AHLA's Speaking of Health Law
The American Health Law Association (AHLA) is the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization devoted to legal issues in the health care field. AHLA's Speaking of Health Law podcasts offer thoughtful analysis and insightful commentary on the legal and policy issues affecting the American health care system.
AHLA's Speaking of Health Law
“Icing On the Cake”: Planning for 2026
In this follow-up to their August 2025 podcast, Lisa Diehl Vandecaveye, Of Counsel, Epstein Becker Green, and Priya Bathija, Founder & CEO, Nyoo Health, discuss how health law professionals can plan for success going into 2026. They share some of the challenges faced by the health care industry in 2025, how they are setting their intentions for 2026, managing the pace of change in the health law profession, and the “icing on the cake” moments they are looking forward to in the new year.
Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8FRdjBUf0o
Watch Lisa and Priya’s August 2025 podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Iva2Q6UOt0
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SPEAKER_01:Welcome and thanks for joining us today. I'm Lisa Vandekabe, and I'm here with my uh dear friend and colleague Priya. About three months ago, uh we recorded our first HLA podcast together called Icing on the Cake. And so as we approach the end of 2025 and plan for 2026, this is the time for goal setting and thinking forward to what is happening as we move forward in 2026. Let's talk a little bit about what's going on in the environment. Uh studies show that 70 to 80 percent of Americans tend or intend to set goals, but the success rate in achieving those goals is only 8 to 10 percent, which is because the goals are not written down or they have a lack of clear plans for how to implement. This means a staggering failure rate of 90 to 92 percent. And lawyers do not like to talk about failure rates. So let's talk about how you can be successful in 2026. As we shared in the first podcast, um, I referred uh to the TJC, the Joint Commission Legal Team, as our dream team. Um it was 10 years in the development, and we learned a lot from each other. One of the paralegals was the best professional at setting goals. She was absolutely amazing. She had professional and personal goals that were written down and had clear plans to attain those goals. She was our role model and also our inspiration as we worked on our goals, both as a team and individually. Setting goals are hard work, but they're critical to your success. As you know, healthcare and healthcare law is in a time of unprecedented change. So goals must be flexible and must be reviewed on a periodic basis. You cannot control the change, but you can be prepared to aggressively manage the change successfully. During our first podcast, uh, we talked a little bit little bit about our backgrounds, but some of you may have missed that. So um, Priya, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your healthcare career path?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, absolutely. And Lisa, thanks so much for you know starting us off. And I'm excited to be part of this conversation with you again. Um I never imagined that so many people would have listened to our first podcast. So hope we'll have a good audience for this one as well. Um, so I started my health law career at a law firm working mostly on healthcare transition transactions and representing large physician practices and small hospitals. I did do a bunch of regulatory work too. Um, it was a really great place to start my career and sort of understanding everything that goes into healthcare from a regulatory and a business perspective. I then went in-house at two different health systems. I was at ProMedica Health System and Med Star Health System and worked my way up through those structures within the legal department. Um, and then at around the nine and a half year mark, I decided to make a transition in my career and switch to the policy side, which is really just the law before it becomes the law. I joined the policy team at the American Hospital Association and spent many years working on inpatient payment policy and rural hospital issues, and then was able to get the opportunity to start a think tank within the AHA to look at healthcare costs and affordability. It was called the Value Initiative. Um and that work really just kept expanding to different areas where the association needed support. So by the time I left the AHA three and a half years ago, I was leading strategic initiatives and covering issues like maternal health, health equity, price transparency. Our team was charged with finding PPE during the pandemic for healthcare workers. So a large variety of different issues that affected and impacted hospitals and health systems around the country. And from there, I started my own company and what I call now a portfolio career. So I do some work in the health equity space for large trade associations. I teach at two different law schools, Loyola School of Law in Chicago and the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. And my baby really is New Health, which is a company focused on providing strategic advice to healthcare organizations, including hospitals and health systems, that want to expand, reimagine, change the way they deliver care to women. So that was a mouthful, Lisa, and I know my path was very different than yours, but I'll turn it to you now. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your healthcare path?
