Jacksonville, Fla.-based Nemours Children’s Health Executive Vice President and CFO Caswell Samms III is urging hospital and health system financial leaders to evolve beyond their traditional roles in 2026 as the industry navigates increasingly challenging circumstances.
“I don’t think we can continue to operate as financial scorekeepers,” he said during a Becker’s CFO+Revenue Cycle Podcast episode. “We’re going to have to be more strategically engaged and fluent in clinical operations, technology, artificial intelligence, quality and workforce dynamics. As a financial leader, a little bit of rigor and empathy is going to create a lot of longevity for your organization.”
Nemours Children’s Health is the sole multi-state pediatric health system in the country. It comprises two hospitals with more than 10,000 staff and 1,100 employed physicians operating in 80 different locations, Mr. Samms said.
On the technology front, Mr. Samms said Nemours is heavily investing in its Center for Advanced Care at Home program, a telemedicine model that’s shown early success in the system’s Florida market and was recently launched in Delaware.
The program helps keep patients out of the emergency room and allows for earlier discharges from pediatric ICUs.
“Because of the reach we have and people seeking specialized services, we have families who may travel 70 to 90 miles,” he said. “Imagine, as a mother or father, not having to travel and you can just log into a telemedicine system to have a discussion with a nurse and be able to alleviate any concerns, instead of having an unnecessary visit in the emergency room. We’re significantly invested in seeing that continue to grow.”
Looking back on 2025, Mr. Samms said learning to move faster was a crucial lesson he’s bringing into the new year, with Nemours doubling down on fundamentals to be as agile as possible amid industry changes.
“We trust our leadership team to make informed decisions,” he said. “We’re going to have the appropriate financial durability that we need … I think that’ll continue to help us make sure we serve our mission in a way that we want to serve.”
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