Digital innovation has ushered in an era of extraordinary convenience across consumer-driven industries. Today, consumers in areas such as retail and banking experience highly personalized, streamlined interactions that fit neatly into the chaos of modern life. Conversely, the healthcare industry has either been reluctant to, or incapable of, keeping pace with these industries when it comes to consumer-facing innovations. While advancements in clinical care — such as the rise of genetic medicine — have abounded in recent years, many industry decision-makers have been reluctant to overhaul longstanding processes and workflows in favor of holding tight to the status-quo and fee-for-service thinking.
This, however, is changing.
More and more hospitals and health systems are bringing on tech-savvy executives — in either established roles or newly inaugurated positions, such as chief digital officer — to drive innovation in care delivery and patient engagement, among others.
Although hospitals and health systems have intensified efforts to make their operational processes more innovative in recent years, the desire to do so isn't exactly new for many executives. They have craved innovation for much longer. According to a handful of executives who spoke with Becker's during a roundtable discussion sponsored by Bank of America, the healthcare industry's sluggish progress on operational innovation can be attributed more to a set of challenging circumstances and limited resources rather than a lack of will.
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