Healthcare Thought Leadership

Welcome to the very best of our healthcare thought leadership – completely free with no registration required.

Practical guides, real-world case studies, and thought-provoking trends: Higher Thinking offers our best, long-form content to meet the varied needs of healthcare leaders. New articles are added every month, and subscribers get an advance copy delivered straight to their inbox.

Looking for quick analysis and breaking news? Be sure to check out our healthcare blog.

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Securing the Future of a County-Owned Hospital

Here’s how we helped elected leaders in one rural county secure a brighter future for the county-owned hospital.

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Ascendient’s Guide to the Maryland Model and the Path AHEAD

Maryland’s experiment with Total Cost of Care offers a glimpse of the future for states considering the new AHEAD model from CMS.

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Public Health Strategic Planning: the Ascendient Guide

Where are we? Who are we? Where are we going? Those three questions are the key to public health strategic planning in a time of turmoil.

An abstract watercolor painting of the sun is the symbol of Ascendient's Healthcare Horizons series, including this installment on health equity strategy

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Smart Health Devices: A Smart Business for Hospitals?

Why a hospital-based tech boutique might be a viable strategy for building enduring patient relationships and new revenue streams.

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Disruption Alert: Mayo’s Hospital at Home Program

Mayo Clinic’s innovative, hub-and-spoke hospital at home program offers encouraging clinical and financial results – plus the potential for large-scale industry disruption.

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Public Health Workforce Strategies: the Ascendient Guide

All of healthcare is facing workforce issues, but public health may have it worst of all. We outline a few strategies, both near- and long term.

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Rural Telehealth: Re-Thinking the Timeline

Rural telehealth can seem like a distant dream due to broadband access issues, but the future is here today if you simply look up.

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Hospital M&A: 3 Reasons to Know Your HHI

As regulators crack down on mergers, healthcare leaders need to defend their plans with a mix of numbers + narrative.

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Look-Alike Health Centers: the Ascendient Guide

Learn why this obscure provider type can offer financial and strategic benefits while improving care for underserved communities.

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Health System Strategy: The Affiliation Option

Here’s how one small system kept control of its destiny and its mission by choosing to pursue affiliation from a position of strength.