The Cost of Waiting: Why Healthcare Can't Afford Slow Decisions with Mark Van Sumeren

Healthcare leaders often blame financial pressure, labor shortages, and market forces for the industry’s challenges, but Mark Van Sumeren argues that one of healthcare’s biggest constraints is self-imposed: the inability to make decisions quickly enough.On this episode of I Don’t Care, Dr. Kevin Stevenson sits down with Van Sumeren, a healthcare strategist with more than four decades of experience spanning health systems, consulting, supply chain, publicly traded companies, and private equity-backed organizations. Together, they examine why healthcare organizations are uniquely prone to “paralysis by analysis” and why seemingly responsible delays can ultimately leave leaders with fewer and worse choices.Van Sumeren introduces the idea that “decision pace is capacity.” Every delayed decision continues consuming executive attention, staff time, analytical resources, and organizational bandwidth. Rather than advocating for reckless speed, he makes the case for deliberate speed: establishing clear decision ownership, defining the information required upfront, creating a decision window, and holding leaders accountable for reaching an answer.The conversation also explores how healthcare’s governance structures and incentive systems can unintentionally reward consensus and caution over execution. Stevenson and Van Sumeren discuss the value of measuring decision latency, creating greater accountability for outcomes, recognizing early warning signals, and adopting a “fail fast” mindset that allows organizations to change direction before an unsuccessful initiative consumes even more resources.They also turn to healthcare supply chain strategy, particularly the significant amount of nonclinical spending that often escapes the same scrutiny applied to medical supplies. Van Sumeren argues that health systems can learn from retail, manufacturing, and consumer goods companies by applying greater discipline to areas such as IT, facilities, construction, marketing, and professional services.Ultimately, the episode makes the case that healthcare does not have to abandon its mission-driven values to operate with greater urgency. Instead, leaders need structures that allow them to protect quality and compassion while making timely, accountable decisions before circumstances make those decisions for them.I Don’t Care on MarketScale: https://marketscale.com/shows/i-dont-care/Connect with Mark Van Sumeren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markvansumeren/Health Industry Advisor: https://healthindustryadvisor.com/