Healthcare HR leaders finally get a moment to exhale, but the work is far from over. In this week’s Monday News Drop, Bo Brabo, Luke Carignan, and ASHHRA President & CEO Jeremy Sadlier break down three critical developments shaping workforce strategy, compliance, and recruiting right now.

Segment 1: The 11th-Hour Telehealth Save
Congress narrowly avoided the telehealth cliff. The Healthcare Access and Modernization Act of 2026 has been signed, extending Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027. Patients can continue receiving care from home, but new guardrails are in place. Starting in Q2, CMS will conduct quarterly audits of providers billing more than 50% of visits via telehealth.
HR takeaway: Release February 1 claims, but immediately flag high-volume telehealth providers and refresh documentation protocols to prepare for increased scrutiny.

Segment 2: Kaiser Strike Enters Week Two
The Kaiser Permanente labor dispute continues to escalate. With more than 2,000 travel nurses deployed to maintain operations, unions have filed unfair labor practice charges, arguing replacement workers are being paid double what staff nurses requested. Tensions are rising, and public perception is becoming a key pressure point.
HR reality check: The hardest work comes after the strike ends. Rebuilding trust, preventing “us vs. them” culture, and aligning leadership, HR, and labor relations will define long-term outcomes.

Segment 3: The Visa Surprise
The State Department’s February 2026 Visa Bulletin delivered unexpected good news. EB-3 priority dates for nurses from the Philippines and India advanced nearly nine months, opening a rare window to accelerate international hiring.
Strategic guidance: Speed matters, but ethics matter more. Vet international recruitment partners carefully, ensure compliance with ethical standards, and invest in structured onboarding and community integration to support long-term retention.

This Week’s Priorities:
• Green-light telehealth billing while preparing for CMS audits
• Monitor labor activity and cultural risk inside union environments
• Accelerate international nurse pipelines with integrity and structure

Healthcare HR is no longer reacting to disruption. It is shaping what comes next.

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Healthcare HR leaders are heading into one of the most consequential weeks of the year. In this episode of the ASHHRA Monday News Drop, Luke Carignan, Bo Brabo, and ASHHRA President & CEO Jeremy Sadlier unpack three fast-moving developments that demand immediate attention from HR, finance, and executive teams.

Segment 1: A Tale of Two Coasts
While New York nurses return to work after securing historic staffing protections, the West Coast is waking up to a massive escalation. More than 31,000 healthcare workers across California and Hawaii, including nurses, pharmacists, and imaging professionals, have launched an open-ended strike over staffing ratios and wages tied to inflation.
HR reality check: The contagion effect is real. Enforceable staffing guarantees are now the most powerful organizing and recruiting tool in healthcare. Union or not, organizations that fail to visibly address staffing risk becoming the next target.

Segment 2: The Telehealth Hail Mary
With just days remaining before the January 30 deadline, the House has passed a two-year extension of Medicare telehealth flexibilities. The Senate still must act. A lapse, even for 48 hours, could trigger denied claims and major revenue disruption.
Actionable guidance: Do not dismantle telehealth infrastructure. Instruct revenue cycle teams to hold telehealth claims from February 1–3 until Senate confirmation is secured. This single step could prevent a costly billing crisis.

Segment 3: The “Great Healthcare Plan” and PBM Reform
The White House has released a new healthcare framework emphasizing aggressive PBM reform and price transparency, while notably stepping away from enhanced ACA subsidies. Premium pressure for employees is likely to persist.
HR opportunity: PBM reform is not just a finance issue. Use this moment to demand transparency from your benefits partners, audit rebate structures, and identify savings that can help offset rising employee costs.

This Week’s Focus:
• Monitor West Coast labor activity and prepare for patient surges
• Protect telehealth revenue during legislative uncertainty
• Reassess staffing strategy, benefits cost exposure, and PBM risk

Healthcare HR is no longer adjacent to strategy. It is central to it.

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Healthcare HR is entering a pressure point week. In this Monday News Drop, Bo Brabo, Luke Carignan, and Jeremy Sadlier break down three converging forces that are already reshaping labor strategy, care delivery, and executive decision making.

Segment 1: The “Peace Treaty” Hangover
The New York City nurses strike has officially ended at NewYork-Presbyterian and Mount Sinai, but the real impact is just beginning. The tentative agreement sets a national precedent: a 19% wage increase over three years paired with an ironclad staffing enforcement clause. If staffing ratios are missed, nurses receive automatic premium pay with no arbitration and no delay.

HR takeaway: This is not just a labor story. It is an operational and financial risk signal. HR leaders should immediately calculate their staffing miss rate and model what automatic penalties would have cost last month. If you wait for the union to raise this, you are already behind.

Segment 2: The Telehealth Countdown
Extended Medicare telehealth flexibilities expire in 11 days, on January 30, 2026. Without Congressional action, the geographic originating site rule snaps back on February 1, limiting reimbursement for home based telehealth visits outside rural areas.

HR takeaway: Do you know which providers in your system would be out of compliance on February 1? If not, why not? This is a data and workforce planning problem, not just a policy issue. Patient access, provider schedules, and employee time off will all be affected if telehealth abruptly contracts.

Segment 3: The Efficiency Wave Moves West
Following Alameda Health, Providence announced cuts of approximately 450 non clinical roles across Washington and Oregon, while CVS Health and its subsidiary Oak Street Health are closing clinics and reducing headcount. Growth at all costs is giving way to margin preservation.

HR takeaway: This is not panic. It is a phase change. Expect continued role consolidation, automation, and redeployment. The best organizations will reskill and redeploy talent with integrity, transparency, and real choice, not force disguised as opportunity.

The Bigger Picture
Labor contracts, care delivery models, and financial discipline are converging fast. If you are in healthcare HR and still see yourself as adjacent to strategy, it is time to step forward. The teams who engage now will be shaping enterprise decisions a year from today.

🎧 Listen in, get ahead, and lead from the center.

From Our Sponsor(s)...

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