Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Driving Financial Discipline and Access at a Safety Net Health System with Adriana Herrera
Mar 21, 2026
Adriana L. Herrera, VP of Finance at Jackson Health System and CPA with 20+ years in healthcare finance, focuses on mission-driven, safety-net care. She discusses a multidisciplinary campaign to cut premium labor costs. She covers workforce strategy and training, navigating reimbursement pressures, expanding outpatient access, and directing care to the right setting to control costs.
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J35 Multidisciplinary Task Force Cut Premium Pay
- Jackson launched J35, a multidisciplinary task force that cut premium pay from about $12M to $7M per month.
- Finance led biweekly reviews with nursing, HR, and operations to target drivers and corrective actions, saving ~$5M monthly.
Human Factors Drove Financial Savings
- Cross-functional conversations revealed nonfinancial drivers like retention and internal training opportunities.
- HR proposed retention strategies and nursing suggested upskilling entry-level staff into tech roles to reduce reliance on agency labor.
Align Financial Discipline With Mission
- Jackson must balance external reimbursement cuts with mission-driven investments by applying operational discipline.
- Adriana highlights assessing financial impact of ACA changes, 340B pricing reforms, and targeting efficiency before cutting services.