Ballad Health

A lot of venture capital still clusters around the same geographies, the same networks, the same assumptions about where innovation is supposed to come from. But some of the hardest healthcare problems, and some of the most important opportunities, are sitting in communities that rarely get that level of attention. What I appreciate about what we’re building at Ballad Ventures is that it starts with reality. Real operators. Real clinicians. Real patients. Real constraints. Rural healthcare forces you to think differently. You don’t get to build for ideal conditions. You have to build for workforce shortages, long travel distances, uneven broadband access, aging populations, and hospitals that are trying to do more with less every single day. As Mike Anderes say, "If a company can make healthcare work in rural America, there’s a very good chance it can work anywhere." We’re fortunate to sit inside a health system where innovation doesn’t just get discussed, it gets pressure tested. Founders get access to people actually delivering care, operating hospitals, managing staffing realities, and navigating the complexity of serving underserved communities. Excited about the founders we’re meeting and the work ahead. Amit Vashist, MD, MBA, FACHE Justin Hutchison Breanna Miller Ballad Health

Today at our leadership forum at Ballad Health, we spent time digging into one of our core values: creativity. Our President & CEO, Alan Levine , opened the conversation by reminding us that creativity isn’t just an aspirational value, it’s the very reason our organization exists. Nearly a decade ago, two competing health systems chose a different path. Instead of being absorbed by larger systems, risking higher costs and reduced access, they came together in a way that required bold thinking, trust, and a willingness to challenge the status quo. No other health systems were doing anything close to what we were doing. That same spirit was reinforced by guest speaker, Bruce Pearl, who spoke about creativity as a leadership discipline, one that fuels engagement, unlocks potential, and ultimately drives team performance. For me, this conversation lands squarely in nursing. Creativity in nursing isn’t abstract, it shows up every day: • Reimagining care delivery models to better support our teams and patients • Designing workflows that reduce friction and allow nurses to practice at the top of their license • Creating environments where new nurses can successfully transition into practice and stay • Finding innovative ways to extend access to care across the communities we serve As nurse leaders, we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to cultivate this mindset. Because when we empower nurses to think differently, speak up, and innovate, we don’t just improve processes, we strengthen care, outcomes, and the experience for every patient and team member. A decade ago, creativity helped shape who we are. Today, it continues to define how we lead. #Leadership #NursingLeadership #HealthcareInnovation #Creativity #BalladHealth

Eric Deaton, FACHE, chief operating officer at Ballad Health, will highlight the critical role of emergency management through firsthand insights from the Unicoi County Hospital flood event. Eric will share leadership lessons on preparedness, response and resilience, underscoring why strong emergency management planning is essential to protecting patients, team members and communities. Visit https://lnkd.in/eebGM-Fv to register. #balladhealth