In his recent article, "Bringing Outside Innovations Into Healthcare," author Mike Wagner discusses how "healthcare leaders are being forced to reinvent their organizations." This need for change is being driven by the overhaul of the healthcare industry. In the past, healthcare entities have been successful by "focusing on acute care episodes and encouraging utilization," but now the landscape has changed. It is more likely that "successful organizations are able to reduce utilization, manage population health, and activate patients in the consumption (and delivery) of their own care." Mike cites how most healthcare organizations are aware of this need for change, but are struggling to find a way to drive change in their organizational structure.
Electronic health records (EHR) are rapidly being adopted by healthcare entities as well as new infrastructures and technologies. This all seems relatively simple enough, but for most healthcare organizations a successful transition is very hard. Mike Wagner cites the source of these difficulties to be the personnel involved in the transition. He mentions in his article that "humans are not wired to see contradictory perspectives" and also, "80.6% of healthcare leaders believe the quality of care at their hospital is better than the 'typical' hospital." This combination means that healthcare leaders aren't necessarily going to be the first to jump at an opportunity to change a process they already think is better than the others in the market.
In some cases it takes the forming of a specific group to enact change. Memorial Hospital of South Bend, Indiana has created a concept entitled "Innovisit". Through this, Memorial Hospital sends employees to visit businesses from other industries in order to learn about what works for them. After the visit, they discuss how some of the items they saw could be implemented to better their organization. This is one of the reasons why they have been so successful with their innovations.
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Memorial Hospital has found success through innovation, isn't it time your healthcare organization does the same? Visit our website to learn more.
