Operational priorities have certainly undergone a significant shift since the start of 2020. With the discovery and subsequent rise of Covid-19, healthcare executives have been forced to put their transformation goals on the backburner to focus on the prevention of the aggressive and ever-present disease. 

However, this may be a mistake. Since the start of the year we have seen that those organizations that prioritize restructuring initiatives are often the ones best situated to deal with radical change. Modern problems require modern solutions and by adopting a strategy which focuses on the ongoing innovation of healthcare operations, you can help to surface these solutions as you go, rather than once the damage has been done. 

How do we drive innovation where healthcare operations are concerned? 

Covid-19 is the greatest test that our governments and health systems have faced during peacetime and consequently, our ability to react meaningfully to crisis has become a pressing concern as 2020 and the pandemic have worn on. Therefore, building an effective system which manages population health is vital, it seems that driving a new kind of “operational innovation” is the answer. 

By increasing the flexibility of our healthcare operations, models and systems we can enable care providers to identify and focus on specific areas of concern, whilst targeting resources where they are needed to reduce the impact of the virus. The big question is this – how is operational innovation achieved? 

How should executives look to achieve Operational Innovation? 

Effective Innovation in a healthcare operations system cannot be achieved overnight but for executives looking to drive change across their systems and industry, they should employ the following four-stage strategy to see them there. 

Culture Evolution – The groundwork must be laid for any sort of operational innovation to occur and this is why evolving or altering the organizational culture is so important.  Cultures averse to change create room for conflict and will cause stagnation. Instead, executives should look to build cultures which promote innovation and collaboration from within. 

According to SHRM 1 in 5 employees have left a job due to workplace culture and 58% of those who left a job due to culture, claim people managers are the main reason for their departure. The healthcare industry cannot afford to lose staff now, and executives should be looking to address their culture as a matter of course to respond. 

Data-Driven Strategy 

Growth can only occur through learning. Executives must invest in systems that track organizational successes, failures and anything in-between with a library of content that they can draw from at a moments notice. Companies often ignore the information directly in front of their faces and as such they’re neglecting the tips and tricks that they need to overcome potential obstacles in their industry, as well as evolve regardless of time or trend. 

Many organizations are failing in their efforts to become more data-driven in this way. According to NewVantage Partners’ 2019 Big Data and AI Executive Survey, 72% of executives reported that they had yet to forge a data culture and 69% reported that they had not created a data-driven organization. The healthcare industry simply cannot afford to replicate this and should look to institute an effective resource library immediately. 

New Technology Adoption 

The healthcare industry sits at the intersection between innovation and technology and should look to embrace new opportunities to advance their offering, or risk losing out to their competitors. Interoperability, AI and IoT are proven change agents and should be prioritized to help build a strong infrastructure to build and scale with the times. 

Industry Collaboration 

The healthcare industry can afford to collaborate where other industries – due to competition – cannot. Coming together to tackle Covid-19 and pulling from one another’s skillsets could help to reveal solutions that others are not considering, or simply had not been possible before. 

Speeding up processes, delivering meaningful change, beating Covid-19. These are the current aims of healthcare organizations worldwide and represent the gold standard whilst building towards the future. Innovation of healthcare operations is a vital part of realizing this potential and this is why it should be on the radar of any industry leader looking to improve their systems in the day-to-day. 

Continue the debate at the NG Healthcare Digital Summit NA, a GDS Summit, where we bring together senior Banking executives who are actively seeking to share, learn, engage, and find the best technology solutions. 

GDS Group hosts experts to help experts. We strive to provide an atmosphere for our attendees that enables them to confidently lead their companies through major transformation projects. For information on upcoming events, view our Digital Summits. To remain current on our activities, visit GDS Group on LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter.