Pete McCanna, CEO of Baylor Scott & White Health, argues that most health systems chase full beds and busy schedules instead of focusing on patient value. He prefers calling people “customers” because it shifts the mindset from treating illnesses to serving real human needs. At Baylor Scott & White, which spans 55 hospitals, 1,300 access points and 3.5 million connected users on MyBSWHealth, McCanna is redesigning care around conditions rather than departments. That means building teams and workflows to manage chronic diseases, for example, instead of routing every issue through a fixed set of specialties. Loyalty and trust drive McCanna’s willingness to offer some loss-leading services. He says investing in easier access and personalized follow-up pays off when customers stick around for preventive care and referrals. On the tech side, Baylor Scott & White is rolling out AI tools not just to cut costs or speed up billing but to give customers tailored treatment plans, predictive risk alerts and seamless digital check-ins. The goal is a clear product edge—better outcomes and experiences that local competitors can’t match. McCanna also critiques the “payvider” concept, where insurers buy health systems to control costs. He calls it tougher than it sounds, citing regulatory hurdles and cultural clashes between insurers and providers. He wants three federal healthcare laws rewritten—though he’s kept the specifics under wraps, he hinted at payment reform, scope-of-practice updates and data-sharing rules. That regulatory overhaul, he says, is key to making customer-centric care financially and operationally sustainable. Before leading Baylor Scott & White’s 59,000-member workforce, McCanna was COO at Northwestern Medicine and CFO at Presbyterian Healthcare Services. He’s known for hitting revenue and quality targets, and for expanding digital platforms and academic partnerships. Under his watch, Baylor Scott & White aims to prove that a health system built around human experience, not departmental quotas, can thrive in the market.