Podcast Summary: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

Guest: Samuel Pueringer, MHA, Senior Director of Retail Health Operations at Hartford HealthCare
Host: Scott Becker
Release Date: November 5, 2025
Episode Theme: The evolution, innovation, and future of retail health at Hartford HealthCare

Episode Overview

This episode of Becker’s Healthcare Podcast features Samuel ("Sam") Pueringer, Senior Director of Retail Health Operations at Hartford HealthCare. The conversation centers on the definition and transformation of retail health, how consumer expectations are reshaping care delivery, the innovative use of technology like care stations, and leadership advice for emerging professionals in healthcare.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction & Background (00:33–01:23)

• Sam Pueringer’s Role: Senior Director of Retail Health at Hartford HealthCare, overseeing strategy and operations for retail, same-day, and virtual care programs.
• Hartford HealthCare Overview: A large, Connecticut-based system with seven acute care sites, 10 emergency departments, over 500 locations, and about 50,000 staff members.
• Background: Sam’s experience includes consulting, finance, strategy, and operations, with training in New Orleans and positions at LCMC, Ochsner, and a move up to Hartford Healthcare in the Northeast.

Defining Retail Health (01:44–02:54)

• Retail Health: What Does It Mean?
  • “Retail health has a number of definitions...the most common is it's the nontraditional delivery of healthcare services. ...My definition is a bit different. It's just meeting the patient where they need to be met.” – Sam Pueringer (02:09)
• Patient-Centered Focus: Emphasizes flexibility and partnership to meet patients where they are—whether that's urgent care, virtual platforms, or in-pharmacy clinics.

The Evolution and Transformation of Retail Health (02:54–04:10)

• Responding to Patient Needs: The shift from everyone coming to central offices to tailored, distributed models mimicking retail and e-commerce experiences.
  • “We have, I call it three gradations of how we offer care...” (03:16)
  • Three Care Models:
    • Traditional in-person visits, now made more convenient.
    • Hybrid care, where patients are present physically but interact with clinicians virtually.
    • On-demand virtual offerings, highlighted by Hartford’s “hhc24.7” service launched eight months prior.

Innovation Highlight: Airport Care Kiosks (04:10–05:40)

• HHC Care Stations:
  • “We deployed care stations all over the state of Connecticut and our most recent one was at Bradley International Airport. …It's a box you can enter. It's got a huge screen in front of it. You hit start and they start a visit with a clinician electronically there.” – Sam Pueringer (04:23)
  • Features privacy (opaque glass, soundproofing), digital connection to clinicians, and self-service vital sign equipment.
  • Cleaning and disinfection addressed via daily crews and a UV mechanism after each visit.
  • Notable Quote:
    “It's really just another way to get patients what they want, when they need it, especially in an airport.” (05:32)

Looking Toward the Future of Healthcare (06:12–07:40)

• Anticipation & Change:
  • “What excites me about tomorrow...is just the unknown of healthcare. ...That unknown is why I got into the field, and that unknown is what drives me forward every day, is always having to put on your creativity hat and develop new options for patients, new ways of delivering care.” – Sam Pueringer (06:59)
• Education: Sam teaches at Fairfield University and Tulane University, sharing his enthusiasm for healthcare’s potential with students.

Advice for Emerging Leaders (07:54–08:56)

• Leadership Lessons:
  • “Learn everything you can all the time...develop the ability to be adaptable as life, especially in healthcare, can change, and it will.” – Sam Pueringer (08:04)
  • “Healthcare is a team sport, so if you want to play well, your team's got to play well.” (08:38)
• Emphasis on continuous learning, adaptability, and being a present, responsible, courageous, and cooperative leader.

Memorable Reflections on Teamwork (08:56–09:26)

• Host’s Insight:
  • “The best teams I've worked on or seen or been a part of have multiple top A leaders. The worst ones have one great leader and lots of other people that are not. And it gets very shallow very quickly.” – Scott Becker (08:56)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “It's just meeting the patient where they need to be met.”
  — Sam Pueringer (02:13)
• “We have, I call it three gradations of how we offer care... Traditional in-person, hybrid, and on-demand virtual.”
  — Sam Pueringer (03:16)
• “You hit start and they start a visit with a clinician electronically there. ... Most common question we get... is how you clean those stations... with a UV disinfector.”
  — Sam Pueringer (04:28, 05:19)
• “That unknown is what drives me forward every day, is always having to put on your creativity hat.”
  — Sam Pueringer (07:27)
• “Healthcare is a team sport, so if you want to play well, your team's got to play well.”
  — Sam Pueringer (08:38)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:33 — Sam Pueringer introduces himself and Hartford HealthCare.
• 02:09 — Defining retail health from a patient-centric perspective.
• 03:16 — The three gradations of care delivery at Hartford HealthCare.
• 04:23 — Overview of care kiosks at Bradley International Airport.
• 06:12 — Sam’s career path and the importance of embracing the unknown in healthcare.
• 07:54 — Leadership advice for emerging healthcare leaders.
• 08:56 — Reflections on the importance of strong, distributed leadership in teams.

Conclusion

This episode provides a rich look into how Hartford HealthCare is reimagining retail health, emphasizing flexibility, technological innovation, and a deep alignment with patient needs and behaviors. Sam Pueringer’s passion for both the possibilities and uncertainties of healthcare comes through, providing valuable perspective for current and future leaders in the field.