The Art of the Possible: Doing Health System Innovation Right with Houston Methodist Center for Innovation

The #HCBiz Show!

Just about every health system has an innovation program, but how do they know if it’s making a difference? That’s the question we set out to explore with the team from Houston Methodist Center for Innovation. On this episode we talk with:

• Michelle Stansbury, Vice President of IT Innovation
• Brad Shaink, Administrative Director of Digital Innovation
• Josh Sol, Administrative Director of Ambulatory Innovation

They walk us through:

• Innovation Expectations: How do you set expected goals, OKRs, KPIs, etc.?
• Innovation Discovery: Where do you find solutions?
• Innovation Evaluation: How do you evaluate solutions before you pilot them?
• Innovation Pilots and Early Adoption: How do you pilot your solutions?
• Innovation Procurement: RFPs, templates, etc.
• Innovation Diffusion: Implementation, integration, etc.
• Innovation Recognition: How do you recognize teams that are doing things well?
• Innovation Failure: How do you know if an innovation has failed?
• Exnovation: How do you know when it's time to stop doing something, or to turn off legacy solutions?

Key takeaways include:

• Right-sizing your pilots: Start small and keep your efforts in line with what you are trying to accomplish.
• Metrics can be qualitative or anecdotal, but they must exist and you must be honest with yourself about whether they are being met.
• Honesty and trust are key to innovation success. If you aren’t giving honest feedback and holding one another accountable then everything falls apart.
• Startups should focus on solving the customer's problem first and avoid pushing their own agenda. If you invest in the customer's needs first, you’ll get a chance to expand the vision later.
• Make innovation a priority and develop innovation habits: The Houston Methodist team schedules “Monday Demos” each week to ensure they always have new ideas and solutions entering the pipeline. Sometimes they find a solution for a problem they didn’t even realize they had.

Links and Resources

• Connect with Michelle Stansbury on LinkedIn
• Connect with Brad Shaink on LinkedIn
• Connect with Josh Sol on LinkedIn
• Learn more: Houston Methodist Center for Innovation

Related Episodes:

• Episode 149: How Health Systems Think with Neil Carpenter (Listener Favorite)
• Episode 137: The Novation Dynamic: 3 Pillars for Healthcare Innovation Success with Michael Ackerman
• Episode 133: Keeping Your Innovation Engine Humming During the COVID-19 Crisis w/ Karen Murphy, PhD, RN (Geisinger)

This episode is brought to you by:

The Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program (STAR LRP) gives behavioral health providers up to $250,000 to repay school loans in exchange for working full-time for six years at an approved site.

Apply now through July 22, 7:30 p.m. ET.

The #HCBiz Show! is produced by Glide Health IT, LLC in partnership with Netspective Media.

Music by StudioEtar