The Rise of Ambulatory Capacity Management

In healthcare, access to care ultimately comes down to one fundamental challenge: balancing supply and demand. In this episode of the Patient Access Collaborative podcast, Executive Director Elizabeth Woodcock speaks with Chris Profeta, Senior Director of Research and Analytics, about the emergence of ambulatory capacity management as a critical discipline within patient access. Together, they reflect on the rapid growth of the field - from a time when only a handful of professionals focused on capacity management to today’s sold-out roadshows and growing national attention. The conversation explores why traditional market dynamics don’t function in healthcare, how technological advances like automated waitlists are reshaping access to care, and why understanding true patient demand remains the next frontier for health systems.