When 300 healthcare industry leaders take a full day out of their schedules to attend a virtual conference addressing “Healthcare’s Era of Disruption,” you know they’re losing sleep. The dark circles under the eyes of today’s healthcare managers are a direct result of the lack of visibility of what lies ahead and the onslaught of ambiguity, regulatory complexity, and financial pressures. The rate of change is heart-stopping and leaders are waking up to the reality that they can’t go it alone. The only comforting factor for most is the recognition that we’re all in it together.
The conference was designed to share insights, from navigating the complexity of an aging population to new rules for leadership in an era where the only constants are values and ethics. Here are a few key takeaways.
SURVIVING THE STORM
In the coming years, the advantage will swing to those healthcare organizations that can continuously adapt to the constancy of change. Developing new leadership skills, social architectures, and operating systems for dealing with disruption is paramount for survival. The challenge is to find ways that you can adapt your organization while still conducting daily business and serving your customers. Building the plane while it is already in the air is more than just an anecdote. Becoming more adaptable is challenging but the pursuit of flexibility and agility can reignite passion and creativity in your workforce.
DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION DEPENDS ON ENGAGED WORKFORCE
The engagement and alignment of your workforce defines the culture on which high performance and innovation survive. Research shows that less than one physician in ten is fully engaged with the profession, and seven in ten are either not engaged or actively disengaged. Innovative solutions and their diffusion are necessary for the survival of any healthcare organization but the adoption of new solutions and responding to the environment requires the unengaged to re-engage and actively own the best solutions.
INTEGRATING THE VOICE OF THE PATIENT INTO CARE
As healthcare rapidly transitions into an era where profitability is determined by the outcome of patient care, it’s more critical than at any time in the past to understand the ultimate customer—the patient. The days of fee-for-service are rapidly disappearing into the rear-view mirror and providers are struggling, not only to understand the data in front of them that will determine reimbursement but also what to do about it. The view from the patient perspective is the single common denominator that can provide the vantage point from which to decipher and take action.
At the end of the day, the most important takeaway is that legacy practices will no longer work in today’s new world, and fresh approaches may be required to remain competitive and even survive.
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