Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify, analyze and develop a model to measure the interactions among different factors of organizational readiness for change in service sector specific to healthcare organization. The total interpretive structural modeling (TISM)-based readiness for change is to build a theoretical framework to understand the mutual interactions among the factors and to identify the driving and dependence power of these factors. Design/methodology/approach TISM is used to identify factors that contribute to analyze the readiness state before starting a change implementation process in healthcare. Matrice d’Impacts croises-multiplication applique´ a classement analysis is used to find the driving and dependent factors of change in healthcare. Findings This paper identified 12 factors of readiness for change from literature review followed by expert interview to understand the inner connection of factors and study inner relationships. The result says that state of affairs, recent trends in healthcare sector, technology advancement and interdependence among departments are key factors for readiness of change. Research limitations/implications This research mainly focused on readiness factors for change in the healthcare sector. Practical implications This study will be useful for researcher and practitioners to understand the readiness factors for change. Originality/value In this research work, TISM-based readiness for the change framework structural model has been proposed for healthcare organizations which is a new effort in the area of organizational change management in this sector.