"Physicians Hold the Power to Transform Healthcare — So Why Won’t They?"

“It’s not what you’re capable of, it's what you are willing to do. I know plenty of people who are capable but fewer who are willing. Will is a powerful thing. Ask yourself what you are willing to do. Everyone wants to be great, but not everyone is willing to do what greatness requires." — Mike Tomlin, Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike Tomlin Video here

Healthcare is crumbling.. Physicians are capable of creating change. They hold the knowledge, skills, and trust to revolutionize the system from within. They see the flaws up close — the administrative burdens, inefficiencies, and policies that harm both patients and providers. They know what needs to change, and they have the potential to drive those changes.

But most don’t.

Instead, the majority of physicians remain locked in a system they complain about. They focus on surviving the day-to-day grind rather than stepping up to improve the system itself. Despite being the most qualified to lead transformative change, few take the necessary steps to shake the foundations of the healthcare system.

Why?

What holds physicians back from becoming the change agents that healthcare so desperately needs?

The answer isn’t simple, but it comes down to cultural, systemic, and personal barriers. And there’s another harsh truth: even when some physicians do step up to drive change, it’s often their own colleagues who hold them back.

1. The Physician’s Dilemma: Trained to Treat, Not to Lead

Physicians are trained to be healers, not system disruptors. Medical education focuses on diagnosing diseases, prescribing treatments, and managing patient care. It rarely, if ever, prepares doctors to challenge institutional norms, push for policy changes, or confront the healthcare-industrial complex.

Medical training reinforces a culture of compliance. Doctors are taught to work within the system, not question it. They follow evidence-based guidelines, adhere to hospital policies, and complete exhaustive documentation to meet regulatory requirements. There's little room in medical school curricula for teaching leadership, advocacy, or systems-level thinking.

By the time they finish their grueling residencies, most physicians are emotionally, physically, and financially exhausted. The thought of taking on additional responsibilities beyond patient care feels overwhelming, if not impossible.

And so, many doctors find themselves stuck in reactive mode. They focus on surviving the day-to-day demands of their practice rather than stepping back to consider how they might improve the system itself.

But surviving isn’t the same as thriving. And staying quiet in the face of a broken system only perpetuates dysfunction.

2. Fear of Repercussions: The Risk of Speaking Out

In theory, physicians hold power. They are the lifeblood of the healthcare system — without them, hospitals don’t function, clinics shut down, and patients go untreated.

Yet many doctors feel powerless.

Physicians who advocate for change often face pushback from hospital administrators, insurance companies, and even their own colleagues. Speaking out can result in professional consequences — loss of job security, damaged reputations, and strained relationships with leadership.

This fear isn’t unfounded. Healthcare is, at its core, a business — and those in charge of the business side (administrators, executives, and insurers) often have different priorities than physicians on the frontlines.

Doctors who challenge the status quo may find themselves labeled as “difficult” or “disruptive.” In a system where doctors are already stretched thin, few are willing to take on the additional risk of pushing for change.

3. The Golden Handcuffs: Financial Pressures and Burnout

Physicians are financially trapped in the current system.

By the time most doctors finish medical school and residency, they’re saddled with hundreds of thousands of dollars in student debt. The pressure to earn a stable income and pay off those loans keeps many physicians in traditional, high-paying roles within hospitals or large healthcare organizations.

Then there’s burnout.

According to the American Medical Association, nearly 50% of U.S. physicians experience burnout. The relentless grind of patient care, combined with administrative burdens and regulatory requirements, leaves little time or energy for physicians to focus on anything beyond their immediate responsibilities.

It's the perfect storm:

Overworked and exhausted doctors.

Financially tethered to jobs they dislike.

Facing a system resistant to change.

In this context, the idea of stepping outside their comfort zone to advocate for change feels impossible.

4. The Comfort of Complacency

Mike Tomlin’s quote — “Everyone wants to be great, but not everyone is willing to do what greatness requires” — applies perfectly to physicians.

Most doctors want better outcomes for their patients.

They want a more efficient system.

They want less burnout and fewer barriers to providing high-quality care.

But wanting something isn’t the same as doing what’s necessary to achieve it.

Greatness requires discomfort. It requires stepping outside of the familiar and taking risks. It requires physicians to confront the uncomfortable reality that they — not administrators, not politicians, not insurance companies — hold the key to transforming healthcare.

For many physicians, the comfort of complacency is more appealing than the discomfort of change. It’s easier to continue practicing within a broken system than to confront the uncertainty and risk that comes with challenging it.

5. The Hard Truth: Physicians Hold Each Other Back

There’s a hard truth that healthcare doesn’t talk about enough:

Even when some physicians step up to advocate for change, it’s often their own colleagues who hold them back.

In medicine, there’s a deeply ingrained culture of resistance to new ideas. Rather than supporting colleagues who try to innovate or advocate for reform, many physicians instinctively dismiss or criticize them.

Why?

Because change is uncomfortable. It’s easier to shoot down a new idea than to do the hard work of making it a reality.

Some doctors fear that change will make their own lives harder — that advocating for reform will bring more work, more risk, or more uncertainty. Others are simply cynical, convinced that the system is too broken to fix.

But perhaps the biggest reason physicians resist their colleagues is ego. Medicine is a field with big egos and a rigid hierarchy. Doctors are trained to be experts — and admitting that someone else’s idea might be better can feel like an attack on their own expertise.

The result?

Physicians who advocate for change are often isolated and labeled as troublemakers. Their ideas are dismissed before they even have a chance to take root.

What Needs to Change? Physicians Must Support Each Other

If physicians are going to transform healthcare, they need more than just leadership skills — they need each other.

Here’s what it will take:

1. Physicians Must Stop Tearing Each Other Down

Instead of dismissing new ideas or labeling colleagues as disruptive, physicians need to foster a culture of collaboration and support.

When a colleague proposes a change, instead of saying, “That won’t work,” try asking, “How can we make this work?”

2. Physicians Must Build Peer Support Networks

Change is hard to do alone. Physicians need to form grassroots networks where they can share ideas, support each other, and collaborate on change efforts.

These networks can exist outside of formal hospital structures, creating safe spaces for innovation without fear of retaliation.

3. Physicians Must Embrace Discomfort

The reality is that change will be uncomfortable. It will require risk. It will require standing up to administrators, insurers, and sometimes even colleagues. But physicians must be willing to embrace that discomfort if they want to fix the system.

Final Thoughts: Stop Fighting Each Other, Start Fighting the System

The healthcare system is broken. Physicians know this better than anyone. But if doctors continue to fight each other — dismissing ideas, resisting change, and isolating reformers — the system will never improve.

It’s time for physicians to stop tearing each other down and start building each other up. The future of healthcare depends on it.

As Mike Tomlin said: “Everyone wants to be great, but not everyone is willing to do what greatness requires.”

For physicians, greatness starts with one simple change: support your colleagues who are trying to fix the system.