Leaders of the Year

About this episode

This episode features Jamie Kern and Ann Blanchard discussing leadership in patient access and their innovative strategies in healthcare.

What does it take to lead patient access at scale—and with heart? In this inspiring episode, we celebrate the Patient Access Collaborative’s inaugural Access Leaders of the Year: Jamie Kern, MBA , Senior Director of Access & Capacity Management at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center , and Ann Blanchard, BSN, MBA , Director of Access Innovations, Capacity Management & Referral CORE at Nebraska Medicine . From turning “scapegoats” into strategic powerhouses to building trust through data transparency and team empowerment, Jamie and Ann share their personal leadership philosophies, operational strategies, and digital transformation journeys. You’ll hear how OSU is tackling scalability through behavior change and rigor, while Nebraska Medicine’s “Access Delta” initiative and digital redesign efforts have transformed lag time and self-scheduling at an enterprise level. Together, they reflect on the evolving role of access, the myth of linear digital adoption, and why listening—not just fixing—is the key to lasting change. Whether you're redesigning visit types or shifting culture, this episode delivers lessons in resilience, innovation, and keeping the patient at…

People in this episode

Host: Elizabeth Woodcock

Guests: Jamie Kern, Ann Blanchard

Topics covered

• patient access
• leadership
• digital transformation
• healthcare innovation
• team empowerment

Keywords

• patient access
• leadership
• digital transformation
• healthcare
• innovation
• team empowerment
• data transparency

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Nebraska Medicine

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
• From Cost Center to Value Engine: Reframing Patient Access as Enterprise Strategy · January 15, 2026 · 31 min
• The Future of Scheduling in the Age of Artificial Intelligence · December 15, 2025 · 36 min