The ASHHRA Podcast
The ASHHRA Podcast is the definitive audio briefing for healthcare HR leaders navigating what’s next.
Hosted by Bo Brabo and Luke Carignan, this weekly podcast explores the forces reshaping the healthcare workforce, from talent shortages and leadership burnout to data-driven HR strategy, labor relations, and policy shifts that impact care delivery.
Each episode features candid conversations with CHROs, senior executives, and industry change-makers who are solving real problems inside hospitals and health systems right now. No theory, no fluff, just practical insight from leaders in the arena.
Listeners gain clarity on complex workforce challenges, early signals on emerging trends, and grounded perspectives that help bridge strategy and people operations. Whether you lead HR for a health system, support workforce strategy, or influence organizational culture, this podcast equips you to make better decisions with confidence.
New episodes drop weekly, with timely news updates, deep-dive conversations, and forward-looking insights designed for healthcare HR leaders preparing for 2026 and beyond.
The ASHHRA Podcast
#237 - Stop Losing Great Candidates After They Apply
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
The Hiring Automation Gap No One Is Talking About
Featuring Mike DeMarco, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Phenom
Healthcare is ranked #2 out of eight industries for overall hiring automation maturity. Healthcare was among the first to deploy voice screening agents. So why are nurses still taking 64 days to fill and internal positions taking 57?
Bo and Luke welcome Mike DeMarco — the self-described "Bruce Springsteen of Product Marketing" — to unpack Phenom's 2026 State of Hiring Automation Report, which audited over 200 companies across eight industries and surfaced a gap that explains almost everything.
📊 The Gap: You're Good at Getting Candidates In. You're Not Qualifying Them.
Across all eight industries, organizations scored above 50% maturity on attraction, engagement, and conversion — getting candidates to click apply. Hiring automation scores — what happens at the moment of application — dropped to sub-28%. The candidates are there. The qualification infrastructure is not. And for the first time in the survey's history, quality of hire (54%) outranked speed and cost as HR leaders' top hiring priority.
🤖 What Good Looks Like
Baylor Scott & White completes 1,000 voice screens in a single day when a job is posted. Allara Caring reduced time to offer by 32% and found that 40% of screens happen after hours — candidates engaging on their own schedule, not waiting for a recruiter callback. Seven-minute apply-to-interview-scheduled flows exist in retail today. Healthcare is next.
🔎 Where to Start — This Week, Almost Free
Luke's practical framework: record conversations with your best and worst performers in each TA role. Ask what they actually do — not what they're supposed to do. Then run everything through Claude: compare top and bottom performers, identify automation opportunities, and generate a business process map. Total cost: roughly $100/month. Mike's team is also offering a complimentary two-role hiring automation audit for listeners.
📋 Resources
Phenom 2026 State of Hiring Automation Report + free audit.
AI isn't replacing recruiters. People who know how to use AI will replace people who don't. Start today.
Enjoying the show? Subscribe to The ASHHRA Podcast on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode.
This episode is brought to you by AP3 — the ASHHRA Preferred Partner Program.
Healthcare HR leaders are navigating rising costs, workforce shortages, and an overwhelming vendor landscape. AP3 cuts through the noise.
Managed in collaboration with Lockton and backed by ASHHRA, AP3 is a governed ecosystem of vetted, healthcare-aligned solution providers across talent acquisition, benefits administration, workforce compliance, financial wellness, and employee engagement. Every partner is rigorously vetted. Every relationship is governed. Every solution is built for healthcare.
No directories. No bidding wars. Just trusted partners proven to perform.
Visit AP3.info to learn more and get connected with a partner.