Dave Cummings is a health care executive.

Why change fails in health care organizations

Health Policy
July 15, 2026

The committee had met six times. The quality data was clear. The care pathway was evidence-based. The physicians in the room nodded. Six months later, nothing had changed.

Not because the initiative was wrong. Not because the physicians were resistant. Because the environment it landed in was never built to hold it.

This is the diagnosis most physician leaders never make, not about their patients, but about their organizations. They identify the …

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Why change fails in health care organizations

Physician trust in leadership drives health care execution

Conditions and Diseases
June 14, 2026

Health care leaders often believe organizational struggles are driven by resistance to change. When initiatives fail, engagement declines, or operational performance weakens, the explanation frequently centers on physician pushback, burnout, staffing shortages, or financial pressure. But after years working in complex health care environments, I’ve come to believe many execution failures begin somewhere less visible and far more dangerous: the breakdown of trust between physicians and leadership.

In health care, trust …

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Physician trust in leadership drives health care execution

Why your health care dashboard isn’t working and how to fix it

Health Policy
September 11, 2025

In today’s data-rich but insight-poor health care environments, the ability to measure performance isn’t the problem. The real challenge is turning that measurement into meaningful, actionable insight—and more importantly, sustainable improvement. I’ve seen countless KPI dashboards rolled out with great fanfare, only to become screen clutter that no one trusts, understands, or uses to drive change.

To avoid that fate, you must build dashboards rooted in operational reality, tailored to the …

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Why your health care dashboard isn’t working and how to fix it

Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

Health Policy
July 4, 2025

Health care leaders don’t have a vision problem. We have an execution problem.

Over the last two decades, I’ve seen countless strategic plans crafted with care, insight, and bold ambition. Mission statements get refreshed. Core values are realigned. Retreats are held. Vision decks are created and shared from the C-suite to the frontlines. And yet — within weeks — most of those plans fade into the background.

The problem isn’t poor leadership …

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Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it