SPEAKER_01:Thank you so much, Priya. I just love hearing your story because it is so diverse, but so incredibly wonderful and so rewarding. Um my path uh was very traditional. Uh I have had the wonderful opportunity of serving many health systems in the Michigan area. And that's why I laugh when you refer to the Ohio State. Uh both my husband and daughter are graduates of the University of Michigan, but um, that's for another conversation on another day. So um uh yes, it's been a terrific 40 years uh in health care, healthcare law. Uh 25 of those years uh I've had the opportunity to serve as a general counsel. As we discussed in our first podcast, the icing on the cake for me was the 10 years as the executive vice president and chief legal officer for the joint commission. It was just a wonderful opportunity uh to work with so many healthcare organizations, both domestic and international. Uh I am now uh retired, uh, but working of counsel at Epstein Backer and Green, just a wonderful law firm uh working with general counsels, navigating the challenges of governance and uh trying to be successful in a quickly changing environment. So it's uh a continuing career, uh, but uh I enjoy so much healthcare and healthcare law. Uh, it's fun to still be involved. As we move uh forward uh and uh as we wrap up 2025, uh Priya, uh what are you focused on as you wrap up 2025?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so there were a lot of issues related to healthcare that made the news in 2025. And many of the stories are not good for the healthcare clients that we collectively represent as the American Health Law Association. So we've seen uncertainty and health reform with access to points of health care, including coverage, either discontinued or threatened. We've seen funding for clinical research and things that keep us healthy, like access to food, have been cut. We've seen challenges to science that have taken hold. We have seen intensified enforcement of the HIPAA security rule and regulations strengthening cybersecurity. Payments for healthcare services haven't really kept pace with the rising costs. And it seems, to be honest, that everything has gotten more expensive in our lives. I read a post this morning that said this year has felt like being awake during surgery, but also it's unsuccessful surgery. And also, also, now you have an infection. And also, also, also, none of that is covered by your insurance anymore. And I really felt that because I think it does a good job of describing how the year played out and how many of us in the healthcare field feel as we leave 2025, um, which is why I think it's so important. And I've been doing this throughout the year. Um, I've been finding good news and sharing it. Um, it's helped me so much. Um, it helps me feel more positive. It helps me see the good that is happening in the world. And so I started sharing those on Fridays on LinkedIn. And I found that over the last year of doing that consistently, it's also helped other people at the end of the week and gives them a little boost of happiness and energy. Um, so a lot of times those are related to the work I'm doing in the women's health space. Um, and it's nice to see that we're seeing some momentum, we're seeing momentum around advocacy, research. We see bipartisan support on women's health issues. So even when it feels in the day-to-day that we're climbing uphill, there is progress to take note of. Um, so I just like to do that. And so as I close out 2025, I'm kind of doing the same thing. I'm just making lists of things that happened that went really well in the year that I'm really thankful for. So that includes my work accomplishments, um, events and things that have happened in my family and my community. And I just hope that by making those lists, I'll remember how much there is to be thankful for and the progress that happened in 2025, and that will set a good tone for the upcoming year. Um, and I know 2025 was a doozy. Um, and I don't think we need to spend more time diving into it. But Lisa, if we shift to 2026, how are you setting your intentions for the year?
