In the past year, affordability concerns, policy debates, and increased financial strain have proven challenging for nonprofit hospitals and health systems like Fairview Health Services, notes Rahul Koranne, president and CEO of the Minnesota Hospital Association. While helming the Minneapolis-based health care provider, James Hereford also serves as a board member of the Minnesota Hospital Association. In this role, Hereford has shaped policies to preserve patient access to care. In the 2025 legislative session, he provided servant-leadership on the Minnesota Directed Payment Program, which received broad bipartisan support. If federally approved, the program would secure more than $1 billion in additional Medicaid funding to support hospital services without increasing costs for patients, Koranne says.