Podcast Summary

Podcast: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Episode: Jeff Francis, Vice President of Finance and CFO of Nebraska Methodist Health System
Date: August 25, 2025
Host: Madeline Ashley

Episode Overview

This episode features Jeff Francis, Vice President of Finance and CFO of Nebraska Methodist Health System. The conversation covers Jeff’s career background, the scope and recent achievements of Nebraska Methodist, as well as key healthcare finance trends he is monitoring. Jeff shares strategic insights on cost management, workforce optimization, the role of AI in revenue cycle, and growth plans—including new behavioral health initiatives. The episode offers leadership guidance for emerging healthcare finance professionals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jeff Francis’ Background & Nebraska Methodist Overview

• CFO Experience: Jeff recounts his extensive finance career, including leadership roles at Allegiant Health, Parkview Health, and Ministry Healthcare, culminating in his current nine-year tenure at Nebraska Methodist.
• Nebraska Methodist Highlights:
  • Four hospitals in Omaha area
  • 30 multi-specialty clinics
  • Nursing and allied health college
  • Linen/distribution service across four states
  • 8,000+ employees, $1.4B annual revenue
    (02:07)

2. Top Healthcare Finance Trends to Watch

• Artificial Intelligence (AI):
  • Transforming business and clinical operations.
  • AI is used to automate data entry, shifting staff focus to auditing and decision-making:
    “It keeps the quote, human in the loop, unquote, in the process, as well as allowing that staff to work at a higher level, working at the top of their license and being a little more challenged than just doing that data entry.” — Jeff Francis (03:33)
• Denials Management:
  • Upstream accuracy (registration, pre-authorization, scheduling) prevents costly rework and improves billing efficiency.
• Cost Management:
  • Rising costs outpace revenue; focus must be on controlling spend despite growth aspirations.
    “Would be a lot more fun to focus on the growth, but really having to focus on that cost management.” — Jeff Francis (04:50)

3. Cost Management Strategies at Nebraska Methodist

• Workforce Optimization:
  • Seizing opportunities when staff retire/leave to redesign roles instead of simply rehiring.
  • Leveraging Nebraska Methodist College to supply nursing and clinical staff, reducing reliance on expensive contract labor:
    “We've gotten to the point where our contract labor is below pre-pandemic levels and now focusing on the recruitment, retaining and keeping that great staff at Methodist.” — Jeff Francis (05:42)
• Supply Chain Management:
  • Reevaluating contracts, renegotiating prices, and exploring substitute products to reduce supply expenses without impacting patient care.(06:21)

4. Evaluating New Technologies

• Problem-Driven Approach:
  • Only pursue tools and technologies that address concrete organizational challenges.
• Long-term AI/RPA Use:
  • Seven years using AI and RPA for claim statusing, coding, and denials. Result: staff can focus on complex problems, improving yields on difficult cases.
    “...that's allowed us to see improved yield because they are working those more difficult cases.” — Jeff Francis (07:36)

5. Growth & Exciting Initiatives

• Strong Post-Pandemic Leadership:
  • Emphasis on teamwork and executing strategic plans, with a focus on expanding the primary care network to support specialty services and gain hospital market share.
• Behavioral Health Expansion:
  • New hospital in partnership with Cadia Healthcare, opening early 2026 in Council Bluffs, Iowa:
    • Expanding from 24 to 96 beds, serving geriatric to adolescent populations.
    • Partnership enables broader, higher-level behavioral health services.
      “An opportunity that's needed in the area and excited that we can do that with a joint venture partnership that focuses and brings an extra level that we just weren't able to do with that small of a unit.” — Jeff Francis (08:42)

6. Five-Year Vision & Strategic Anchors

• Smart Growth Model:
  • Focused expansion of service lines: oncology, primary care, women's services (including NICU), and orthopedics.
• Continuity & Leadership:
  • Confidence in the leadership team to sustain and build on past decade’s gains.
    “Look to be able to do it with this leadership team going forward for the next decade.” — Jeff Francis (10:11)

7. Advice for Aspiring Healthcare Finance Leaders

• Be a Teacher:
  • Importance of explaining the financial perspective to clinical colleagues, cultivating understanding and collaboration: “Being able to be that teacher helping the clinical side, understanding the why from the business aspect...provides the why, you know, allows all of us to work so that we can have the sufficient funds so that we can acquire the capital, we can reinvest, we can go into innovation.” — Jeff Francis (10:48)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI and Retaining the Human Element:
  “It keeps the quote, human in the loop, unquote, in the process, as well as allowing that staff to work at a higher level, working at the top of their license...”
  (03:33 — Jeff Francis)
• On Growth vs. Efficiency:
  “Would be a lot more fun to focus on the growth, but really having to focus on that cost management.”
  (04:50 — Jeff Francis)
• On Clinical Partnership:
  “Being able to be that teacher helping the clinical side, understanding the why from the business aspect...”
  (10:48 — Jeff Francis)
• On Behavioral Health Expansion:
  “Excited that we can do that with a joint venture partnership that focuses and brings an extra level...”
  (08:42 — Jeff Francis)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Jeff Francis' Background & Health System Overview: 00:45–02:48
• Top Industry Trends: 03:08–04:59
• Cost Management Strategies: 05:12–06:41
• Evaluating New Tech/AI: 07:00–07:51
• Growth Initiatives, Partnerships, Behavioral Health: 08:10–09:38
• Strategic Growth Vision: 09:51–10:28
• Leadership Advice: 10:46–11:29

This summary captures the practical leadership themes, strategic focus areas, and operational insights discussed by Jeff Francis, providing an actionable snapshot for healthcare leaders, finance professionals, and anyone interested in industry innovation and transformation.