The Super Power All Health IT Leaders Need

The CHIME Fall Forum is right around the corner, and I am looking forward to my discussion on how to activate the superpower of innovation. Joining me on the panel will be Sarah Richardson, VP of IT Change Leadership for OptumCare, and Aaron Miri, CIO at Dell Medical School and UT Health Austin.

The role of innovation in healthcare is complicated. The healthcare industry needs innovative ideas, but many factors often kill them. Fresh ideas can die out because they’re unproven and have limited value.

On the other hand, there may be a great creative notion that delivers benefits to patients and hospitals, but bureaucracy slows the process down, and the idea fizzles out as a result. Healthcare organizations must figure out the best way to fast-track their plans from concept to product.

An essential part of the problem is that the majority of today’s outdated business strategy does not incorporate innovation. Health systems primarily focus on operations and internal process efficiencies. This inward-facing, even navel-gazing perspective causes significant issues when an organization is trying to build a culture that sparks constant innovation.

Some of the themes that stifle innovation are:

• Emphasis on operational efficiency leads to short-term focus.
• Industry-standard metrics often hinder progress.
• Lack of a centralized innovation leader causes chaos.
• Improper staffing leads to mass failure.
• Insufficient budget allocation.

During the session, will be held Monday, Nov. 4 at 1:45 p.m. as part of the AEHiA, AEHiS & AEHiT Education track, I will share the different structures that organizations have used to set up an innovation culture and governance model to be successful. Healthcare institutions must think creatively with new affiliations and partnership models to meet the strategic needs and financial demands in the current evolving market environment. The innovation framework is one area that I will share.

My fellow presenters and I will also discuss lessons we’ve learned throughout our journeys in building a business-focused IT innovation team, and discuss how to apply these methods at your own organization.