Reed Smith and Chris Boyer walk through why systems pursue scale, what the deal model captures well and the parts it tends to leave out, the patient experience, brand and digital continuity that rarely get their own line in the financial plan. McKinsey's early-2026 read has healthcare M&A shifting from buying new markets toward integrating what systems already own, with roughly 70 to 80% of provider deals now like-for-like consolidation, so the integration work is getting more attention than it used to.

Then they are joined by their guest expert, Christine Albert. She has led marketing and experience through multiple integrations as a chief marketing and experience officer, and she calls this stretch the messy middle. She is practical about it. How to get marketing and digital into the deal conversation early. Why brand architecture is more than a logo lockup. Why the internal team should be the first audience you communicate with. And what the leaders who integrate well tend to do differently, starting sooner and treating the acquired team as an asset.

In this episode, Chris, Reed and Christine cover:

What a merger's financial model captures and what the integration work adds
Where AI helps in an integration and where the work still runs on people
How marketing, digital and experience earn a seat in the deal conversation early
Why brand and internal communication shape how an integration lands
What leaders who integrate well do differently from the first planning meeting

If your system is in a deal, or headed toward one, this is a practical look at the work that shapes how it feels to patients and staff on the other side. touchpoint.health

Mentions from the Show:

Kaufman Hall, M&A Quarterly Activity Report Q1 2026 (22 transactions, strongest Q1 since 2020; Sutter and Allina 39-hospital, $26B): https://www.kaufmanhall.com/insights/research-report/ma-quarterly-activity-report-q1-2026
Kaufman Hall, 2025 Hospital and Health System M&A in Review (46 transactions, the quieter 2025 baseline): https://www.kaufmanhall.com/insights/research-report/hospital-and-health-system-2025-ma-review-uncertainty-transitions-continue
McKinsey, US healthcare M&A: value through diversification, Feb 2026 (shift toward integration; 70 to 80% like-for-like): https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/us-healthcare-companies-continue-to-create-value-through-diversification
McKinsey, Healthcare private equity outlook, HPE Miami 2026 (operational execution ranked over financial engineering): https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/healthcare-blog/healthcare-private-equity-outlook-takeaways-from-hpe-miami-2026
PwC 2026 healthcare M&A outlook, via Fierce Healthcare, Dec 2025 (AI as a driver of margin and growth): https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/finance/key-trends-will-shape-healthcare-ma-activity-2026-pwc
Christine Albert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christineyalbert/
Reed Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reedtsmith/
Chris Boyer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisboyer/
Chris Boyer website: http://www.christopherboyer.com/
Chris Boyer on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/chrisboyer.bsky.social
Reed Smith on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/reedsmith.bsky.social

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