Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

Episode Title: Catherine Chang, Chief Quality Officer at Prisma Health
Date: February 2, 2026
Host: Mackenzie Bean (Becker's Healthcare)
Guest: Dr. Catherine Chang, Chief Quality Officer, Prisma Health

Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth discussion with Dr. Catherine Chang, Chief Quality Officer at Prisma Health, the largest integrated health system in South Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Dr. Chang reflects on the organization’s substantial growth over the past year, highlights transformative quality initiatives—particularly those improving patient access and care coordination—and shares forward-thinking strategies to address industry challenges in 2026. Key topics include the expansion of urgent care and specialty services, optimizing clinical workflow, enhancing staff well-being, and leveraging technology and human factors engineering for better patient and provider experiences.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Prisma Health ([01:12]–[01:37])

• Prisma Health Overview:
  • Largest integrated delivery system in South Carolina and eastern Tennessee.
  • Full scope: urgent care, ambulatory surgery centers, acute care, and a large medical group.

“We provide the full scope of services, urgent cares, ambulatory surgery centers, acute care and a very large medical group.”
—Dr. Catherine Chang [01:16]

2. Reflecting on 2025: Growth & Operational Advancements ([02:14]–[04:17])

• Market Expansion:
  • Completed Tennessee market integration and expanded urgent care footprint.
  • Continued population and organizational growth.
• Pulse Clinical Operating System:
  • Ongoing refinement leading to measurable operational results.
  • Recently featured in New England Journal Catalyst.
• Team Growth:
  • A focus on serving patients and supporting care teams as the organization scales.

“We have just been very fortunate… to continue doing the work of serving our patients and serving the team that takes care of our patients.”
—Dr. Catherine Chang [04:07]

3. Clinical Advancement Program & Quality Initiatives ([04:35]–[08:39])

• Multidisciplinary Clinical Specialty Councils:
  • 20 councils focused on transformative, team-driven initiatives in access, quality, and patient experience.
• Specialty Council Example:
  • Focus on care for patients with intellectual, developmental, or neurological differences, adapting delivery to their needs.
• Access to Care:
  • Expanded urgent care and specialty services, e.g., cancer diagnostics and treatment.
  • Notable Improvement: Breast cancer care—coordinated efforts reduced time from diagnosis to surgery to under 45 days (outperforming national benchmarks).
  • At some sites, 80% of patients achieved this expedited timeline.

“We have set a goal... lower than the National Cancer Institute benchmark. We’re shooting for 45 days or less... at some of our sites getting in in less than 45 days.”
—Dr. Catherine Chang [06:32]

4. Priorities & Headwinds in 2026: Staff Well-being, Access, & Technology ([09:31]–[14:23])

• Industry Landscape:
  • Navigating policy and technology shifts while expanding services.
• Human-Centered Technology:
  • Emphasis on technology as an asset for care (e.g., ambient listening to ease provider documentation burdens).
• Employee Experience Focus:
  • Active initiatives (e.g., “Care More, Click Less”) to reduce administrative workload and give providers more patient-facing time and personal balance.
  • Reduction in “pajama time”—off-shift electronic medical record (EMR) activity by providers, especially in the evenings.
  • Extending workflow improvements to nursing and inpatient documentation.

“We actually have a dedicated team and an initiative, a branded initiative called Care More, Click Less. So we’re really focused on how do we get our clinicians really back to patient care and not behind a keyboard or a monitor.”
—Dr. Catherine Chang [11:05]

• Integration of Quality Work:
  • Commitment to making quality, safety, and patient experience integral—not extra work or afterthoughts.

“We are very focused on not confusing or distracting people from the most important thing in front of them, which is the patient. And how do we make it as easy as possible and take hassles out of their day.”
—Dr. Catherine Chang [13:53]

5. Staff Engagement, Human Factors Engineering, and Workflow Design ([15:07]–[16:42])

• Workflow Optimization:
  • Every initiative balances benefits for both patients and staff (“make the right thing to do the easy thing to do”).
• Bringing in Expertise:
  • Prisma leverages human factors engineers to help design better workflows and EMR interfaces, reducing complexity and error.

“We try to make the right thing to do the easy thing to do. We're also incredibly fortunate to have a center for healthcare human factors engineers…”
—Dr. Catherine Chang [15:15]

6. Final Reflections & Motivation ([17:04]–[18:18])

• Core Purpose:
  • Expresses gratitude for working in a purpose-driven industry where “what you do matters.”
  • Emphasizes Prisma’s commitment to its “true north”—the patient—and thanks the leadership and broader healthcare community.

“It's such a great field to be in where you just never really have to wonder if what you do matters, you know, that it does…it's always good to be able to come back to your true north. And that's the great thing about working in healthcare.”
—Dr. Catherine Chang [17:13]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Patient Access Innovations:

  “How can we show up for [patients with developmental or neurological differences]? How do we tailor our delivery of health care to those patients and their families?”
  —Dr. Catherine Chang [05:29]

• On Staff Well-Being:

  “We really don’t want to see you in there at 11 o'clock at night unless that’s something you want. So how do we continue to provide tools to help people be efficient during their workday and still take great care of patients?”
  —Dr. Catherine Chang [12:13]

• On Keeping the Patient First:

  “The most important thing in front of them, which is the patient... How do we make it as easy as possible and take hassles out of their day?”
  —Dr. Catherine Chang [13:53]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Prisma Health Introduction: [01:12]
• Reflecting on 2025’s initiatives and growth: [02:14]
• Clinical Advancement Program deep dive: [04:35]
• Breast cancer access improvement: [06:32]
• Future priorities—tech, workflow, and well-being: [09:31], [11:05]
• Reduction in ‘pajama time’ and staff burden: [12:13]
• Human factors engineering impact: [15:15]
• Reflections on purpose and gratitude: [17:13]

Summary Takeaways

Dr. Catherine Chang offers a compelling look at how Prisma Health leverages clinical collaboration, workflow redesign, and new technology to drive organizational growth while keeping both patients and caregivers at the center. With a clear focus on making quality improvement seamless and supporting frontline staff—especially through initiatives that tackle documentation burden and access inefficiencies—Prisma Health stands out as a model for adaptive, people-centered health system leadership in 2026.