Spotlight On: Alisha Hutchens, President, Novant Health’s acute care facilities in the Triad Region/Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center/Novant Health Medical Park Hospital

Key points:

• Novant Health is expanding care beyond hospitals through outpatient, virtual, and preventive services to improve access and affordability.

• Advanced technology, clinical research, and regional expansions are bringing high-acuity and innovative care closer to patients’ homes.

• Workforce investment, AI-enabled tools, and strategic partnerships are central to sustaining quality care and long-term growth.

January 2026 — In an interview with Invest:, Alisha Hutchens, president of Novant Health’s acute care facilities in the Triad Region, and president of Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center and Novant Health Medical Park Hospital, discussed how the system is expanding access, investing in its workforce, and bringing advanced care to patients across the region and beyond. “We have to adapt beyond the four walls of our hospitals,” Hutchens said.

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What major changes have you seen in acute care over the past year, and how have those shifts shaped how care is delivered at Novant Health’s hospitals in the region?

At Novant Health, we are continuing to discover new ways to add value for our patients, the communities we serve, and our team members, even amid a rapidly changing healthcare landscape. Our industry must continue shifting care beyond the hospital and expanding access through more affordable outpatient services, ambulatory surgery centers, and virtual care options.

That growth also creates a ripple effect in job creation and economic impact across our communities. A recent study found that Novant Health generated an estimated $18.2 billion of economic activity in North and South Carolina, up from $9 billion in 2018. We are investing in our people, patients, and communities. More than 40,000 team members benefited from over $300 million in pay increases and bonuses in 2025, and we continue investing in training and career development.

Patients remain at the center of every decision we make. In 2025, the Novant Health Cancer Institute became the first in the nation to introduce RapidARC Dynamic, a next-generation radiation therapy. Here in the Triad, Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center and the Novant Health Derrick L. Davis Cancer Institute became the first in the Carolinas to offer histotripsy, a noninvasive treatment for liver cancer.

Rural health is another critical focus. We recently opened an outpatient wellness and education facility in Davidson County near Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center, expanding access to preventive care and specialty services while helping patients manage conditions earlier and avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.

Acute care hospitals will always play a vital role, but we are diversifying our strategy to better meet patients’ needs and turn today’s challenges into opportunities.

What new opportunities are you seeing in healthcare that will have the greatest impact on Novant Health’s operations in the next year?

We are constantly introducing new ways to deliver advanced care closer to home. Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center serves as a tertiary referral destination for 22 counties across the Triad, and to support that demand, we opened our new five-story South Tower in January 2025.

The expansion increased access to advanced surgical, heart, and critical care services, including robotic-assisted technology and our artificial heart pump program, LVAD. Having this capability on our tertiary campus ensures patients with higher-acuity needs can receive care locally.

Clinical research is another major opportunity. Novant Health leads more than 300 clinical trials at any given time, with approximately 2,500 patients enrolled. These trials give patients access to leading-edge treatments without traveling to large academic medical centers.

From a consumer standpoint, healthcare options are expanding rapidly. We have to diversify our portfolio and, as I said earlier, we have to adapt beyond the four walls of our hospitals. Our goal is to make high-quality care accessible for everyone.

What are the biggest challenges facing your organization, and how are you addressing them?

Rising healthcare costs remain one of the most pressing challenges across the industry. At Novant Health, we are reimagining how care is delivered by connecting with patients earlier and outside the hospital setting.

Prevention and proactive care help reduce the need for more acute services, improve outcomes, and support affordability. We recently launched a lifestyle medicine program in the Triad that is already transforming lives, demonstrating how preventive care can significantly improve quality of life.

We are also expanding ambulatory care through joint ventures with physician groups, creating more outpatient surgery options that lower costs and improve access. This shift is central to the future of healthcare.

How is your team evolving its care strategies in response to shifting patient expectations and workforce challenges?

Team member engagement and well-being are top priorities. Like many healthcare systems, we are actively addressing clinician burnout, recruiting new professionals, and investing in pipeline development.

We support more than 41,000 team members through training, career development, and resiliency initiatives, including our Office of Wellbeing and Resiliency, which provides emotional health and stress management resources.

AI is also playing a growing role. We view AI as a tool to empower clinicians, not replace them. Technologies like Nuance and Scribe allow clinicians to focus on patients instead of documentation, improving both care quality and job satisfaction.

In emergency departments, AI tools help quickly identify critical conditions such as strokes and pulmonary embolisms so patients can receive life-saving care faster. We are also applying AI to business processes to reduce administrative burden.

Another workforce initiative addresses financial barriers for future clinicians. For example, we launched a loan repayment program for CRNAs, helping alleviate significant educational debt and strengthen our workforce pipeline.

What are your top priorities for the next three to five years?

We will continue redefining access to care, particularly in rural communities across the Triad. This includes adding new primary and specialty care clinics across the region and collaborating with our local partners and community hospitals in neighboring counties to deliver advanced care closer to home for our patients. 

In Wake County, we are expanding orthopedic, sports medicine, and primary care services. We are also evaluating opportunities to expand access to ambulatory and inpatient critical care services across the Triangle. 

Across all initiatives, we will keep patients at the center of every decision, diversify care delivery beyond acute settings, and maintain the highest standards of quality and safety.

Can you share examples of innovative partnerships and telehealth initiatives?

Strategic partnerships help us reach patients where they are. We launched our first partnership with a religious organization through Mount Zion Baptist Church in Southeast Greensboro, and we partnered with the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina to open a family medicine clinic inside a YMCA branch location in east Winston-Salem, along with virtual care kiosks across the region.

Telehealth continues to expand through programs such as a virtual menopause clinic, Virtual Welcome Care for new patients, and virtual weight loss and oncology initiatives. These efforts reflect our commitment to listening to patients, diversifying access points, and expanding care beyond traditional settings as we move into 2026 and beyond.

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