Podcast Summary: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast – Timothy Seay-Morrison, SVP of Service Lines and Chief of Ambulatory Care Operations, Stanford Health Care

Date: January 28, 2026
Host: Elizabeth Gregerson
Guest: Timothy C. Morrison (Tim), Senior Vice President of Cancer Care and former SVP of Service Lines & Chief of Ambulatory Operations, Stanford Health Care

Episode Overview

This episode features a candid conversation with Timothy C. Morrison, exploring the evolving landscape of ambulatory care, governance, academic medical challenges, and the future of cancer care delivery at Stanford Health Care. Tim shares both achievements and headwinds, reflecting on organizational growth, workforce resilience, and scaling access through regional partnerships.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction & Background

• [01:11–03:01]
  Tim Morrison introduces his 15-year tenure at Stanford, previously overseeing 10 service lines and ambulatory care operations, now focusing on cancer care as Stanford’s largest service line.
  • Stanford Healthcare is an academic health system including a quaternary hospital, a community hospital, and close collaboration with Stanford Children’s Health.
  • The system comprises faculty practices, a physician foundation, and is prioritizing cancer care due to the global rise in cancer burden.

2. Ambulatory Governance – A Major 2025 Milestone

• [03:46–06:18]
  Tim describes unifying ambulatory care governance across disparate physician groups, building trust, and aligning operational standards.
  • They established shared governance across 18 clinical departments and community medical groups despite not having a single practice plan.
  • Monumental work included:
    • Setting standards for room utilization and access.
    • Agreeing on operational oversight and recalibrating site footprints.
    • Unifying Vizient quality data reporting (across foundation and faculty practices), driving Stanford’s leap to #6 in the Vizient Ambulatory Quality & Accountability Scorecard.
    • Resulted in improved new patient access, lower wait times, higher utilization, and reduced ED visits for ambulatory conditions.

  "It's taken a couple years of trust building... but in the last year it really matured... we were able to... advance standards really specifically around access goals and standards."
  — Timothy C. Morrison [04:56] "We moved ourselves into number six in the ambulatory quality and accountability scorecard because we saw how that unified system helps us improve new patient access..."
  — Timothy C. Morrison [05:46]

3. Looking Forward: Priorities and Headwinds for 2026

• [07:05–09:19]
  Tim discusses regulatory pressures, Medicaid shifts, telehealth legislation, and research funding as current headwinds:
  • Site-of-service and telehealth reimbursement uncertainties are especially critical, given Stanford’s high virtual care utilization.
  • Research funding changes and potential NIH cutbacks threaten the academic mission.
  • The focus is on sustaining clinical research and expanding clinical trials, especially in cancer, to "democratize" access to advanced therapies across their network and beyond.

  "It is a leading part of our access strategy because of sort of the real estate compression that exists. We're able to extend our reach by using telehealth."
  — Timothy C. Morrison [07:54] "...funding implications and changes in overhead and NIH funding, I think are things we're really watching because in our minds pose a threat to the integrity of academic medicine..."
  — Timothy C. Morrison [08:25]

4. Biggest Challenges Ahead: Workforce & Access

• [09:46–11:39]
  Beyond industry challenges, Tim touches on personal and professional strains, emphasizing provider engagement, community access, and physician resilience:
  • Maintaining motivation and fulfillment for healthcare professionals amid financial and regulatory stressors is a top concern.
  • Allocating resources sustainably, especially for vulnerable populations with poor access.

  "The struggle of the community health organizations to meet the demand of the community... and I think we're all going to need to focus on that balance so that all the health systems can remain healthy and, and think about the shared burden of the American health system."
  — Timothy C. Morrison [10:24] "I worry about the resilience of our physician workforce and the pressures on physicians... that we're making sure our practice environments continue to support that so that we're thinking about, you know, the marathon, not just the sprint."
  — Timothy C. Morrison [11:21]

5. The Role of AI and Human Connection in Care

• [12:02–12:22]
  Tim is optimistic about AI's ability to democratize healthcare protocols but stresses the core importance of human connection.

  "AI is super exciting... and we're going to see so many opportunities to advance and democratize protocols and how healthcare is delivered. And we're still a human service at the core of it."
  — Timothy C. Morrison [12:09]

6. Growth Opportunities: Collaborations and Network Expansion

• [12:34–14:06]
  • Stanford Cancer Centers are embarking on a joint venture with a significant community health system in Northern California, opening a new building in the fall in Oakland.
  • These partnerships extend Stanford’s reach, blend academic and community strengths, and help prioritize clinical portfolios for maximum impact.
  • The organization is also broadening its cancer network and partnering statewide.

  "We're building a building together that we intend to open in the fall. And this is an incredible learning experience about bringing a very large community system together with an academic system that helps us extend our reach into Oakland..."
  — Timothy C. Morrison [12:47] "I think that's going to help us grow because it's going to provide the strength that the community needs and at the same time, then provide the capacity and capability to do what's best in an academic center."
  — Timothy C. Morrison [13:52]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On governance and trust:
  "It's taken a couple years of trust building... but in the last year it really matured... we were able to... advance standards really specifically around access goals and standards."
  — Timothy C. Morrison [04:56]

• On provider burnout:
  "I worry about the resilience of our physician workforce and the pressures on physicians... so that we're thinking about, you know, the marathon, not just the sprint."
  — Timothy C. Morrison [11:21]

• On technology's potential and humanism:
  "We're still a human service at the core of it—all the people have to be shored up through this journey together."
  — Timothy C. Morrison [12:17]

• On cancer care network growth:
  "It's a really exciting, I think, learning opportunity about bringing these systems together... as we look at how we're partnering with other organizations throughout the state and here in the western region to think about extending the capabilities of what Stanford offers again to other communities."
  — Timothy C. Morrison [13:11]

Segment Timestamps

• 01:11–03:01 – Guest Introduction & Stanford Health system overview
• 03:46–06:18 – Ambulatory governance and standardization success
• 07:05–09:19 – Major headwinds: regulation, telehealth, research funding
• 09:46–11:39 – Workforce engagement, equity, and resilience challenges
• 12:02–12:22 – The promise and limits of AI in healthcare
• 12:34–14:06 – Cancer care growth: joint ventures & network expansion

Final Thoughts

Tim Morrison’s interview spotlights the complexity and dynamism facing academic medical centers—balancing cutting-edge research with operational realities, expanding access via innovation and partnerships, and sustaining the human spirit within the healthcare workforce. This episode is a valuable listen for healthcare leaders navigating similar crossroads of governance, technology, and organizational growth.