The Compliance Advantage

Hosted by Ross Ronan

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Welcome to "The Compliance Advantage," (formerly the Compliance Leadership Lounge) hosted by Ross Ronan, a seasoned luminary in the healthcare compliance sphere. This podcast serves as your premier destination for unravelling the complexities of healthcare compliance, blending Ross' extensive background in nursing, legal expertise, and two decades of compliance experience. Each episode is a deep dive into the crucial interplay between regulatory compliance and healthcare operations, featuring candid conversations with industry leaders, government officials, and the minds shaping today's healthcare landscape. Ross, known for his dynamic approach to compliance as both a shield and a strategic partner, guides listeners through the intricacies of creating a culture of compliance within healthcare organizations. Whether tackling administrative challenges, civil and criminal matters, or fostering equitable practices, Ross' insights ensure listeners are well-equipped to navigate the ever-changing healthcare compliance environment. Join us on "The Compliance Advantage" for a journey into the heart of healthcare compliance, where integrity, equity, and leadership converge to redefine the business of medicine. Subscribe and become part of our community dedicated to excellence and innovation in healthcare compliance.

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60 recent

November 5, 2026Episode 635 min

Compliance Services, Part 1: How Does Outsourced Healthcare Compliance Work? (with Devin Dalton)

Send us Fan Mail Part 1 of a two-part series on how compliance services work. Most healthcare leaders picture a consultant who hands over a binder and walks away. On this episode of The Compliance Advantage, host Ross Ronan and Devin Dalton, VP of Client Development at Marwood Group, lay out a different model: outsourced compliance as an extension of your team, not a report that sits on a shelf. They start where most executives start: a compliance risk assessment every two to three years, and the deeper look Ronan calls Risk Assessment Plus+, which adds a third-party coding and billing audit on top of the gap analysis. Ronan explains why an annual revenue cycle review is not the same thing: a code that is 100% wrong can get washed out to a 5% error rate when averaged against everything else, but the Office of Inspector General and the Department of Justice look at that one code. From there the conversation turns to what good looks like. A 100-day plan becomes the roadmap, and an outsourced compliance officer stands up the program from day one, owns the compliance function, and partners with HR, quality, and operations without taking them over. Ronan and Dalton walk through the client profile that fits best, higher government payer mix and real exposure, and are candid about telling a prospect when the answer is no. The throughline is the one Ronan returns to often: compliance is a strategic investment and a competitive advantage to budget for, not a cost to minimize. Devin Dalton is VP of Client Development at Marwood Group. She leads business development strategy and client relationships, and she is on every one of the firm's business development calls, where the first question is always about the prospect's pain points, not the firm's pitch. In this episode she and Ross Ronan break down how outsourced healthcare compliance works, how the firm qualifies a fit by revenue and government payer mix, and who the model is built for. https://www.linkedin.com/in/devin-dalton-a3b96b1b2/ Connect with Ross LinkedIn: Ross Ronan Podcast Show Page: The Compliance Advantage Ross' Company: Ronan Healthcare Compliance

October 22, 2026Episode 536 min

Compliance Due Diligence: A Cost or a Value Driver? (with Amanda Doran)

Send us Fan Mail Amanda Doran, Chief Compliance Officer, Healthcare Portfolio Operations at Waud Capital Partners, joins Ross Ronan on The Compliance Advantage to talk about compliance in healthcare mergers and acquisitions and about building the leaders who run it. Amanda has spent more than 20 years in healthcare compliance across emergency medicine, post-acute care, and ambulatory surgery, and now mentors compliance officers across a private equity portfolio. She makes the case for growing compliance officers into compliance executives who understand the business, and she offers direct advice to CEOs and boards on hiring the right leader, where personality, judgment, and the ability to build trust matter as much as the resume. A compliance officer who says no to everything loses credibility, so the goal is a leader who can have frank conversations and still move the business forward. On the deal side, Amanda explains what she looks for when vetting an acquisition target, and why a compliance-minded leader can matter more than a complete set of policies. When a company prepares to sell, the picture flips. A functioning program with recurring audits, remediated findings, and documented improvement lowers the perceived risk for a buyer, and that shows up in the purchase price and the escrow. Amanda and Ross also dig into a shift the field has been working toward for years: compliance as a strategic partner rather than a police function. The throughline is practical. Compliance built early and led well becomes an advantage a company carries into its next deal. Amanda Doran is the Chief Compliance Officer, Healthcare Portfolio Operations at Waud Capital Partners. She has spent more than 20 years in healthcare compliance, including Chief Compliance Officer roles at US Acute Care Solutions and Global Medical Response, and 15 years in compliance across Envision Healthcare's sectors. In this episode she talks with Ross about compliance due diligence, the sell-side value of a strong program, and how she mentors compliance officers across a private equity portfolio. https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-yoh-doran/ Connect with Ross LinkedIn: Ross Ronan Podcast Show Page: The Compliance Advantage Ross' Company: Ronan Healthcare Compliance

