When the traditional levers for growth no longer move the needle, what comes next?In this episode, Michael Stamatinos sits down with Bo Wilkes, a healthcare strategist who has spent nearly 15 years inside the machinery of a traditional health system and is now reshaping the way Ballad Health approaches innovation, investment, and rural transformation.Bo leads the Ballad Health Innovation Center and serves as President of Ballad Ventures. He’s navigating the intersection of cultural change, capital deployment, and execution in one of the most challenging environments in healthcare: rural Appalachia. This conversation peels back the curtain on what it actually takes to reimagine care delivery while staying grounded in the operational realities of a 21-hospital system.Whether you're a venture-backed founder, a hospital executive, or just someone who cares about the future of healthcare in overlooked markets, this episode delivers clarity without the corporate gloss.What You’ll Learn in This Episode* Why hospital margin compression is no longer just a financial problem, but a signal that legacy structures are under stress* How Ballad moved from process redesign to embedding innovation as an organizational capability* The backstory behind the LifeFlow rollout from 410 Medical and how it became a systemwide success story* What “Innovation 3.0” looks like inside a rural nonprofit health system* How Ballad Ventures is aligning capital investment with clinical and strategic ROI* Why Bo believes rural hospitals are more than providers of care—they are economic engines for their regions* The unglamorous but essential work of aligning departments, operators, and governance around long-term strategy* How Bo and his team are using innovation, venture, and strategic risk to reshape care delivery, cost structures, and accessWhat You’ll Hear in This Episode:0:00 – Intro2:45 – What growing up in the South taught Bo about building trust6:12 – Why most “innovation” feels like theater and how Ballad is doing it differently10:50 – Turning a 21-hospital system into an agile operator17:00 – The tension between entrepreneurial speed and enterprise-scale precision23:35 – Why Bo sees growth as a downstream effect of alignment30:20 – Behind the scenes of Ballad Ventures: investing in ideas that reshape care39:45 – Bo’s faith journey, leadership perspective, and what keeps him grounded52:00 – Why small, consistent actions often matter more than big bets59:00 – What’s next: redefining the scorecard in rural health innovationWho Should Watch This Episode:Health system executives and board membersInnovation and transformation leadersRural hospital administratorsStrategic venture and corporate development professionalsPayers and policymakers focused on access and valueEntrepreneurs building into healthcare ecosystemsInvestors interested in mission-aligned capital deployment📣 LIKE, COMMENT & SUBSCRIBEIf this conversation moved you, challenged your thinking, or sparked an idea, share it with someone who needs to hear it.Subscribe for more episodes with healthcare leaders who are not just thinking differently, they’re building differently.About the ShowThe Advancing Healthcare Innovation Show is hosted by Michael Stamatinos, a nationally recognized connector, strategist, and advocate for innovation with purpose. Each week, Michael interviews healthcare leaders who are driving meaningful change—highlighting stories of access, resilience, equity, and transformation.The AHI Show started with the idea of wanting to highlight stories of what healthcare innovation truly looks like in action. Our mission, highlight real people who are really innovating within healthcare. Guests include healthcare entrepreneurs, providers, payers, and professionals from the investment community. We showcase little wins as well as valuable lessons learned from setbacks through these interviews. The real innovators in healthcare are often the ones in the trenches doing t