Although hospitals and health systems continue to face financial headwinds, the challenges and problems spawn new opportunities on where they can innovate, David Sylvan, Cleveland-based University Hospitals' new chief strategy and innovation officer, told Becker's.
"We're not having a great time in healthcare," he said. "There are tremendous headwinds, but these times also create incredible opportunities for us to rethink our operating model, to rethink how we can adjust our relationships with payers and our relationships with our patients and caregivers."
By innovating, healthcare organizations can find ways to do things quicker, cheaper, faster and more efficiently, according to Mr. Sylvan.
He said that as an industry, healthcare must continue to create enablement mechanisms for innovation.
"Innovation is a lifeblood," he said. "If we don't continue to relentlessly innovate, it could imply an existential risk."