Initiating a new program or service line involves an array of challenges, whether in an academic institution, a private setting, or a federally run hospital. At the Scrubs & Heels Leadership Summit 2026, three gastroenterologists who have successfully navigated these obstacles led a discussion with advice for anyone hoping to bring a new program to their institution.
Rashmi Advani, MD, an interventional and bariatric endoscopist at Cedars-Sinai, in Los Angeles; Tauseef Ali, MD, the medical executive director of SSM Health Digestive Care, in Oklahoma City; and Daniela Guerrero Vinsard, MD, an advanced endoscopist at the Veterans Affairs medical center in Minneapolis, have initiated a new program or service line at their respective facilities. Although academic, government, and private healthcare settings each have unique features that require consideration, Drs. Advani, Ali, and Guerrero Vinsard highlighted some principles that are important to consider regardless of the institution type.