Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

Episode: Chris Harrison, CPA, CEO, Quorum Health
Date: November 19, 2025
Host: Will Riley (R1)
Guest: Chris Harrison, CEO, Quorum Health

Episode Overview

This episode features Chris Harrison, CEO of Quorum Health, discussing his organization’s strategies and vision heading into 2026. The conversation centers on growth priorities for rural hospitals, innovation in healthcare technology (especially AI), changing partnership models, workforce concerns, and the tangible impact of these trends on both providers and patients.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Quorum Health’s Structure and Current Focus

• Quorum Health Overview:
  • 12 hospitals across 9 states, headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.
  • Mix of 6 critical access (small) hospitals and 6 acute care hospitals.
  • Operates clinics for employed physicians and outpatient services.
    (00:52)
    Quote: “We are a primarily rural operator… Arkansas and Kentucky on the eastern side…all the way to California and Oregon on the western side of the country.” - Chris Harrison (00:54)

2. Strategic Priorities for 2026

• Growth—Organic and Inorganic:
  • Organic: Expanding within current markets through partnerships, physician practices, outpatient facilities.
  • Inorganic: Potential acquisitions as the M&A landscape in acute care stays active.
  • Focus: Preparing for reimbursement and federal policy changes, particularly upcoming Medicaid cuts (expected around 2029).
  • Opportunity: Positioning to leverage the incoming $50B Rural Health Transformation Fund for innovation and technology investments.
    (01:49–03:53)
    Quote: “A big strategy will be how do we take those funds…to invest in innovation, invest in technology, invest in AI, invest in growth.” - Chris Harrison (03:16)

3. The Shift Toward Innovation & Tech Adoption

• Why the Shift is Happening:
  • Historically conservative adoption due to data privacy and regulatory concerns (PHI, HIPAA).
  • Recent years brought more governance and comfort with AI, allowing for broader applications.
  • AI is seen as a tool for clinician efficiency, not job replacement.
  • Physician burnout and workforce pressure (especially post-pandemic) are key motivators for adopting efficiency-enhancing tech.
    (04:11–06:20)
    Quote: “We aren’t necessarily looking at replacing jobs...how do you make your clinicians do what they were trained...which is care for patients and provide a better patient experience.” - Chris Harrison (05:20)

4. Empowering Teams and Patients with AI

• Empowering Everyone:
  • AI helps both patients (via education and navigation tools) and providers (by making administration easier).
  • Shared network and information empowers rural specialists via connections to urban or academic systems. (06:26–08:12)
    Quote: “You can now...partner and align them with other like-minded physicians and larger systems...Now you can take a cardiologist in a rural hospital...and with technology...they’re almost in the same network.” - Chris Harrison (07:15)

5. Evolving Partnerships in Healthcare Innovation

• From Vendor to True Partner:
  • Shift away from “old-school” vendor-client relationships to deeper, outcome-aligned partnerships, involving data sharing, equity, and financial alignment.
  • Emphasis on monetizing data in a way that benefits the health system rather than third parties. (08:12–10:53)
    Quote: “For most healthcare systems and us alike, our data is very valuable...how do you partner with the right innovators...so you can leverage that data and have a financial outcome from that data...” - Chris Harrison (10:14)

6. AI Use Cases and Operational Efficiency

• Clinical Documentation:
  • AI scribes for physician note-taking in outpatient settings, making documentation faster and more accurate.
• Revenue Cycle Management:
  • Autonomous coding, cleaner and quicker billing, reduced claims denials.
• Administrative Automation:
  • Automating accounting, finance (e.g., AP invoice scanning and coding), and other process-driven roles.
  • Emphasis on augmenting, not eliminating, workforce tasks. (11:07–13:33)
    Quote: “Any kind of manual, you know, process driven job...is a job that you can look at. Okay, how can you put AI in to make that job more efficient and make that employee more productive?” - Chris Harrison (12:20)

7. Workforce Challenges in Rural Health

• Retention is Key:
  • Rural hospitals are often the largest employer and vital economic engine for their communities.
  • Tech that improves productivity supports retention and community health. (13:33–14:19)
    Quote: “Having the talent and retaining them and keeping those employees is important to the community as much as it is to us and to the hospital.” - Chris Harrison (13:57)

8. Patient Experience and the Role of Innovation

• Tech-Driven Convenience:
  • Patients expect efficient experiences similar to online banking or ordering.
  • AI and other tools can streamline scheduling, triage, registration, and payments.
  • Reduced documentation frees up physicians for deeper, more meaningful patient interactions. (14:20–17:22)
    Quote: “It all comes back to that patient experience. We’re super focused on having the highest patient experience we can in hospitals...” - Chris Harrison (16:35)

9. The Arrival of Autonomous Hospital Robots

• Robots as Hospital Staff:
  • Physical robots are now being deployed for pharmacy and supply deliveries within hospitals.
  • Robots are treated as part of staff (badges, elevator access), freeing up clinicians’ time and enhancing patient care. (17:28–19:13)
    Quote: “We’re using that robot to do a lot of the pharmacy deliveries and a lot of the supply deliveries...and that frees up the clinicians again to stay on the floor and see the patients.” - Chris Harrison (18:18)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Growth Strategy:
  “We like to grow both organic and inorganically...as we look at acquisitions. Obviously, the M&A landscape in acute healthcare is very active right now...” (02:34)

• On the Evolution of AI in Healthcare:
  “I think people are seeing that...there’s a lot of benefit to artificial intelligence...putting clinicians back at the bedside...will lead to better outcomes, better clinical outcomes...” (05:05)

• On Partnership Philosophy:
  “Now where we look to partner is truly finding, okay, who do we feel like...is going to partner with us the best, that our strategies are aligned, that the outcomes we’re trying to achieve are aligned.” (09:11)

• On Hospital Robots:
  “It’s probably a little scary for some, but in others, it’s probably like, wow, this is really cool. That robot’s talking to me.” (18:44)

Recommended Listening Guide (Timestamps)

• 00:52–01:41: Quorum Health overview
• 01:49–03:53: 2026 priorities, growth, federal funding
• 04:11–06:20: How and why tech adoption is changing
• 08:12–10:53: New paradigms in partnership
• 11:07–13:33: Where AI is transforming operations
• 13:33–14:19: Rural workforce dynamics
• 14:20–17:22: Patient experience and innovation
• 17:28–19:13: Robots in hospitals

Conclusion

Chris Harrison emphasizes that while technology and AI are reshaping healthcare operations, they are tools for empowerment—of clinicians, administrators, and patients. For rural health systems like Quorum, the twin focus is on growth and patient-centered innovation, leveraging every new tool and partnership to maximize staff effectiveness and community wellbeing.