Beyond Technology: Change Management as a Business Imperative in Healthcare

The recent KLAS Change Management Executive Forum brought together healthcare leaders to address one of the biggest challenges organizations face: navigating change effectively. The recent forum, summarized in the March 2025 Change Management Executive Forum report, highlighted a critical insight—technology alone does not drive successful transformation. Despite significant investments in healthcare IT, organizations continue to report change management and adoption as the top challenges during implementations. 

“Too often, healthcare organizations invest in cutting-edge technology but underestimate the effort needed to drive real adoption, which in turn drives ROI,” said forum participant Meg Johnson, Senior Managing Consultant.

Successful change isn’t about the software—it’s about aligning people, processes, and leadership from day one. The insights from this forum reinforce that structured change management isn’t just helpful; it’s essential to realizing long-term value. 

MEG JOHNSONSenior Managing Consultant, Tegria

If technology alone isn’t the answer, how should healthcare leaders approach transformation? The key is to view change management as a business strategy, not just an implementation task. 

Change Should Be Driven by Business Needs, Not Just Technology 

Many healthcare organizations treat change management as a last-mile effort—addressing it only once a new system or process is ready to launch. But the most successful organizations bake change management into their initial strategy, ensuring that transformation efforts align with business goals rather than just IT upgrades. 

Before implementing any change, leaders should ask: 

• What business problem are we solving? 

• How does this change impact staff, patients, and operations? 

• How will we measure success beyond technical deployment? 

Strong Change Management Accelerates ROI 

One of the biggest misconceptions about change management is that it’s an unnecessary expense. In reality, investing in change management reduces delays, increases adoption, and improves long-term outcomes—all of which contribute to a stronger return on investment. 

A structured approach to change includes: 

• Early leadership alignment to prevent conflicting priorities. 

• Stakeholder engagement to reduce resistance. 

• Ongoing education and reinforcement to sustain adoption. 

Skipping these steps often results in inefficiencies, low adoption, and higher costs to fix problems later. 

Poor Change Management Erodes Trust—Internally and With Patients 

Change affects more than just internal operations. When healthcare teams struggle with poorly managed transitions, patients notice—whether it’s delayed care, frustrated providers, or inconsistent service. A disorganized rollout can directly impact patient trust, satisfaction, and even clinical outcomes. 

Making Change Management a Priority 

For healthcare organizations to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving landscape, they must stop seeing change management as a technical necessity and start treating it as a business imperative. By embedding structured change management strategies into every transformation effort, organizations can reduce risk, improve adoption, and ultimately enhance both staff and patient experiences. 

Is your organization treating change management as an afterthought—or as a key driver of success?