SPEAKER_01:Well, thanks for asking that question, Priya, because uh it's something I spend a little bit of time on. Um, but I also want to take a moment and thank you for your good news Fridays. Um, it is the highlight of my LinkedIn review on Fridays, uh, because it's always good to get good news. And I think sometimes we just don't get enough of that. So thank you for doing that. It's it really is a terrific addition to the week.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, thank you for sharing that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah, it really is fun. So um, as we look forward to 2026, uh, that's that's a good question. Uh, like you, I'm spending some time reviewing my calendar, looking over my notes that I've made over the year, reflecting on 2025. And as I plan and do my homework, I also think about, you know, what are the foundational soft skills that I want to work on? Um and in one year, one of those skills uh was listening. You know, listening more in meetings as opposed to talking and also talking a little slower. Uh, I do have a tendency to talk fast. Uh and for 2026, uh uh my word is grace. Um for some reason I I really love that word right now. Um recently a friend said to me as I was talking about an issue, um, give yourself some grace. And I thought to myself, well, what does that mean? Does that mean give yourself a break? Uh what does that mean? But I like the word, so I also like acronyms, as as you know. Um, and as we move towards 2026 and I'm working on my personal and professional goals, um, I'm um using grace as kind of a foundation. And uh, what does that mean to me? Um uh the first is G is for grace, it's for give. Uh give mindfully to others, uh give in meetings, airplanes, elevators. It's amazing how a little kindness means so much. And you really never know what someone else is struggling with. You may look at their face and they may look a little angry, but it might be something completely unrelated to you, and it usually is. But it it's an opportunity to give to that person. And sometimes it might be a colleague or a client um who has a question, and in your mind you may say, Oh boy, here we go again. Um, but give them five more minutes or give them a smile. Uh and it's amazing how that may go a long way. So G is for give. Uh R is for receive. It's interesting. I've seen some articles recently about how hard it is for people to take compliments. And many compliments that we get truly are heartfelt. So it's important to graciously thank others for their kindness, uh, for the time they may take to give you a compliment. One of the things I've done recently uh is I've written a lot of uh hardwritten notes uh and send them in the mail, which seems very archaic. But it's amazing how when someone reads a heart a heartfelt note that it resonates with them. Um and there's been several articles on LinkedIn that talk about the value of a handwritten note and what it's meant to someone who uh might not otherwise think about the fact that they did a kindness for you. So for me, R means receive. A means ask. Ask for help. Many times uh when we're dealing with a difficult client issue, uh, you think uh I just don't know how to fix this. I just don't know where to go with this. This is a tough issue. And we are dealing with a lot of tough issues. So getting another opinion from a colleague, uh calling a trusted resource, uh, one of your colleagues at the American Uh Health Law Association, and just say, hey, what do you think? Uh I I have this question. Um you know, and very often we think asking for help is a weakness. I think it's really a strength. Um, and it's an opportunity to get another point of view on some very difficult issues that lawyers are dealing with. C is for community. Recently I I read an article about the CEO of Peloton, in which he took uh the company and turned it around by establishing communities that members of the Peloton app can identify with. And that struck me as really, really important. And sometimes when we are in difficult situations, we forget that we belong to many different communities. Sometimes it's our family, or we know it's our family. We have a work team that we have, we have colleagues. Some of those colleagues may be your colleagues at the American Health Law Association, you have friends from college. One of my best communities is my yoga class. And it's people that you may just exchange a few words with, but it's that interchange um that you can rely on many days. So think about who is your community, who are your communities, and how do they enhance or add value to your life? How do they help you make better personal and professional goals and to also be successful at those goals? And E is for explore. I love to explore. Think about it when you enter a new city and you want to go out and explore that new city, what new experiences are there? What can you learn? What are the new opportunities in health law for you to explore? So one thing for certain is you better be uh looking at opportunities to explore and enhance your AI skills because it is amazing how many opportunities are out there, but it is a skill. So at a minimum, think about how to explore and enhance your AI skills as you move into 2026. You know, some of these are just foundational soft skills. Um, but as you work through your personal and professional goals, which I do, think about what's going to be your foundation for next year. And it's kind of an unusual approach, uh, but it's how I like to do my planning. So, Priya, I know that you also are very intentional about your future. Um, and um, how are you setting your intentions for 2026?