I am not proposing that all apps in the care continuum should be subject to FDA approval, but buyers should require high levels of evidence of efficacy, information should be shared and deployments should be closely monitored. Groups like NODE Health (Network of Digital Evidence) are working to move this agenda forward because they know how effective it can be.
Build innovation before you innovate
Innovation is not just about deploying cool technology. It starts simply with the intention of an organization to innovate. This needs to be clear and internalized throughout an organization through declarations of some form of “We want to innovate.” Then it’s about building a culture around that seed of intention to support inclusive innovation that cuts across the organization (vertically and horizontally).
This can take the form of inviting new ideas from all corners or simply holding educational events to inform employees about cutting-edge industry developments (and not just for caregivers). From there you can develop a pipeline or set of practices to move projects from identifying needs and ideation to exploration, evaluation and strategy to experimentation and piloting through to deployment and continuous improvement.
This pipeline should be transparent and, like drug development, a narrowing funnel (with key gates along the way) encourages a high volume, acknowledges “failure” as part of the process and — most importantly for our purposes — inoculates against BSOS.
Focus on impact
The evaluation of any project is going to always be subject to standard ROI analysis. But it’s critical to establish key impact criteria up-front and center them around the two most important personas on the medical stage: patient and caregiver.
How will this impact medical outcomes? How is the patient experience altered? What happens to caregiver engagement and productivity? These existential health care questions should be continually returned to as barometers of value.
Change in health care is destined to feel more like evolution than revolution, but the important part is for it to happen. While the pace of transformation can be frustratingly slow and even disheartening at times, avoiding the temptation of BSOS can help prevent wasting valuable resources and time — a pitfall that can contribute to the feeling of treading water.
About the author: Jay Erickson heads up global operations at Modus, a digital innovation studio. A leader in the use of technology to enhance business operations, Erickson has helped develop and integrate tools to drive efficient, transparent workflow and communications for Modus and its clients.Back to HCB News
