Coaching Healthcare Executives: A Pathway to Effective Change in Accountable Care and Telehealth

Significant shifts are occurring in the healthcare sector. Thanks to the emergence of accountable care models and the explosive expansion of telehealth, healthcare companies are being pushed to do more with less, delivering improved patient outcomes while reducing costs and increasing access. As a result, strong leadership is no longer a luxury in this changing environment—it is essential.

Many healthcare organisations are seeking help from a leadership coach to assist their CEOs in learning the skills they need to lead through change as demand increases. Building the skills necessary to succeed in the modern healthcare environment may be done in an organised manner with coaching. Driving change in a system that affects millions of lives is more important than simply leading a team. 

The Role of Healthcare Executives

Healthcare executives largely determine the future of care. They are responsible for setting the goal, overseeing daily activities, managing expenses, and ensuring compliance with regulations. More significantly, they must lead their teams through substantial, often disruptive changes, including the integration of digital health systems or the transition from fee-for-service approaches to value-based care.

You may have heard about the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, but did you know that its CEO, Gianrico Farrugia, provides treatment for nearly 1.2 million patients with severe or complicated diseases worldwide, employs 70,000 people, and generates $14 billion in annual revenue? He serves as a real-life example of the transition in the healthcare industry from a linear pipeline to a platform-based paradigm. That kind of shift requires new ways of thinking, coordinating, and delivering services, so even the most brilliant inventions could fail if faced with the absence of effective leadership. 

The Power of Leadership Coaching

Making decisions is only one aspect of leadership; other responsibilities include motivating groups, stimulating creativity, and cultivating an excellence-oriented culture. Healthcare executives and leaders work in a dynamic environment where innovative medical techniques, changing regulations, and patient-centred models necessitate flexible and forward-thinking leadership. The time we are living in demands that leaders be adaptable.

Besides that, the following are some of the main advantages of leadership coaching:

• Improved decision-making
• Enhanced cooperation and communication
• Enhanced ability to bounce back from unexpected
• Increased capacity to encourage and inspire groups

Coaching helps leaders stay cool, calm, and collected during challenging periods, and it facilitates changes across organisational cultures as well. By promoting self-reflection, coaching helps leaders identify their blind spots, areas for improvement, and strengths. This increased self-awareness promotes genuine and successful leadership by empowering leaders to capitalise on their strengths and proactively address their weaknesses.

Coaching for Change in Accountable Care

Accountable Care Organisation (ACO) is a group of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers that work together to give you high-quality, coordinated care. There are also dedicated to people who historically haven’t had access to good healthcare. This means that a patient has a whole team working with and for them, ensuring that their health goals and treatment needs are met. 

Leaders have a difficult task in connecting physicians, staff, and partners around shared goals. Healthcare CEOs who receive coaching are more effective in bringing about change. They develop skills in managing opposition, fostering trust, and maintaining everyone’s focus on the goal through regular sessions. Additionally, a coach can help leaders strike a balance between immediate demands and long-term objectives for change. It enables leaders to foster chemistry within their teams and redirect their focus to what truly matters, such as patient satisfaction.

Coaching for Telehealth Success

If you think about past times, the only way a leader can access their primary care physician, primary care practice provider, or nurse is to call their office, book an appointment, and be seen in person. COVID-19 and 2020, the year of the global pandemic, changed that and accelerated the adoption of telehealth. Now they have access with just a click of a button. It serves as a valuable complement to traditional medicine. 

Although helpful, it also presents several challenges, including process improvement, provider training, patient privacy, and technology integration. Leaders in the healthcare industry must be adaptable, creative, and responsive to change.  At this point, coaching becomes beneficial. Despite constantly shifting regulations, a leadership coach helps executives maintain focus, respond quickly to new information, and enhance their performance.

For instance, a leader can benefit from coaching:

• Oversee digital transformation initiatives without becoming overburdened.

• Boost communication between virtual and in-person care teams

• Recognise the requirements of patients utilising telehealth services

Telehealth enables patients to consult with their care team members, form a partnership with them, and work together to achieve the best outcomes, as long as telehealth remains safe and effective. 

Real-World Examples 

Take the example of a sizable Midwest hospital system. The CEO and senior management collaborated with leadership coaches to gain a deeper understanding of how to effectively lead their staff during the transformation to an accountable care model.

Another specific example happened not so long ago, in 2024. Black women were pushing to diversify the healthcare industry. At that time, organisations were offering coaching for healthcare leaders to ensure they incorporate a health equity lens in their work. This initiative aims to address disparities in healthcare delivery and outcomes.