Recognizing the Importance of Disruption in Healthcare

During last year's annual meeting of the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua), I was excited to see a continued and increasing discussion about the disruption that is occurring in healthcare ... originating from both within and outside of the healthcare industry. I noted this in the post I write following the meeting (found here) and continue to see an increased focus in follow-up discussions from the meeting. During the conference, I provided two talks that highlighted this disruption that I promised to revisit in a later post.

Look anywhere on the internet, trade journals, social media and related resources and you'll find examples of disruption occurring in healthcare everywhere ... from new care delivery models to new technology that will forever change how we engage with our patients and provide care to them. It's an exciting time to be in healthcare, as we have the ability to shape care and ensure a viable healthcare system for generations to come. However, this excitement is often coupled with a strong sense of uncertainty and lack of clarity. While understanding future disruption in healthcare can help create further uncertainty, I believe more often it provides further clarity around ways we can successfully change healthcare and positively impact the lives of our patients. This is why we created our Center for Disruption & Innovation (CfDI) at Navicent Health which, among other things, provides a structure for understanding what disruption is coming at us through horizon scanning, and more importantly evaluates how we will appropriately relate to it. Perhaps more on this at a later time.

Key with any disruption one evaluates is asking the question "What if?" This creates an inquisitive approach to technology, care delivery, new business models, emerging market entrants, and clinical practices. During the talks I provided at ISQua's meeting in Tokyo, I provided some examples that not only drive home the importance of evaluating disruption, but also the need to consider how one can engage with this disruption to make an impact in the care organizations (hospitals, health systems, clinics, etc.) provide to patients. A few examples that I shared during the meeting:

What if … access to remote or heavily congested areas was improved to deliver life-saving services, resources or technology?

What if ... delivery of supplies and tests were expedited by innovative technology?

What if ... we could predict what possible diseases we are predisposed for by understanding our genes?

What if ... we could use our genetic data and a mapping of each person's human genome to customise care we provide to patients?

What if … a contact lens can constantly detect blood sugar levels (and diabetes) through measuring a person’s tears? 

What if ... wearables are able to provide an early warning into critical or life-threatening health situations, allowing for early & preventable treatment?

What if … we can use an "at home" test to measure our microbiome (gut bacteria) and address our "sickness" better?

What if ... our gut bacteria is able to inform our care teams and predict future disease by providing clarity into what ails us and how to treat disease? 

What if … people’s lives could be positively changed by quick, inexpensive access to needed pharmaceuticals, implants, tissues or supportive devices?

What if ... we could have easier access to needed materials through synthetically or artificially created means?

What if ... a mobile device & app can help diagnose and treat diseases like Parkinson’s Disease?

What if .. access to research globally can help patients deal with their diseases and gain access to crowdsourced and impactful treatment options?

These are just a few, very quick, examples of the disruption that is out there. As your organization continues to realize its place in the future of healthcare, think about the following questions:

• How are you leveraging these disruptions to help improve and evolve the care you provide to patients?
• How are you evaluating the impact they can have to your organization, markets and strategies?
• Is there a place for disruption in the work you do each day?
• How will you create the right innovation to achieve future disruption?

As healthcare evolves further, I believe the way we answer these questions will determine more effectively our ability to be successful and relevant in the decades to come.