Michael Collins, director of talent strategy and workforce insights at Wellstar
Photo: Wellstar
Digital transformation is being undertaken by nearly every health system in the U.S. healthcare industry today. The key word here is transformation – which of course means plenty of change.
However, many health systems do not have a solid, scalable plan for change management. One such plan is known as the organizational change management strategy, which aligns support levels to the size and effects of each part of an effort. It can be applied to digital transformation or other big healthcare initiatives.
A tiered strategy
Michael Collins, director of talent strategy and workforce insights at Wellstar, will be talking about this approach to healthcare change management in a session titled "Scaling Change: A Tiered Strategy for Organizational Readiness" at the upcoming 2026 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition.
"This session will address a persistent and costly challenge facing healthcare organizations today – one that quietly drains hundreds of thousands of dollars each year," Collins explained.
"When projects stall, strategic initiatives lose momentum, and new technologies fail to achieve expected adoption. The root cause is often not the technology itself, but the human response to change.
"Attendees will gain practical, actionable insights into how psychological and behavioral reactions influence organizational, technological and cultural transformation," he added.
"The session will equip leaders with proven approaches to accelerate adoption, reduce resistance, and help their organizations realize the full value of their investments at a time when speed, agility and engagement have never been more critical."
While many change methodologies and consulting solutions exist in the market, they often are expensive and applied as one-size-fits-all models that fail to account for an organization's unique culture, Collins said.
A three-pronged approach
"In this session, I will share a practical example of a change model we designed specifically around our organization's culture, leadership behaviors and operational realities," he noted. "Attendees will see how we implemented a tiered change management approach that focuses on leader enablement, targeted coaching and embedded consulting practices.
"By equipping leaders – not just project teams – to own and lead change, we have begun to see measurable improvements in readiness, engagement and adoption," he continued. "Most important, leaders are developing a sustained, change-ready mindset that allows the organization to absorb and execute change more effectively over time."
One of the most impactful takeaways from this HIMSS26 session will be a shift in perspective: People are rarely resisting the change itself – they are resisting being changed, Collins said.
Building engagement
"When leaders understand the human response to change, the conversation moves from enforcing compliance to building engagement," he explained.
"Attendees will learn how enabling operational leaders to guide their teams through technical implementations – rather than relying solely on IT to drive adoption – leads to stronger ownership, better outcomes and significantly higher adoption rates," said Collins. "This people-centered approach allows healthcare organizations to turn change from a point of friction into a sustained capability."
Michael Collins' session, "Scaling Change: A Tiered Strategy for Organizational Readiness," is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in Palazzo C/Level 5 at HIMSS26 in Las Vegas.
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