillars shaping the future: next-generation diagnostics that catch disease earlier, generative AI integrated into clinical workflows to reduce burden and hospital-at-home models that extend care beyond the inpatient setting. Attendees will leave with a clear view of where healthcare technology is headed and practical strategies to lead toward more accessible, consumer-centered care.

Build for Tomorrow: Lessons for Adapting to Change

Jason Feiffer, Editor-in-Chief, Entrepreneur Magazine and Author of Build for Tomorrow

Times of great disruption can be times of great opportunity — but how do you take advantage of it? In this high-energy, dynamic talk, Jason Feifer breaks down an actionable strategy for navigating moments of disruption, whether they’re giant (like the pandemic) or more specific (internal reorgs or shifts in industries). Change is tough, but it’s also a thrilling time filled with almost limitless opportunities for positive change and growth.

Jason argues that all change happens in four phases: First we panic, then we adapt, then we find a new normal, and then we reach Wouldn’t Go Back — the moment in which we develop something so new and valuable to our lives and careers that we say, “I wouldn’t want to go back to a time before I had this.” Jason offers his audience a way to reframe their relationship with change, spot opportunity in the once-impossible, and get to Wouldn’t Go Back.