The health innovators dilemma - how to connect endless & elusive dots to have impact

People value their health and, for the most part, value the health services they access in times of need. Yet many of us also foresee that healthcare is ripe for disruption. Consumers expect a simpler, more delightful and personalized experience. Policy makers and payers are looking for more efficient deployment of healthcare resources to meet growing demands with available resources. Meanwhile providers are grappling with the ever increasing specialization of medical practice, which consequently drives further fragmentation and demands on the system.

Omar Manejwala, M.D. , an accomplished psychiatrist, author and healthcare innovator, highlights these exacerbating pain points in the context of mental health - “The complexity, cost and extreme inconvenience of mental health care are ideal targets for disruptive digital transformation”. Challenges confronting the system are not unique to mental health, and indeed are confronted in primary care and across all areas of specialty practice.??

While we continuously see great scientific advances elevating what is possible in healthcare delivery, there is a compelling need to transform how healthcare is delivered, including the experience we all have of seeking best care. Many great people and organizations have been pushing for change; however, the highly fragmented nature of healthcare, necessary regulations, and misalignment of incentives have made change slow and hard. “By definition innovating in healthcare is going to be hard because all the waste is someone’s income. Status quo players are adept at raising switching costs and incentivizing inertia.” reflects Omar Manejwala.?

Healthcare innovators are left with a dilemma - how to connect endless and elusive dots to have impact. There is no doubt technology is at a point of maturity whereby it will be critical to the future evolution of this sector. However, it won’t be good enough to solve for the challenges confronted by, for example, patients without simultaneously solving for the challenges confronting providers, payers and the numerous other stakeholders invested in the system. We need to rethink the formulae for having disruptive impact in this sector. Without an obvious orchestrator to align efforts, healthcare innovators need to invest significant time creating a network of partners with complementary commitment to transformation, in addition to building their unique offering. Connecting these dots is difficult and elusive, but it is the path to unlocking broad value and redefining the future of healthcare.??

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