Podcast Summary: Driving Efficiency, Culture, and Regional Growth at Connecticut Children's with Dr. James E. Moore

Podcast: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Host: Chris Sosa
Guest: Dr. James E. Moore, President of Connecticut Children's Specialty Group, System Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Clinical Network Development Officer
Date: March 1, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Chris Sosa sits down with Dr. James E. Moore to discuss the recent initiatives and strategic direction at Connecticut Children’s. Dr. Moore offers a comprehensive look at how the organization is driving efficiency, strengthening its culture, and pursuing regional growth amid challenging industry headwinds. He delves into operational strategies, care expansion, workforce retention, and the importance of adaptability in pediatric healthcare. The episode offers tactical insights relevant to healthcare leaders facing similar constraints and ambitions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Connecticut Children’s: Scope and Regional Footprint

[01:05]

• Dr. Moore introduces Connecticut Children’s as the only independent nonprofit health system in Connecticut, with a sole pediatric focus and a growing regional presence in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York.
• The system recently opened a 190,000 sq. ft. tower, bringing its main facility to 215 beds.
• Connecticut Children’s partners with three adult systems and covers 15 hospitals, in addition to 30 specialty and primary care centers, and has approximately 570 specialists.

“A lot of times I think people just assume we're a freestanding children's hospital in downtown Hartford, but we're actually much more regionalized.” — Dr. Moore [02:23]

2025 Key Initiatives: Efficiency and Capacity

Addressing Space & Utilization Challenges

[03:27]

• Rapid patient volume growth outpaced physical expansion capabilities due to limited capital.
• Implemented advanced dashboards to track and optimize room usage, moving away from rigid specialty-assigned spaces to “touchdown rooms” usable by multiple divisions.
• Utilized known downtime (e.g., clinician vacations) to proactively repurpose space and boost throughput.
• Result: Increased patient volume by about 14% across five key specialties.

“We created dashboards to look at room utilizations... rearrange space and utilization to proactively look at issues we knew were coming up.” — Dr. Moore [04:24]

Improving Surgical Throughput

[05:45]

• Applied efficiency strategies to the OR, especially for the ambulatory surgery center.
• Focused on extending session times and leveraging staff without significantly increasing FTEs.
• Addressed backlogs in specialties like urology and ENT; saw measurable improvements in urology cases.

Priorities & Outlook for 2026 and Beyond

Navigating Economic Headwinds

[07:43]

• Dr. Moore highlights the unique reimbursement challenges for pediatric hospitals, which rely heavily on Medicaid.
• Anticipates further margin pressure due to federal and state policy shifts.
• Emphasizes the need for operational efficiencies and better reimbursement capture (coding, billing, reduction in denied claims).

Expanding Revenue & Impact

[09:00]

• Argues that focusing solely on inpatient “sick care” is unsustainable.
• Advocates broadening services: expanding into primary, preventive care and home care.
• Stresses innovation, value-based care, and developing new, more sustainable payment models.

“We need to touch more lives. But to be able to sustain ourselves, there may need to be new ways to get paid for, whether we're doing school-based care or others.” — Dr. Moore [10:46]

Workforce & Culture as Strategic Pillars

Workforce Shortages & Retention

[12:13]

• Dr. Moore sees workforce retention as the single hardest and most important challenge: labor shortages raise costs and stress operations.
• Focuses on culture building under the “One Team” banner, emphasizing belonging, support, and staff empowerment.

“If your team members can feel like they're heard, more importantly that they're valued and that what they're coming to is not just a job, they're going to be much more wanting to stay in the organization.” — Dr. Moore [13:59]

Measuring and Sustaining Culture

[17:25]

• Uses multiple feedback channels: regular employee surveys, leadership rounding, and special “red tape” workgroups to address staff pain points.
• Commitment to grassroots solutions—empower frontline staff to propose and enact change.
• Moves away from “HR speak” towards a personalized, locally-driven culture.

Growth Opportunities: Near and Long-Term Strategy

Clinical Centers of Excellence

[19:21]

• Plans to leverage the new tower to expand oncology, the Fetal Care Center, and advanced cellular/gene therapy programs (including bone marrow transplant, CAR T, gene therapies).
• Aims to draw patients from a broad regional footprint, not just locally.

Expanding Outpatient & Regional Reach

[21:30]

• Focus on expanding ambulatory and urgent care formats, bringing specialty services closer to homes in three states.
• Partnership strategy to become the preferred pediatric provider for adult hospitals and community locations.

“We want to be able to partner with other organizations to be their preferred pediatric provider... and also be able to provide that care to the families that we serve now in three states across our region.” — Dr. Moore [23:04]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On System Regionalization:
  “We’re out actually much more regionalized.” — Dr. Moore [02:23]

• On Maximizing Efficiency:
  “We had to take the approach that they're all kind of touchdown rooms, and multiple different areas can utilize them...” — Dr. Moore [04:09]

• On Workforce & Team Spirit:
  “If you can get that kind of feeling, if your team members can feel like they're heard, more importantly that they're valued... they're going to be much more wanting to stay in the organization.” — Dr. Moore [13:59]

• On Future Healthcare Models:
  “I think the bed reimbursement in the hospital model is not going to be the way of the future.” — Dr. Moore [11:37]

Key Timestamps

• 01:05 – Overview of Connecticut Children's structure, affiliations, and recent expansion
• 03:27 – 2025’s dual initiatives: capacity/efficiency and surgical throughput improvements
• 07:43 – Reimbursement challenges and shifting financial models
• 12:13 – Workforce shortages and culture as a retention tool
• 17:25 – How Connecticut Children's measures and sustains a strong culture
• 19:21 – Opportunities for clinical and regional growth, including new specialties
• 23:04 – Vision for partnerships and being the preferred regional pediatric provider

Tone & Style

• Dr. Moore speaks candidly, acknowledging both the challenges and the cultural strengths unique to pediatric healthcare.
• The conversation is practical and optimistic, blending operational insight with a mission-driven approach to pediatric care.

Summary Takeaway

Dr. James Moore details Connecticut Children’s dynamic strategy for growth and sustainability: operational efficiency, workforce culture, and regional clinical excellence. The blueprint he presents can serve as a reference point for healthcare systems navigating today’s cost pressures, staff challenges, and shifting care delivery paradigms—particularly in pediatrics.