Podcast Summary: Sam McCrimmon, J.D., Vice President of Development at Regional One Health

Podcast: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Date: February 9, 2026
Host: Scott Becker
Guest: Sam McCrimmon, J.D., Vice President of Development, Regional One Health

Episode Overview

In this episode, Scott Becker interviews Sam McCrimmon, Vice President of Development at Regional One Health in Memphis, Tennessee. The conversation dives into the critical trends shaping healthcare, the significance of philanthropy in supporting hospital operations and growth, and Sam's unique career journey from the humanities, through law, to leadership in development. The tone is candid, insightful, and occasionally lighthearted, with memorable anecdotes and practical advice for healthcare leaders.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Introduction to Regional One Health and Sam McCrimmon

• Background: Regional One Health is Tennessee’s oldest hospital (est. 1829), the oldest business in Shelby County, and the sole level one trauma center within 150 miles.
• Notable Stats:
  • 300 beds
  • 15,000 annual inpatient discharges
  • 168,000 outpatient visits
  • $670 million in operating revenue
  • $200 million per year in charity care
  • Largest resident training program in Tennessee (210+ residents)
• “Our trauma center is actually named after Elvis Presley, though I will tell you that Elvis never set foot in the trauma center.” (Sam, 01:49)

Top Healthcare Trends Affecting Regional One

• Affordable Care Act (ACA) Changes:
  • Close attention to shifting ACA subsidies and their impact on payer mix and charity care
  • “Presumably that’s going to increase our charitable care amount that we’re going to provide as well.” (Sam, 02:48)
• 340B Drug Pricing Program:
  • Large, vital program for Regional One, driving both access and revenue
  • Ongoing changes in legislation and regulation present considerable uncertainty
• Federal Funding for Health & Research:
  • Observing reductions in federal funding and how these shifts impact research and community health programs
• Economy and Artificial Intelligence (AI):
  • AI seen as both an operational and economic consideration—boosting efficiency, impacting patient experience, but also potentially affecting donor sentiment due to fears about job disruption
  • “From a fundraising standpoint, we also think about [AI] from an economic side. … Are the people that we’re talking to about making gifts, are they nervous about losing their jobs to AI?” (Sam, 04:18)

The Growing Importance of Philanthropy in Healthcare

• Critical Revenue Stream:
  • Philanthropy provides the “margin for excellence,” funding new initiatives not covered by thin hospital operating margins
  • “Anything philanthropically that can be done, particularly at a 3 to 1 or 5 to 1 return on investment, is a pretty spectacular margin…” (Sam, 05:26)
• Types of Philanthropic Gifts:
  • Small Gifts: Support patient support services (e.g., transportation), enhance patient experience (e.g., waiting room upgrades)
  • Large Gifts: Fund capital projects and nurse scholarship programs
  • Planned Giving: Cultivating long-term support through estate gifts—often from “NICU alumni” and trauma center patients
  • “Small gifts are vital... The larger gifts we use more for capital needs... We also think a lot about what we think of as planned giving, so estate gifts.” (Sam, 06:16-06:39)

The Elvis Presley Trauma Center: A Unique Legacy

• Naming Story: In 1983, Mayor Crump of Shelby County named the trauma center after Elvis Presley in his memory. Regional One, along with Graceland, is uniquely permitted to use Elvis’s name, image, and likeness.
• Global Reach: Donations from Elvis fan clubs worldwide, with plaques in the trauma center highlighting the connection
  • “We have a donor wall in our trauma center that actually has plaques from places like the Elvis Club of Indonesia or the Elvis Club of Japan.” (Sam, 08:24)

Priorities and Vision for 2026

• Building a New Hospital:
  • Existing facility is aging beyond repair (“Our power plant... we have to manufacture [parts] or hopefully find them on eBay.”) (Sam, 09:26)
  • Operating over capacity: 12,000 annual trauma cases in a space designed for 4,000
  • $900M facility planned ($500M committed, $250M more sought)
• Establishing a Full Academic Medical Center:
  • Memphis lacks an adult academic medical center; focus on growing research, education, and integrated care
• Center for Innovation:
  • Regional One operates a unique innovation hub, collaborating with venture capitalists and spinning out clinical innovations for broader impact
  • “We’ve been working with innovators to spin out products, ... ways that we can continue to be a place where we can prove clinical applications for new things that benefit patient care.” (Sam, 10:39)

Sam McCrimmon’s Career Journey: From Theology to Development

• Education: Began with intention to pursue a doctorate in theological ethics at Duke
• Career Pivot: Encouraged by a family friend (a priest) to explore fundraising—discovered an aptitude and passion for development work
• Law Degree: Earned J.D. while working full time in advancement; economic shifts after 2008 recession reinforced commitment to philanthropy as a calling
  • “...The job market in the humanities was and still is pretty terrible. ... A friend of the family that was a Catholic priest ... said, ‘I think you should go into fundraising with your personality and your skill set. It might be a good fit.’ And so I went, and here I am.” (Sam, 13:16-13:38)
  • “I enjoyed it immensely and ... never looked back.” (Sam, 14:45)

Leadership & Career Advice

• “Have humility and have a sense of humor.” (Sam, 15:09)
  • Flexibility is key; life rarely goes exactly as planned
  • Embrace failure as part of growth: “It's always worth trying something and failing as opposed to not trying it at all.” (Sam, 15:34)
  • “Pass the mentoring forward, be really intentional about it... It's been probably the greatest pleasure of my career to watch people grow into things and opportunities and jobs that they didn't know that they were capable of growing into.” (Sam, 15:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Facility Challenges:
  • “Our power plant, frankly, is so old that we can’t buy parts for it anymore. We have to manufacture them or hopefully find them on eBay.” (Sam, 09:25)
• On Fundraising and Impact:
  • “For most nonprofit health systems, you think about [philanthropy] as really the margin for excellence. It's the margin for new projects, it's the margin for new research.” (Sam, 05:09)
• On Humility and Mentorship:
  • “I’m only where I am because of mentors that I had who very intentionally took a chance on me and said, we think you have something that maybe you don’t even see in you.” (Sam, 15:51)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Speaker | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------|-----------------|------------| | Introduction & Regional One snapshot | Sam | 01:07-02:15| | Industry trends & challenges | Sam | 02:25-04:42| | Importance of philanthropy | Sam | 05:06-06:01| | Small vs. large gifts & planned giving | Sam | 06:15-07:49| | Elvis Presley Trauma Center story | Sam | 07:54-08:51| | 2026 priorities: new hospital & future | Sam | 09:07-11:16| | Career background & pivotal moments | Sam | 11:45-14:53| | Career advice & mentorship | Sam | 15:06-16:40|

Tone and Language

• The episode is marked by Sam’s personable, candid, and humble storytelling, with moments of humor (Duke vs. UNC rivalry) and deep respect for both his mission and his mentors.
• Also, Scott Becker’s questions allow for fluid, anecdotal discussion without rigid formality.

Takeaways

• Safety net hospitals like Regional One are at the intersection of policy, economics, and local need—making agility and philanthropy essential.
• Innovation, both in healthcare delivery and fundraising, is crucial for institutional sustainability and growth.
• Leadership in healthcare is as much about character—humility, humor, and mentorship—as it is about skill or background.
• The legacy and culture of an institution (from Elvis to academic medical vision) can be powerful levers in building community and financial support.