How to best lead the human side of healthcare transformation
Organizations are finding out that real change happens when leaders listen, communicate clearly and nurture adaptability.
When healthcare organizations talk about digital transformation, the conversation often begins with infrastructure, such as new EHR capabilities, AI-powered clinical decision tools and predictive analytics.
But what makes transformation succeed or fail is not the technology itself. It’s the people.
The Fellows of the American College of Health Data Management understand this intuitively. From frontline operations to executive leadership, they’re proving that real change happens when leaders listen more, communicate clearly and invest in cultures of adaptability.
Change doesn’t happen because an organization announces a new strategy or upgrades a system. It happens when the organization engages the hearts and minds of clinicians and staff, on an ongoing basis.
Healthcare executives are more likely to succeed when they lead with empathy and repetition. They see the importance of clearly articulating the “why” of an initiative and revisiting that purpose consistently so that it takes root. Those opportunities can arise in various ways, including one-to-one discussions, town halls, executive meetings, which all offer chances to reinforce the same message in different ways, increasing the likelihood that, over time, the message will stick.
Building trust with process and participation
That theme of communication is echoed by Christine Pirillo, senior director of laboratory medicine at Geisinger, an ACHDM Fellow and an experienced health systems strategist.
But for Pirillo, communication is more than messaging. It’s about structure. Her work often involves deep stakeholder mapping and process visualization to make sure transformation efforts are transparent, understandable and inclusive.
“You can’t design effective change if you don’t understand who’s impacted and how they work,” Pirillo explains. “We use swim lane mapping to visualize processes, roles and workflows. That helps people see where they fit in the change and why it matters.”
Pirillo adds that early involvement drives buy-in. “We don’t just roll things out — we co-create. The more people you bring into design, the fewer you’ll have resisting implementation.”
That lesson is backed by research. A Health Data Management article on change management recommends stakeholder identification, structured planning and continuous communication as key ingredients to navigating transformation. Without these foundations, even the most promising technology can stall.
Shifting culture, one feedback loop at a time
Beyond strategy and structure, culture remains a defining challenge. For Justin Langford, a Florida-based healthcare administrator and an ACHDM Fellow, changing culture starts with creating channels for honest feedback and real-time coaching.
“We use 360-degree feedback tools with leaders and staff, not to evaluate them, but to understand readiness and resistance,” Langford says. “It’s like reading the room at scale.”
Langford also emphasizes the role of proactive mentorship. “You can’t wait until someone struggles with a new platform to step in. We coach people ahead of launches and stay with them as they adapt.”
In a recent feature on CIO leadership, Health Data Management emphasized that today’s IT leaders are not just builders — they’re culture shapers. CIOs must lead with curiosity, humility and an understanding of the human dimensions of digital innovation. Langford’s work reflects that shift in real time.
Reframing AI through interdisciplinary learning
That human-first mindset is critical in areas like artificial intelligence, where skepticism and concern still linger.
Jennifer Mueller, senior vice president of health information career advancement, has made it her mission to demystify AI through cross-disciplinary learning.
“We can’t just expect clinicians or operational teams to trust AI out of the gate,” says Mueller, an ACHDM Fellow. “They need to see it, use it, question it and, most of all, understand how it works.”
Mueller leads education sessions that pair IT and health information management teams with frontline staff to explore how models are built, where bias lives and how to ask the right questions of algorithms. Her approach turns mystery into mastery.
“Comfort comes from clarity,” she adds. “When people understand the technology, they stop fearing it and start thinking about how to use it responsibly.”
That insight resonates with findings from the HIMSS Smart Health Transformation Forum, where executives called for more investment in upskilling, communication and AI governance — not just implementation.
Lessons from the field
From ACHDM Fellows, a set of core leadership strategies emerge that are simple in theory and transformative in practice.
Repeat the “why.” Clarity only sticks with repetition.
Visualize change. Pirillo’s process mapping builds transparency and ownership.
Coach in real time. Langford’s 360-degree approach helps leaders course-correct early.
Demystify the technology. Mueller’s cross-disciplinary education builds trust before resistance sets in.
Together, they reflect a shift in what healthcare transformation really means. It’s not a series of upgrades, but a movement toward people-centered change.
Change is inevitable in healthcare, but transformation requires leadership. As the digital demands on providers, systems and staff intensify, it’s not the systems that determine success. It’s the strategies leaders use to bring people along.
The Fellows of the American College of Health Data Management remind us that when change is led with empathy, structure and shared purpose, resistance becomes resilience. In that way, transformation becomes possible.
Zahi Jurdi, DHA is vice president of patient experience at ARcare and an ACHDM Fellow.