Designing Systems That Drive Better Health Outcomes

Health is increasingly shaped outside traditional clinical settings — through the systems leaders build, the environments they influence, and the decisions they make every day. Yet many conversations about health still remain siloed within the health care sector. To explore what it looks like when leaders across industries take a more active role in shaping the conditions that support wellbeing, we gathered several of the questions leaders are asking most often. 

We sat down with Heartland Whole Health Institute President Claude Pirtle, MD, MBA, MSACI, to discuss how leaders can meaningfully influence health outcomes, how care models can better reflect the needs of different populations, and how emerging and traditional parts of the health care ecosystem can work together more effectively. 

Q: What is your message to CEOs across sectors about their role in enabling good health? 

The opportunity for today’s leaders is to view health not as an add-on, but as a core aspect of their strategy for supporting the individuals who drive their organizations forward.  

When leaders take a broader view of health and well-being, it strengthens both the human experience and the organization — fostering resilience, deeper engagement, trust, and a sense of shared purpose. Those elements matter to employees, and they also contribute to long-term stability and performance of not only the corporation but also the individual and their families. True health transformation is achieved when well-being is embedded as a strategic imperative, not regulated to a support role 

Q: How should leaders think about balancing inperson and digital interventions? 

The real opportunity isn’t deciding between inperson or digital — it’s understanding the specific needs of the populations we serve and designing care models that respond to those needs with precision. 

In-person care remains essential for situations that require human presence, clinical examination, or complex, high-acuity clinical interactions. 

Digital tools, including AI, can strengthen continuity, reduce friction, and enable earlier action. What matters is fit: matching the right approach with the right individual at the right moment and the right intensity in their health journey. 

Leaders who get this right aren’t asking, “How much can we virtualize?” They’re asking, “What does this population need — clinically, socially, culturally, behaviorally — and which modality best meets that need?” 

For example, the Institute is piloting a Health Care Transformation Demonstration Project in Arkansas, focused on reversing chronic cardiometabolic disease and exploring value-based payment models.  

The emphasis is not on digital versus in-person — it’s on deploying interventions in a way that truly changes health trajectories. And that requires understanding the population first, not the technology – knowing a one-size fits all approach is insufficient. 

Q: How do you see the traditional health ecosystem and new intervention partners working together? 

The most outdated idea in health care today is that traditional clinical settings alone can carry the full weight of improving population health. Primary care providers, specialists, and hospitals remain essential — they anchor safety, diagnosis, and long-term clinical accountability. That has not changed. 

However, demands on the system now exceed its original capacity. New partners are essential — not as outsiders, but as trusted collaborators — working alongside healthcare systems and providers to broaden their reach and strengthen their impact.  

The future isn’t about replacing one model with another. It’s about building an ecosystem where: 

• Clinical providers maintain accountability for diagnosis and medical decision-making. 

• New partners and team members support daily life — helping people sustain behavior change, navigate social barriers, and receive proactive support. 

• Value-based approaches align incentives, so providers are rewarded not for high utilization, but for enhanced outcomes. 

This approach also underpins the Institute’s cardiometabolic demonstration work, which brings proactive clinical, behavioral, and social interventions together in a coordinated model rather than as fragmented services. The intent is simple: create a structure where every part of the system contributes to improving outcomes, not just responding to problems after they arise. 

The leaders who will shape the next decade of health care are those who can see beyond the walls of the clinic and understand that health is impacted where people live, work, and make decisions — not just where they receive care.