Leaders of the Year: A Conversation with Two Trailblazing Access Executives

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By Nitya Guduru, Analyst, Patient Access Collaborative

When the Patient Access Collaborative launched its inaugural Access Leaders of the Year recognition, the goal was simple: shine a light on individuals who are not only leading in their organizations but also transforming the very definition of access in healthcare.

In this episode of The All Access Pass, PAC Executive Director Elizabeth Woodcock sits down with the two honorees—James (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, and Referral CORE at Nebraska Medicine.

What follows is a candid, thoughtful conversation about leadership, culture change, and what it takes to make access strategic, sustainable, and patient-centered.

From Call Center to Strategic Powerhouse

For years, patient access teams have been seen as transactional support centers. But Jamie Kern describes a transformation underway at Ohio State.

“We used to be seen as the call center,” he said. “Now, access has a seat at the strategic planning table—and our voice, along with our patients’, is being heard.”

This evolution wasn’t accidental. It required intentional alignment with institutional priorities—beyond metrics like fill rate or lag time. “We started by reframing access as a driver of value,” Jamie explained. “That meant aligning our work with institutional priorities, not just throughput, but patient experience, provider satisfaction and financial sustainability.”

One of the most powerful tools for that shift: data. Jamie and his team didn’t just build dashboards—they built trust. “They told stories—stories about missed opportunities, about patient leakage and about where we could do better.”

But the culture shift didn’t stop at technology. Jamie emphasized that strategy starts on the ground: “When I first stepped into the role that I'm in now, I made it a priority to sit down with our team members and ask what's working and what's getting in your way.”

Nebraska’s Access Delta: Innovation Through Collaboration

At Nebraska Medicine, Ann Blanchard leads an enterprise-wide initiative that’s equally ambitious in scope—and equally grounded in strategic alignment. The Access Delta Project is a flagship effort to reduce new patient median lag across 40 ambulatory specialties, and it’s redefining how teams work together.

“It really is an initiative involved in collaborating with operational leaders to identify strategic opportunities aimed to reduce the new patient median lag,” Ann shared.

Her approach has been deeply cross-functional, bringing together clinical operations, IT, analytics, marketing, and referral management under a shared access strategy. “We weren’t just looking at scheduling mechanics—we were evaluating the full care continuum.”

The results speak volumes. “We achieved our stretch targets in FY25 for both primary care and specialty care, which resulted in a 72% increase in patient self-scheduling online appointments from FY23 to FY25.”
 “Additionally, our provider utilization improved from 74%… to 89% in FY25.”

That kind of improvement didn’t come from quick fixes—it came from a thoughtful, iterative approach. “We identified discrepancies from division access expectations and partnered to obtain division-specific both short-term and long-term solution and implementation plans,” Ann explained.

The Myth of Linear Digital Adoption

One of the most eye-opening themes in the episode was the gap between assumptions and reality in digital access.

As health systems invest in patient portals and self-scheduling, there's a common belief that online bookings will reduce phone volume. Jamie is quick to correct that idea.

“The one that I'm currently myth-busting the most is that online scheduled appointments offset a call-in to schedule process one to one,” he said. “The myth is that digital adoption is linear—but in fact, it's not.”

In fact, digital adoption can generate more transactions, as patients engage more frequently or cancel and reschedule on their own.

To ensure consistency across channels, Ann’s team undertook a complete visit type overhaul. “We identified a challenge that we had with shared visit types across specialties, and determined that a comprehensive redesign of visit types and decision trees was really necessary to get us where we wanted to go strategically.”

Her team’s work spanned every corner of the organization. “Our team… was composed of members from Access Innovations, capacity management, referral core team, also our Epic Cadence and MyChart teams, data analytics, ambulatory operations, [and] marketing and communications.”

Leading Through Complexity

Both leaders made it clear that access today isn’t just a workflow issue—it’s an organizational imperative.

Ann noted the broader environment is shifting rapidly. “Healthcare is undergoing a significant recalibration,” she said. “Our health systems must adopt discipline best practices tailored around our operations, our efficiencies and inefficiencies, identifying them and weeding those out.”

Jamie shared a similar view on focus: “What gets my attention right now? Definitely topics pertaining to our strategic plan. I'm staying laser focused on executing and delivering that plan.”
 At the same time, he emphasized the need to protect access from unnecessary complexity. “What I am saying no to are manual and one-off special snowflake processes… we're maniacal about getting rid of paper in our environment right now.”

Advice for Access Leaders

When asked what advice they’d offer to others stepping into this space, both honorees emphasized the human side of access leadership.

“Earn confidence and gain trust of your teams, really evaluating and keeping the patient at the center,” Ann said. “One of the things that we discuss frequently is looking at the access from the vantage point of your favorite person in your family. What would that look like if it was your mom, your brother, your sister, your aunt, and the experience that they have?”

Jamie added: “Lead with listening, not with just fixing. Real transformation starts with understanding—that means listening to your schedulers, your providers, your patients and even your data before making moves.”

 “Once you've listened, build change with your team, not for them.”

Elevating the Patient’s Voice

Perhaps the most resonant thread in the conversation is the idea that access leaders are not just system operators—they are advocates for patients.

“Access is at the table for strategic planning at Ohio State,” Jamie said. “And our voice, with the voice of our patients, are carrying weight.”

Ann echoed that sentiment. “We know that there has been really a shift to support the patient in their journey for access. And so we have so many opportunities to improve just left and right.”

With leaders like Jamie and Ann at the helm, access is no longer defined by how calls are answered—it’s defined by how systems respond to what patients need.