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Leading Forward: What It Means to Be an MSP Leader in an Evolving World

By Brianna Foulkrod, CPCS, CPMSM

Not long ago, leadership in our field looked a lot like managing a checklist. Keep the files clean. Know the regulations. Get through the audits. If you were really on top of things, you trained the new hire and made sure the physician didn’t expire mid-procedure. Leadership meant being the person who could answer every question without skipping a beat.

But the world changed, and so did the job.

Today’s medical services professionals are navigating more than credentialing cycles and payer rosters. We’re working in a healthcare system that is constantly evolving, burnout is high, regulations shift overnight, and the line between departments gets blurrier every year. That old style of leadership — rooted in control, perfection, and hierarchy — doesn’t hold up anymore.

And honestly, thank goodness.

Because leadership today isn’t about knowing it all, it’s about knowing yourself.

In the last few years, I’ve watched colleagues who were once seen as “strong leaders” burn out under the pressure of trying to be everything to everyone. I’ve watched others, quiet and steady, rise to meet challenges with empathy and clarity, not bravado. I’ve seen titles matter less and character matter more.

Leadership now looks like this:

• Sitting down with a provider who’s frustrated with a process you didn’t create and listening anyway.
• Admitting to your team when you missed something, then owning it and fixing it.
• Protecting your staff’s focus time, even if it means pushing back on unrealistic deadlines.
• Leading the meeting even when you’re not the one with the highest title in the room.

These aren’t things you’ll find in a bullet-pointed leadership guide. They’re learned in the trenches. In hallway conversations, late-night file corrections, and performance reviews that turn into coaching sessions.

There’s one key lesson that sticks with me. A few years ago, I had a team member who struggled to meet turnaround times. The instinct was to push harder, track the numbers, and tighten the process. Instead, I paused and asked a different question: “Is everything OK?”

What followed was a conversation about caregiving responsibilities, lack of support at home, and fear of being seen as incapable. We adjusted expectations temporarily and added support. Not only did her performance improve, but her loyalty to the team never wavered. That moment taught me more about leadership than any management training.

The leaders of tomorrow, especially in our field, don’t just manage workflow, we manage trust.  That kind of leadership doesn’t require a certain personality or style, it requires clarity, humility, and courage.

Clarity to say, “This is the standard, and here’s why it matters.”

Humility to say, “I don’t have all the answers, but I’ll find out.”

Courage to say, “That’s not how we treat people here,” even when it’s uncomfortable.

There’s a misconception that to lead in healthcare administration, you have to stay unemotional or detached. The truth is that this work is deeply human. Every provider file, every onboarding, every delay — these things affect real lives. Leading in this space means staying connected to that reality and guiding your team through it with steadiness and grace.

What’s next for leadership in our field? I think it looks like more of us showing up fully. Not pretending we have it all together, but building systems that support each other when we don’t, encouraging feedback without punishment, saying “thank you” more often, making room for new ideas, even if they come from the intern, and investing in the growth of our teams … not just professionally, but personally.

It also means redefining success, not just by the speed of application processing, but by team retention, cross-department collaboration, and the mental health of the people doing the work. Metrics matter, but so do culture and integrity.

I won’t pretend I have it all figured out. I still get it wrong sometimes and have to learn things the hard way. I’ve learned that people don’t follow titles. They follow consistency, kindness, and someone who tells the truth, even when it’s hard.

To the MSPs and Provider Enrollment professionals who are leading today, and to those who will lead tomorrow: Your work matters more than you probably give yourself credit for. You don’t need to be the loudest voice in the room, just the one people trust when it’s time to do the hard things.

If you’re showing up every day with a clear head, a good heart, and a willingness to grow, you’re already leading.