How change management can unlock digital innovation in healthcare

Vendors should discuss a holistic approach to both technological and adaptive change when implementing new technology with their healthcare partners, said Dr John Payne, physician executive, InterSystems.

Innovation is key for all health organizations – from hospitals to mental health trusts to medtech companies – and there is a real desire to achieve it, as providers strive to provide the best possible service against a backdrop of ongoing resource constraints .

Underscoring the importance of innovation across the sector, a 2022 survey by Intersystems revealed that 71% of healthcare leaders believe it is critical to the survival of their organizations. It’s proof that healthcare organizations demand the most agile systems, equipment and treatments to help ensure optimal outcomes for their patients.

At the same time, more than four out of five respondents (81%) said that ‘accommodating patient needs’ was mostly driving innovation initiatives within their organization. This shows that healthcare leaders understand the importance of developing new ideas to enhance the care they provide or the service they provide. However, there are still many hurdles to overcome on this path of innovation. The biggest of these is the complex issue of change management.

meeting the challenge of change

Leadership teams in hospitals and healthtech firms alike recognize that change is a constant and innovation a necessity, yet stereotypes and fears about the loss of professional autonomy among senior staff are often a barrier to progress in any setting. The key to success is understanding the positive impact of new technology implementation.

Organizations must think holistically about the implementation of new technology. In particular, they need to understand the difference between technological and adaptive change, understanding the latter may be more far-reaching.

For example switching to a new MRI machine is a technology change. This is something most healthcare professionals or healthtech developers will be familiar with. Correspondingly, a well-established change path exists, meaning that there will be little concern about the impact of change going forward. In contrast, adaptive changes are less obvious, more difficult to identify, and easier to disagree with. The process of digital transformation is an adaptive change rather than a technological one.

Driving real change takes more than investing in the latest software solutions, of course, and requires stronger leadership as well as a more holistic investment in the people and culture that underpins the sector. If this is not acknowledged, understood and addressed, it will be very difficult to implement any change.

There’s a whole raft of people factors that need to be taken into account. For example, when developing new medical technology, there can often be a conflict between the needs of the organization and the developers working for it.

For an individual doctor or nurse, for example, this could mean that they have to spend more time inputting information into the system rather than directly caring for patients, depending on how they work. Recognizing this additional burden on front line staff at the outset of a digitization project is therefore important in planning and managing staff expectations.

Given the challenges mentioned above, healthcare providers who are successful with transformation programs have strong senior-level leadership at the board level.

Providers supported by medical directors and CEOs are best positioned in this regard. However, it is common for members of the senior management team to lose sight of local digital projects, become more focused (or distracted) by operational delivery, and suppress performance indicators such as sales figures or on-time delivery rates.

collaborative innovation

The final challenge to overcome is that often technology providers can operate in isolation from their customers. In the past, some IT and healthtech vendors implemented a system and then disappeared, never helping the customer understand, grow, or evolve the system.

This is not a positive approach and often leaves the customer with unanswered questions and concerns. Instead, vendors need to implement and then continually work with the customer to ensure that the system works well, increases functionality, and increases adoption.

Healthcare transformation is urgently needed to enhance patient outcomes, improve physician workflow, and optimize cost savings. But this need brings with it a corresponding need for change management, and a carefully considered and well-implemented strategy to support it. It involves stakeholders working in partnership to achieve common goals. It means focusing on people and how they can build trust-based relationships and work collaboratively to drive through needed changes.

Therefore, while there are barriers to implementing new technologies or solutions that are catalysts for positive change in healthcare, there are steps that can be taken to overcome these barriers. By working together to overcome entrenched trends and ways of doing things, and by being willing to embrace innovation, healthcare and medtech providers can overcome obstacles in their way, and innovate wholly, Can embed new technology that can drive real change in medical settings.