October 8, 2026Episode 438 min

Corporate Integrity Agreement: Preferred Partner or Liability? (with Jillian Marcus)

Send us Fan Mail Most healthcare operators hear "Corporate Integrity Agreement" and picture a punishment. Jillian Marcus, Chief Compliance Officer at Envision Healthcare, found the opposite. In this episode of The Compliance Advantage, she joins Ross Ronan to explain how a Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) turned her organization into a trusted, preferred partner with the Office of Inspector General (OIG), and how that same trust carried into stronger relationships with the hospitals and health systems she serves. Jillian started as a litigator, moved into healthcare law, and spent years as a general counsel before Ross introduced her to compliance. She shares why the government wants compliance to sit apart from legal, reporting straight to the CEO and the board, and how her CEO's "first team" idea reshaped the way she leads a large compliance team. The conversation gets practical fast. Jillian breaks down how to make compliance approachable instead of rigid, why the right compliance officer is a hard hire to get wrong, and how the government's own audit priorities (UPIC, RAC, CMS, and the monthly OIG work plan) hand you a roadmap for where to look. She also makes the money case plainly. With the Department of Justice (DOJ) reporting $5.7 billion in recoveries for 2025, most of it healthcare False Claims Act cases, a small investment in the program now protects the profits you already earned. A grounded look at compliance as a strategic advantage, not a cost center. About the guest: Jillian Marcus is the Chief Compliance Officer at Envision Healthcare. She started as a litigator, moved into healthcare law, and spent years as a general counsel before stepping into compliance leadership, where she now runs a large compliance team. Connect with Jillian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillian-marcus-07200a6/ Connect with Ross LinkedIn: Ross Ronan Podcast Show Page: The Compliance Advantage Ross' Company: Ronan Healthcare Compliance

September 24, 2026Episode 318 min

The Investment Deep Dive, Part 3: How Do You Scale Compliance As You Grow?

Send us Fan Mail In the final part of The Compliance Advantage three-part series on compliance investment, host Ross Ronan turns benchmarking data into a growth plan. The question most healthcare leaders ask is simple: how much should we spend on compliance as we scale? Ross makes the case that a program built right scales with the business, so growth does not mean writing a much bigger check every year. The expensive path is the reactive one, where a company stands up a program only after it has already paid back fines and refunds. Ross walks through what changes during a transaction, why the year before a sale is the moment to test everything and close gaps, and how knowing your numbers, your payer mix, your Medicare exposure, and what your peers spend, turns a budget conversation with the board into a strategic one. He closes on culture: compliance sticks when doing the right thing is a shared habit across leadership and staff, not a job handed to one officer. For PE-backed healthcare operators and the investors behind them, this episode reframes compliance spend as an enterprise value decision, not a cost to minimize. Connect with Ross LinkedIn: Ross Ronan Podcast Show Page: The Compliance Advantage Ross' Company: Ronan Healthcare Compliance

September 10, 2026Episode 216 min

The Investment Deep Dive, Part 2: What Does Compliance Investment Actually Buy You?

Send us Fan Mail Most CEOs ask Ross Ronan the same question: how much should we spend on compliance? In Part 2 of The Investment Deep Dive on The Compliance Advantage, Ross moves from the HCCA and SCCE benchmarking data into real boardroom scenarios and shows there is no magic number. There is a starting point, a budget you set, and a program you actually run. He walks through what the data says for a $75 million organization with 1,500 employees, how the picture shifts at $200 million and 4,000 employees, and why the two largest line items are almost always the compliance officer and auditing and monitoring. He explains why private equity sponsors tend to lean into compliance once they see the benchmarks, since the Department of Justice and the Office of Inspector General have made their expectations for healthcare investors clear. He covers what payers, including Medicare under the Affordable Care Act, assume about your program before they pay a claim, and how compliance partners with every department from human resources to revenue cycle. The throughline is simple: a strong compliance investment starts with the right compliance executive, someone who can be a strategic partner, run the program, and understand the business. Build from there and the program scales with the company. Connect with Ross LinkedIn: Ross Ronan Podcast Show Page: The Compliance Advantage Ross' Company: Ronan Healthcare Compliance

August 27, 2026Episode 123 min

The Investment Deep Dive, Part 1: How Much Should You Spend on Healthcare Compliance?