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, well, before I I get offer my thoughts, I really love that acronym, Great Um Grace. And I know you came up with it in advance of your goal setting and this podcast. And it's it really hits in a lot of areas. I think, you know, your point that we need to give, we need to help others, that's so important to our own mental and physical health. Um, receiving, I am so bad at taking compliments, but I try to do that a bit better these days than I did in years before. Um, again, I saw on social media a post where someone said they gave someone a compliment and the person just shied away, made excuses for their achievement, and the woman who gave the compliment said, Well, I'm gonna give you your flowers. If you choose to water them or not is your decision. And that has always stuck with me. And I try to sort of take those flowers when people give them, and rather than discarding some of them or acting like I don't deserve it, just stopping myself. Thank you. I really appreciate that compliment. And then just being quiet. And it I it has made, it has gone a long way for me. Um, and so your point of receiving is so important. And then I could go on and on, I think ask for help, community, and explore are also so important, but um just wanted to share those thoughts on your acronym. Um, I'm looking at this year a bit unconventionally, um, I think, compared to others. Um, but I'm really starting, and I'm I learned about this at a conference and then have looked into it more, um, to believe in operating inside nature's cycle. Okay, so in nature, spring is a time for planting seeds and emerging growth. Um, summer is when steady growth occurs with care and attention. Um it's time to harvest the bounty of all of our labor. And then winter is when nature rests and gears up to begin again. So if we look at that in the context of our lives, spring is a time for planting seeds by networking, launching new work, saying yes to opportunities, even those ones you may not feel quite ready for. Um, summer is a time to tend to your work relationships, nurture, care for them, share what you're doing with the support of others, and enjoy that process of steady work and steady growth. Um, autumn then is when you recap and reflect on what worked, what worked, what didn't work. You gather Feedback and you begin the process of planning for the future. And then in winter is when we should slow down and take time for a much needed physical and mental break and say yes to fewer things. And as you can see from walking through that, basically nature's cycle sinks us to the sun. We are going, going, going when the days are longer, and we are resting when the days are shorter. And it's really counterintuitive to how most of us live in society. So just let's use this season as an example. It's the holidays, we're busy, we're saying yes to everything socially while still trying to wrap up everything professionally. And then after the new year, we ramp up with resolutions and big goals. All while nature intends our bodies to be resting. It's the period we should be calm, relaxing, hibernating like a bear. But I'm trying to stay mindful of these cycles in nature and try to sync myself to them as much as I can. And it's not always possible, right? We have deadlines set by clients, courts, the government. We have deadlines set by employers to set our goals for the year. But where I can, I am trying to lean into that. Because once I heard it, it kind of all made sense. Our bodies are made of the same elements as everything in nature. So we should be operating on these cycles whenever we can. So again, a little bit unconventional in thinking through the calendar of my year. But I'm looking forward to resting for the next few months and then really hitting those goals hard as the days get longer and spring sets sets in. So Lisa, this is all hard to do given the pace of change we've seen in healthcare. And as we think to 2026, what tips do you have for health law attorneys to manage that pace of change we've seen?
SPEAKER_01:Priya, that's a that's a really good question. And I wish I had a crystal ball. And uh but I I think your your concept is so important uh for attorneys to think about the seasons and how things change. And I think there's cycles to our work also. And that's why I think very often uh winter time is a good time to get ready for spring. And I know that when you and I chatted uh before this podcast, you mentioned that uh one of your previous employers did their goal setting in April. And I thought that was a really good point. You know, just because January 1st rings in a new year doesn't mean that's the cycle that you need to follow for your goals. Um, and so I think you have to do what works well for you, works well for your clients. So I I love that idea of the seasons, um and things do tend to cycle, uh, and it's important to look at those cycles. But you know, with the pace of change, uh it's very interesting. I I like to use the analogy to a roller coaster. Put your seatbelt on, it's the wild ride is going to continue. Um, I happen to love roller coasters, uh, I think they're a lot of fun uh and they're exhilarating, uh, but you can get tired. So, like you said, with your seasons, you do have to rest. But keep in mind uh for the healthcare lawyers, you may not be able to control the pace of change, but you can manage your response to it. And I think that's what we're talking about today setting goals, focusing on some foundational principles, and acknowledging that things are are going to be a wild ride. And it's been that way as long as I've been in healthcare. Certainly the pace has been a little bit quicker in the last few years. Um, but that's also the challenge that we have to manage, and setting goals, career, and personal help us do that. So what would you add, Priya? You've always got such great insights, and I'm anxious to hear what your thoughts are.