How can hospitals reduce discharge delays, improve care coordination, and prepare their teams to use AI responsibly?

In this episode of The Hospital Playbook, Dane Nardi sits down with Dr. Krishnaj Gourab, a physician executive at the University of Maryland Medical System and University of Maryland Rehabilitation & Orthopedic Institute, to explore the people, processes, and leadership behind successful hospital innovation.

Dr. Gourab shares how his health system redesigned post-acute discharge coordination, centralized insurance authorizations, and improved visibility across the patient journey—helping case managers spend more time coordinating care. We then explore what responsible AI adoption looks like, from building workforce literacy to evaluating tools and monitoring their performance.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Reducing discharge delays: Moving from sequential handoffs to coordinated, parallel workflows.
• Improving patient flow: Giving care teams shared visibility into discharge readiness and barriers.
• Making change stick: Building clinician buy-in, demonstrating results, and scaling improvements.
• Building AI readiness: Helping staff understand AI’s capabilities, limitations, and risks.
• Establishing AI governance: Validating tools, protecting data, and maintaining oversight as conditions change.

The skills that make someone an outstanding individual contributor are not always the skills needed to lead others effectively.

In this episode, Dane Nardi speaks with healthcare executive and nurse leader Laura Randgaard about moving from problem solver to coach, and developing teams that can think, make decisions, and overcome challenges without relying on their leader for every answer.

Together, they discuss:

• Navigating the transition from individual contributor to leader
• Resisting the urge to immediately solve every problem
• Using thoughtful questions to build confidence, judgment, and accountability
• Why vulnerability and self-awareness are essential to effective coaching
• Finding trusted coaches, mentors, and peer thought partners
• Breaking down organizational silos through cross-functional collaboration

Although Laura’s experience is rooted in nursing, her insights apply to leaders across healthcare who want to develop their people, strengthen their teams, and create lasting organizational improvement.

Why do hospital change efforts fail even when leaders have the data, good intentions, and a clear solution?

Dr. Jerry Myers, former chief medical officer and physician executive, shares candid lessons from initiatives that succeeded and those that did not. He explains how focused pilots, frontline involvement, and visible leadership can turn resistance into sustainable improvement.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why hospital-wide change efforts can fail

• How small pilots can build support before broader implementation

• How redesigned rounding improved communication and discharge planning

• Why patients and frontline employees often see what leaders overlook

• Why leaders must listen, respond honestly, and follow through

Dr. Myers leaves healthcare leaders with one essential question: “What do you need to do your job better?”