Send us Fan Mail Most CEOs ask the wrong question about compliance. They ask what it should cost. The better question is what their peers are already spending, and where they stand against that benchmark. On this episode of The Compliance Advantage, host Ross Ronan walks through years of compliance program survey data from the Healthcare Compliance Association (HCCA) and the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE), and turns it into a practical way to set a budget. He breaks spending into three buckets, under $100,000, $100,000 to $250,000, and over $250,000, then maps each one against revenue and employee count. For most mid-size healthcare organizations, the data points to a sweet spot of $150,000 to $250,000 a year. Ross also explains why payer mix matters more than revenue alone, why a scalable program does not cost more as you grow, and how a peer benchmark turns a compliance budget into a competitive advantage in front of a board, an investor, or a regulator. The takeaway is simple. Set the number where it needs to be, fund it, and treat it as a long-term investment, not a one-and-done line item. Connect with Ross LinkedIn: Ross Ronan Podcast Show Page: The Compliance Advantage Ross' Company: Ronan Healthcare Compliance

August 6, 2026Episode 838 min

How a Compliance Program Raises Your Valuation (with Jerry Chang)

Send us Fan Mail Most healthcare executives treat compliance as a cost line. Jerry Chang, Managing Director and Partner at Stout, sees it differently from the valuation seat. On this episode of The Compliance Advantage, host Ross Ronan and Jerry walk through how a strong compliance program changes what a business is actually worth. Jerry has spent about 30 years valuing hospitals, health systems, medical groups, surgery centers, and dialysis centers, and he has testified roughly 20 times as an expert witness. He breaks compliance value into three jobs a valuation does: measuring value, protecting value, and recovering value. The throughline is risk perception. When a buyer sees a weak compliance program, that perception shows up as a higher discount rate or a lower multiple, which pulls the price down. Ross and Jerry trade real diligence stories, including a dialysis center sale where undisclosed compliance issues triggered a claim that the buyer overpaid, and a deal that nearly collapsed when an Anti-Kickback problem surfaced at the last stage. They cover fair market value and commercial reasonableness, why a 10-year-old valuation sitting in a file cabinet is a red flag, and why sell-side compliance diligence pays off before a buyer ever asks. Jerry's rule sums it up: go slow to go fast. Jerry Chang is Managing Director and Partner at Stout, based in the firm's Atlanta office. He has spent about 30 years in healthcare valuation and financial advisory, valuing hospitals, health systems, medical groups, surgery centers, and dialysis centers, and he has testified roughly 20 times as an expert witness in federal court, state court, and arbitration. On this episode, Jerry shows Ross how compliance moves real numbers in a deal, from fair market value and commercial reasonableness to the diligence findings that change a multiple. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerrymchang/ Connect with Ross LinkedIn: Ross Ronan Podcast Show Page: The Compliance Advantage Ross' Company: Ronan Healthcare Compliance

July 23, 2026Episode 744 min

The Day After You Close, the Compliance Bar Goes Up (with Baxter Lee)

Send us Fan Mail When a private equity firm closes a healthcare deal, the compliance and security bar rises the next morning, whether the new owner is ready or not. On this episode of The Compliance Advantage, host Ross Ronan talks with Baxter Lee, President of Clearwater, about why so many programs fall behind the moment growth speeds up. Baxter has spent his career on both sides of the table, in investment banking and private equity, then as an operator and CFO, and now leading Clearwater through its own growth from 30 to more than 270 people. He explains why a diligence report that sits on a shelf protects no one, and why compliance, privacy, and security only work when they run as one continuous program that is tested, not just documented. Ross and Baxter dig into the real cost of waiting until a breach happens, patient trust as an asset, and why building the foundation early is cheaper than cleaning it up later. Done right, compliance and security are not a cost. They are how a growing healthcare company protects its value and earns the trust to keep growing. Topics covered in this episode: Why a diligence report on a shelf protects no one, and what an actioned program looks like instead How closing a deal raises the compliance bar overnight in the eyes of the Office for Civil Rights Why privacy, compliance, and security have to run as one continuous, tested program What a breach really costs compared to investing in prevention up front How an M&A playbook keeps a roll-up from outgrowing its own controls Why patient trust is an asset that drives where people take their care Connect with Baxter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baxter-lee-9950086/ Baxter Lee is President of Clearwater, a healthcare cybersecurity and compliance firm. He came up through investment banking and private equity before moving to the operator side, and he has helped grow Clearwater from 30 employees to more than 270, stepping into the president role after serving as CFO. In this episode he and Ross break down how compliance, privacy, and security become a growth advantage when they scale with a healthcare company instead of trailing behind it. Connect with Ross LinkedIn: Ross Ronan Podcast Show Page: The Compliance Advantage Ross' Company: Ronan Healthcare Compliance