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I mean, I think the the good news about this pace is that the health law sector continues to experience unprecedented growth, right? So job numbers are projected to rise 5% annually throughout 2033, which is a lot higher than the average for other occupations. So we do have job security in this space as health law attorneys. But that growth means that we have to stay on top of what's happening in the world around us. So I think some opportunities for health law attorneys to learn more, to study more, to become more well-versed, include areas that you already mentioned AI. Um, I think understanding the technical aspects of AI tools, so how algorithms are making clinical or administrative decisions, um, pursuing CLEs or certifications in AI liability, intellectual property, in machine learning, um, and bias that exists in automated systems are really crucial as health law attorneys are advising clients not just around compliance, but the implementation of high growth and fast growth technologies. I think it's also important to understand the financial and policy landscapes. There has been tremendous financial strain on healthcare systems and particular healthcare providers. We've seen a lot of debate around the future of health reform and understanding sort of the finances, the operations of organizations will help you deliver better legal counsel to your clients as they navigate these roller coaster that they have been on. And then another area of focus could be cybersecurity and incident response as that becomes more prevalent in our healthcare environment. Um, outside of sort of learning skills, and we talked about this in the first podcast, continuing to engage in mentorship and sponsorship relationships, being able to find people that can actively serve as your sponsor and advocate for your advancement, or finding mentors who you can go to for career guidance. I think that remains really important as you move beyond just goal setting into actually implementing those goals. And then the third thing I just want to mention is making time to take care of yourself. And I am not always the best at this, and I have my own goals related to this for 2026. But take the time, like to figure out what that looks like for you. It could be many different things. It could be making sure you schedule time to exercise, making sure that you're finding healthier recipes that you can have as your go-to food items so that you're eating healthier, not grabbing the junk food. Um, finding ways to relieve stress. Maybe it's yoga, like you mentioned, Lisa. Maybe it's a long walk outside, maybe it's reading a good book. Um, and then of course, therapy. I am a big, big fan of having a therapist that you trust that can help you navigate through life and talk through things. There's no other person that's gonna sit and listen to you talk for an hour and help you figure out the things you need to figure out in your life. And so I'm a firm believer that everyone needs therapy and that um we should be in therapy so that when the big things happen in life, we have that relationship to rely on and that we already trust. Um, so I think those three areas are some of the places I think health law attorneys should be focused on in 2026.
SPEAKER_01:Always very positive.
SPEAKER_02:I try, I try. Um, you know, Lisa, in our last podcast, we talked about pivotal career positions, um, which we called the icing on the cake. Um, when you think of 2026, what is that icing or frosting that you are looking forward to?
SPEAKER_01:Well, from a career perspective, uh, you know, helping more general counsels make 2026 their icing on the cake year. Uh, I am really focused on helping others uh be successful and using my past experiences and knowledge. And uh it would make me uh very pleased as I look forward helping other GCs. How about you, Priya? What are you hoping for for next year?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, well, I'm I'm hoping for something for myself, for something for the audience, and something for all of us. Um from a personal perspective, I really hope to be able to continue educating and helping healthcare leaders, including health law attorneys and law students, understand health policy, health equity, and all that is shaping this world of women's health. Um, for the audience, I'm hoping that those that are listening to this podcast will take some time to be intentional about 2026, to ask what they want in the new year, how they want to feel at the end of the year in December 2026, and then map out some steps that it's gonna take to achieve that and feel that by the end of the year. And then for all of us, I'm just hoping that we get more good news and that we have the opportunity to use our skills in health law and policy to make change that will make life better for everyone and create good news for the world.
SPEAKER_01:I think you've made a really good point, and that is to is to intentionally make it happen in 2026. And um, as we look forward to 2026, uh, I want to wish everyone a wonderful 2026 and an icing on the cake year. So uh Priya, thank you so much uh for taking the time to do this podcast. Uh it's been my pleasure uh as always to work with you. And um, what parting comments do you have?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, no, Lisa, thank you for this conversation. I always learn so much from talking with you, and I think our back and forth conversations not only teach me things, but can teach other people things too, because we've had really interesting career paths that we've navigated. And while we can have a great conversation and agree on things, I know we look at life from different vantage points, and then bringing them together in this community of the American Health Law Association is so rewarding and it means a lot to me. So thank you for that. And I hope everyone who's listening has a healthy and happy holiday season and is excited to look forward to 2026 and all that it brings.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks, Priya. Thank you to all for listening to our podcast.
SPEAKER_00:If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to AHLA Speaking of Health Law wherever you get your podcasts. For more information about AHLA and the educational resources available to the health law community, visit AmericanHealth Law.org and stay updated on breaking healthcare industry news from the major media outlets of AHLA's Health Law Daily Podcast, exclusively for AHLA comprehensive members. To subscribe and add this private podcast feed to your podcast app, go to americanhealthlaw.org slash daily podcast.