Every week, medical journals bring us news of astounding scientific discoveries: CRISPR gene editing, or CAR-T cell therapy for cancer. And yet just as frequently we hear, “Why can’t health care be more innovative?” The resolution of this paradox lies in recognizing that when people lament health care’s lack of innovation, they’re referring to how we deliver services to patients. That distinction makes the paradox even starker: “So, you’re telling me that you can reprogram T cells to find and kill cancer cells, but it took four months to get my mother an appointment with a neurologist; she spent two hours in the waiting room; and then she got an exorbitant bill that read, ‘This is not a bill’?”
3 Ways Health Care Leaders Can Encourage Experimentation
Consensus is often the enemy of innovation.
October 28, 2019
Summary.
Successful health care innovation follows the pattern of successful science; it requires laboratories where experimentation is encouraged and can proceed safely so that change seems less fraught. Three approaches below can help support this essential kind of experiment: Avoiding having to seek consensus up the chain of the command; enable exceptions to the “rules” for small, quick experiments, and “free the data” by creating platforms that stand between clinicians and cumbersome legacy electronic health record systems.
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Innovation and Creativity Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Innovation and Creativity. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Unlock your team's curiosity and willingness to take smart risks.