From Cost Center to Value Engine: Reframing Patient Access as Enterprise Strategy
From PAC's All Access Pass Podcast by Elizabeth Woodcock
January 15, 2026 · 31 min · Season 1 · Episode 38
About this episode
This episode discusses elevating patient access from a transactional function to a system-level strategy with insights from Brett Butler of Baylor Scott & White Health.
Patient access is often measured by speed—but its true value runs much deeper. In this episode of The All-Access Pass, Elizabeth Woodcock, DrPH, MBA, is joined by Brett Butler, Vice President of Access Services at Baylor Scott & White Health, for a candid conversation about what it really takes to elevate access from a transactional function to a system-level strategy. Together, they explore how governance, relationships, and intentional design can unlock capacity, improve clinician experience, and create more equitable, patient-centered care—even amid financial pressure and constrained supply. Brett shares how Baylor Scott & White is scaling access across a complex, multi-market enterprise, why fragmentation is access’s greatest enemy, and how technology can illuminate opportunity rather than promise false fixes. This episode challenges access leaders to ask a different question: not how fast can we schedule, but how might we redesign care to truly meet demand—for patients, clinicians, and the system alike.
People in this episode
Host: Elizabeth Woodcock
Guest: Brett Butler
Topics covered
- patient access
- healthcare strategy
- equitable care
- clinician experience
- technology in healthcare
Keywords
- patient access
- healthcare strategy
- equitable care
- clinician experience
- technology
- governance
- system-level strategy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Baylor Scott & White Health, Baylor Scott & White
More episodes of PAC's All Access Pass Podcast
- Access in the Wild: Conversations from the Future of Access · May 26, 2026 · 19 min
- Spotlight on OSU Wexner Medical Center: Clarity is Everything · April 15, 2026 · 29 min
- The Rise of Ambulatory Capacity Management · March 15, 2026 · 31 min
- Seeing Access Through a Shared Lens: Using the Patient Access Collaborative's Group Assessment to Understand the Current State · February 15, 2026 · 38 min
- The Future of Scheduling in the Age of Artificial Intelligence · December 15, 2025 · 36 min
- Beyond the Waitlist: Rethinking Demand and Flow in Healthcare · November 15, 2025 · 44 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the PAC's All Access Pass Podcast podcast page.