July 9, 2026Episode 641 min

The Regulatory Advantage: How Innovators Win with Dr. Adam Brown

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Compliance Advantage , Ross Ronan sits down with Dr. Adam Brown to explore the intersection of healthcare innovation, regulatory strategy, and business growth. Drawing from his experience as a former emergency medicine executive and founder of ABIG Health, Dr. Brown discusses the challenges healthcare startups face when navigating FDA requirements, reimbursement pathways, compliance obligations, and commercialization. The conversation highlights why compliance should be viewed as a strategic advantage, how effective communication drives organizational success, and the evolving role of private equity in healthcare. Dr. Brown also shares insights on leadership, mentorship, and maintaining personal wellness in a demanding industry. Topics covered in this episode: Dr. Adam Brown shares his journey from emergency physician and healthcare executive to founding ABIG Health, helping innovators navigate healthcare commercialization. Why healthcare startups often underestimate the complexity of regulations beyond FDA approval, including Medicare, Medicaid, payer requirements, and state-level rules. The importance of involving regulatory and compliance expertise early in product development to avoid costly mistakes and wasted capital. How successful healthcare innovation requires balancing clinical value, reimbursement strategy, regulatory compliance, and business viability from day one. Dr. Brown's "Five Ps" framework for understanding healthcare: Providers, Patients, Policymakers, Payers, and Producers. The critical role of mentorship, stakeholder engagement, and effective communication in building successful healthcare organizations. Why compliance should be viewed as a strategic advantage, not just a regulatory requirement, growth, profitability, and risk management. How strong compliance programs help organizations earn trust, win contracts, succeed in due diligence, and become preferred partners. A thoughtful discussion on private equity in healthcare, exploring both its benefits and challenges in improving access, scale, and patient outcomes. Dr. Brown's approach to personal wellness through lifestyle medicine, daily exercise, and evidence-based health habits that support long-term success. Connect with Dr. Brown: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adambrownmdmba/ Dr. Adam Brown is a healthcare industry expert, business professor, practicing physician, and founder of ABIG Health, a Washington, D.C. and London, U.K. based consultancy firm that advises healthcare organizations on strategy, innovation, and communications. Dr. Brown is also Chief Medical Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at Radiant Healthcare. Connect with Ross LinkedIn: Ross Ronan Podcast Show Page: The Compliance Advantage Ross' Company: Ronan Healthcare Compliance

June 25, 2026Episode 545 min

AI, Risk, and the Compliance Advantage with Paul DeMuro

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Compliance Advantage , Ross Ronan welcomes healthcare attorney and strategic advisor Paul DeMuro for a wide-ranging discussion on healthcare compliance, leadership, mergers and acquisitions, and the rapidly evolving role of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Drawing on decades of experience as an attorney, CPA, MBA, and PhD, Paul shares insights on why compliance should be viewed as a business advantage rather than an obstacle, how organizations can better manage AI-related risks, and why diverse perspectives are critical to effective decision-making. Topics covered in this episode: How a career initially aimed toward the oil industry led unexpectedly into healthcare law. Why healthcare remains one of the most challenging and intellectually stimulating industries. How compliance officers have evolved from being viewed as "corporate cops" to strategic business partners. Why healthcare organizations need formal AI policies and procedures. The concept of the "human in the loop." AI's growing role in clinical and operational decision-making. The growing concern about the skills gap among younger professionals who rely heavily on AI tools. The emerging patchwork of state AI regulations. Why compliance professionals should be trusted strategic advisors in business decision-making. Connect with Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-r-demuro-phd-9364461/ Paul DeMuro is Counsel at the Katten Law Firm and a nationally recognized healthcare attorney, advisor, CPA, MBA, and PhD. He has spent more than three decades advising healthcare organizations on compliance, transactions, governance, information technology, and emerging issues involving artificial intelligence. Connect with Ross LinkedIn: Ross Ronan Podcast Show Page: The Compliance Advantage Ross' Company: Ronan Healthcare Compliance