The Hidden Risks of Capacity Complacency

The Illusion of Stability in Healthcare

Healthcare is in constant motion. With retail giants stumbling in their pursuit of care delivery, to marketing leadership models being rewritten, to the myth of “fullness” masking deeper financial risks, change isn’t coming, it’s already here.

The Mirage of Disruption

Walgreens’ decision to split into five separate companies is a signal that the much-hyped “funnel wars” may be faltering. On paper, Walgreens had the right pieces: scale, footprint, and assets across the continuum of care. In practice, the vision collapsed under the weight of execution.

The lesson for health systems is to not assume outside entrants will simply outmaneuver legacy providers. Disruption is never guaranteed. But don’t assume they’ll give up either. Retail, tech, and consumer brands are still circling healthcare, and some will find their foothold. For health systems, this is no time to retreat. Keep innovating, keep evolving, and learn from the failures of others.

Leadership Without Labels

At the same time, the CMO role itself is shifting. Fractional and interim CMOs are no longer stopgaps—they’re becoming a part of a bigger strategy. Organizations are “dating before marrying” or even rethinking permanent roles altogether.

That might sound like instability, but it’s also a recognition of reality. Different seasons call for different leaders. Some thrive in transformation, others in steady state. For healthcare, where marketing is under pressure like never before, the takeaway is clear: value the outcomes, not the titles. Whether full-time, fractional, or interim, leadership that drives growth and alignment is what matters.

Full Isn’t Growth

Perhaps one of the most dangerous myth in healthcare today is that “full” equals success. Beds filled. Waitlists stretching months. Primary care panels closed. It looks like demand is booming—but looks can deceive.

Being full doesn’t mean you’re balanced. Many systems are full in one area but underutilized in others. It doesn’t mean you’re financially sound. Payer mix matters, and without enough commercially insured patients, fullness can actually deepen financial strain. And it certainly doesn’t mean you’re efficient. Cancellations, no-shows, and attrition create constant leakage that too often goes unaddressed. The truth is that “fullness” without growth is a trap. It lulls leaders into complacency when they should be pushing harder to optimize, rebalance, and reinvent.

What Strategic Leaders Do Next

Strategic leaders don’t accept “we’re full” as the end of the story. They see it as the start of a harder, smarter conversation. They look across service lines to balance demand. They align marketing with finance to attract the right payer mix. They close efficiency gaps with better data, better technology, and better patient communication. Most importantly, they don’t conflate activity with progress. They know that being full today says nothing about sustainability tomorrow. Growth, meaning real, strategic, future-proof growth—requires constant vigilance.

The opportunity is to move beyond full. To redefine growth not as volume, but as balance, sustainability, and impact. For those willing to challenge the status quo, this is the moment to act.

Read our latest blog, “You’re Full, But Are You Growing?” here.

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