Healthcare Learning from Other Sectors

Healthcare Learning from Other Sectors

The healthcare industry is slow to adopt innovative processes that not only revolutionize the way healthcare is delivered but also strengthen the workforce. Healthcare is a rapidly changing entity, where the focus is now on population health putting added pressure on acute care settings to be creative when it comes to change management that elevates the quality of care and minimizes costs. With the abundance of change in healthcare, there remains a moral duty to uphold best practice across all settings. Best practice demands that healthcare businesses look outside into other industries to see what inventive techniques, processes, and technologies have enhanced the success of these trades.

Operational Practices

Innovative operational practices entail moving away from existing modes and implementing groundbreaking changes that restructure current operations that maximize success. Operational innovation played a significant role in Wal-Mart’s success with the company transforming the way it purchased and distributed its products through a process called cross-docking (Hammer, 2004). Cross-docking allowed for the immediate delivery of goods directly to stores, diminishing the need to store products which ultimately led to lower costs for the company and the consumer.

Healthcare reform and payer expectations have forced acute care hospitals to restructure themselves in a manner that looks at promoting population health and reduce utilization (Wagner, 2013). Amazon entering the healthcare world to supply medical resources is an innovative concept because costs related to labor and supplies create some of the most significant expenditures. Amazon Business is in a prime position to distribute medical supplies directly to acute care hospitals in a more cost-effective manner, reshaping distribution methods in healthcare (Freeman, 2018). Introducing Amazon into the distribution process is an example of how acute care hospitals can initiate revolutionary operational practices and technology.

Management Techniques

Business sectors outside from healthcare who exhibit openness to and skill in accepting new ideas outside their walls demonstrate inventiveness when faced with industry challenges (Wagner, 2013). Leaders in acute care settings are less successful when faced with obstacles because they tend to harbor unrealistic views surrounding the presence of high-quality care and believe their industry is unique and not capable of learning from other business trades. The Whirlpool Cooperation has been a pioneer when it comes to innovative management techniques, immersing its new employees with the brand and its competitors’ brands, allowing for a deep understanding surrounding the organization and its culture. This on-boarding experience strengthens Whirlpool’s workforce, providing new candidates with an opportunity to self-reflect, grow, and learn how to work as a team effectively (Porter, 2014).

Hospitals need to embrace looking outside their walls and take the lead from other industries that exhibit superior customer satisfaction and employee engagement. Leaders who provide feedback and opportunities for growth increase overall self-esteem and performance among staff (Doody & Doody, 2012). Memorial Hospital of South Bend introduced a program where employees can visit other businesses to learn and develop new ideas. After attending the Whirlpool Cooperation, the outreach group from Memorial Hospital was inspired by the company’s innovative training center and established the Innovation Café. The Innovation Café was started to cultivate an organizational culture where creative thinking and sharing is encouraged and valued (Wagner, 2013). The restructuring of acute care requires leaders to maintain sustainability, promoting a culture of continuous improvement where the workforce is engaged and adaptable.

Conclusion

Healthcare organizations and providers are faced with the challenge of improving services and practices while considering costs. Information from various sources is necessary to securing successful choices. Both healthcare and non-healthcare industries need to adjust the definition of quality and quality standards with the evolution of time and advancements in technology. The healthcare industry has a lot to learn about innovative quality improvement from manufacturing and service industries. Willingness to adapt to maximize performance and employee engagement warrants examining other sectors worth mirroring for innovative concepts.


References

Doody, O., & Doody, C. M. (2012). Transformational leadership in nursing practice.British
Journal of Nursing, 21(20), 1212-1218. doi:10.12968/bjon.2012.21.20.1212

Freeman, G.A. (2018, February 19). Supply chain is natural step for Amazon, potential boon for
CFOs. HealthLeaders Media. Retrieved from http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/finance/supply-chain-natural-step-amazon-potential-boon-cfos

Hammer, M. (2004). Deep change: How operational innovation can transform your company.
Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2004/04/deep-change-how-operational-innovation-can-transform-your-company

Porter, D. (2014). Whirlpool Corporation’s real innovation: How the global appliance
manufacturer’s one-of-a-kind program for new hires jumpstarts careers. GO,
(12)1, 4-8. Retrieved from https://www.ddiworld.com/DDI/media/gomagazine/GOMagazine_Summer2014_ddi.pdf?ext=.pdf

Wagner, M. (2013). Bringing outside innovations into health care. Harvard Business Review.
Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2013/10/bringing-outside-innovations-into-health-care