Podcast Summary: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast – “Virtual Critical Care and Workforce Strategy at Advocate Health” with Dennis L. Disch
Release Date: February 27, 2026
Host: Laura Dearda (Becker’s Healthcare)
Guest: Dennis L. Disch, Vice President, Hospital-Based Specialty Service Line, Illinois & Wisconsin Divisions, Advocate Health
Episode Overview
This episode features a conversation with Dr. Dennis L. Disch, who leads hospital-based specialty services for Advocate Health. Dr. Disch discusses Advocate’s transformative integration of virtual critical care, workforce challenges, strategic use of technology, and future growth opportunities. The episode dives into workforce strategy, resource management, and the shift from hospital-based to ambulatory care—focusing on how Advocate Health is navigating key health system headwinds.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Introduction to Dr. Dennis Disch & Advocate Health
[01:21]
- Dr. Disch outlines his leadership role spanning 27 hospitals across Illinois and Wisconsin.
- Advocate Health:
- Third largest nonprofit health system in the U.S.
- Operates 69 hospitals across four states.
- Divided into three main geographic divisions.
- Largest service line includes anesthesia, radiology, hospital medicine, emergency medicine, and critical care.
2. Integrating Virtual Critical Care Across Advocate Health
[02:42 – 04:52]
- In 2025, Advocate unified its virtual critical care services systemwide onto a common tech platform and care delivery model.
- Combined two of the nation's largest and longest-running virtual critical care programs:
- Chicago area: operational since 2003, covers 200 ICU beds across 14 hospitals.
- Charlotte program: since 2013, covers ~300 beds in 17 facilities.
- Supports other systems in nine states, extends to virtual nursing, pharmacy, pulmonary, and respiratory therapy.
- Target “sweet spot” for this model:
- Hospitals with ICU-level acuity but not large enough for 24/7 in-house coverage.
- Flexes virtual coverage by site, demand, census, and acuity.
- Standardization and bringing provider coverage in-house reduces third-party locums costs and ensures care consistency, regardless of geography.
- Memorable Quote [04:34]:
“Our patients in even the most remote locations can really benefit from the same level of expertise and adherence to evidence-based practices as those in Chicago, Milwaukee or Charlotte.” – Dr. Dennis Disch
3. Reimagining Virtual Care: Pragmatic Applications
[05:22 – 06:20]
- Virtual care is used strategically to solve specific bottlenecks, not as a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
- Example: Teletriage in emergency departments helps address hospital/ER boarding—accelerates patient movement and streamlines care.
- Telehospitalist program selectively supports areas with greatest need.
4. 2026 Priorities & Challenges in Workforce Strategy
[06:35 – 08:59]
- Key headwinds:
- Rising labor costs, declining reimbursement, provider shortages.
- Evaluating provider models with both employed and independent clinicians.
- Business models for independent providers (anesthesia, radiology, hospital medicine, emergency medicine) may no longer be sustainable.
- Accelerated shift toward expanding employed clinician workforce to ensure fair compensation and care continuity.
- Early, proactive engagement with independent partners to avoid hospital service disruptions.
- Best Place to Care Initiative:
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- Robust recruitment, onboarding, and retention.
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- Streamlining care delivery with technology and staffing.
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- Supporting professional fulfillment, wellness, and leadership paths.
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- Quote [08:34]:
“No strategic plan is going to make sense or is going to be operational if we don’t have the top talent and we can’t keep top talent.” – Dr. Dennis Disch
5. Technological Investments for Workforce Wellbeing
[09:49 – 11:24]
- Largest U.S. deployment of Dragon Copilot (with Epic) for ambient note generation; adopted by ~50% of physicians.
- Reduces “pajama time”—documentation after work.
- Virtual care technology serves both patients preferring remote visits and clinicians seeking flexible, remote roles.
6. Major Forthcoming Challenges: Ambulatory Shift & Resource Management
[11:32 – 13:42]
- The shift from inpatient to ambulatory/outpatient care adds complexity, especially for anesthesia workforce planning.
- Necessity for flexible staffing models, cross-site coverage, and expanded anesthesia capacity amidst shifts to ASCs and outpatient labs.
- Strategic resource reallocation: moving from big hospital projects toward outpatient lab and ASC development.
- Need to repurpose existing hospital facilities to adapt to lower inpatient volume and different reimbursement models.
- Quote [12:32]:
“We’re asking our clinicians to be more flexible in terms of providing care at multiple locations so we can be more nimble on how we actually provide the highest quality care in the settings that patients and payers are increasingly going to prefer.” – Dr. Dennis Disch
7. Growth Opportunities for Advocate Health
[15:30 – 17:19]
- Three growth vectors:
- Expansion of virtual health & AI platforms:
- Focus on rural and specialty/critical care access, extended telehospitalist and teletriage services.
- National Center for Clinical Trials:
- Based at Wake Forest, aims to streamline and broaden clinical trial participation.
- Care model redesign for primary and specialty care:
- Maximize scope of practice, match patient preferences, and view patients as healthcare consumers.
- Quote [17:08]:
“Our strategic plan really has to be designed to meet each patient where they are. I think any health system that really wants to grow in 2026 is going to have to prioritize that in 2026 and beyond.” – Dr. Dennis Disch
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |------------|---------|-------| | 04:34 | Disch | “Our patients in even the most remote locations can really benefit from the same level of expertise and adherence to evidence-based practices as those in Chicago, Milwaukee or Charlotte.” | | 08:34 | Disch | “No strategic plan is going to make sense or is going to be operational if we don’t have the top talent and we can’t keep top talent.” | | 12:32 | Disch | “We’re asking our clinicians to be more flexible in terms of providing care at multiple locations so we can be more nimble on how we actually provide the highest quality care in the settings that patients and payers are increasingly going to prefer.” | | 17:08 | Disch | “Our strategic plan really has to be designed to meet each patient where they are. I think any health system that really wants to grow in 2026 is going to have to prioritize that in 2026 and beyond.” |
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [01:21] – Dr. Disch’s background & Advocate Health overview
- [02:42] – Virtual critical care integration
- [04:52] – Technology & change management learnings
- [06:35] – 2026 priorities and workforce challenges
- [09:49] – Workforce investments: note generation, virtual work
- [11:32] – Ambulatory shift and resource management
- [13:42] – Executive perspective on funding growth & resource strategy
- [15:30] – Top growth opportunities for Advocate Health
Tone & Takeaways
Dr. Disch’s tone is practical and forward-looking, emphasizing not just innovation for its own sake, but thoughtful, tactical integration of technology and workforce management to support operational goals. There is a strong focus on supporting clinicians and patients alike, proactively addressing workforce and reimbursement pressures, and being agile in a rapidly shifting healthcare landscape.
This episode is a valuable listen for healthcare executives, clinical leaders, and anyone interested in the realities of large health system management, virtual care integration, and the future of hospital-based specialties.