Scanning the Health Sector as An Industry Expert

Part 3: Discussion – Philosophies for Driving Change in Health Care

The philosophy I want to incorporate into the healthcare sector for driving the change centers around the use of technology which most people are skeptical about even in the present day. This would reduce cost, save time, and improve the access to quality care in inpatient as well as outpatient settings. As the healthcare sector continues to evolve, the idea of leveraging technological equipment can provide effective, efficient, quality, and patient-centered care to better meet the needs of healthcare providers as well as the unhealthy population of society. Today, the healthcare sector is mostly reliant on people’s ability to meet face-to-face and move around to speak to a specialist doctor.

However, the sector needs to be able to provide care remotely by utilizing current technological solutions to improve patient outcomes. In doing so, quality and efficient care can reach a broader spectrum of people who have health issues even in remote areas where people are in need of effective care (Han & Lee, 2021). For instance, many care centers around the United States do not utilize the innovative technology of telemedicine enabling phone or video appointments at the convenience of both health practitioner and the patient which would drive down costs, save time, and improve patient care outcomes. In addition, for a successful change to be implemented in the sector, the leader of the organization knows how to buffer the disturbances caused due to the innovation so that those disturbances cannot impair the process of change driven by technology (Erlingsdottir et al., 2018).

Telemedicine, I believe, is a significant change that should be a priority in the healthcare industry for driving efficient, economical, and quality care. The technology of telemedicine for real-time two-way communication provides efficient care service while enabling consultation to patients via phone calls, text messages, or video conferencing with experts from the medical field. The encompassment of this technology should be preferred to allow patients to receive care and support from industry experts from the comfort of their homes. Moreover, the remote delivery of care service through this innovative and interactive technology will also minimize the risk of exposure to various viral outbreaks and other illnesses in a hospital setting (Deluca & Enmark, 2000).

References

Deluca, J. M., & Enmark, R. (2000). E-health: The changing model of healthcare. Frontiers of Health Services Management, 17(1), 3–15.

Erlingsdottir, G., Ersson, A., Borell, J., & Rydenfält, C. (2018). Driving for successful change processes in healthcare by putting staff at the wheel. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 32(1), 69–84.

Han, J. H., & Lee, J. Y. (2021). Digital healthcare industry and technology trends. 2021 IEEE International Conference on Big Data and Smart Computing (BigComp), 375–377.

Part 4: Discussion – Transparency of Price, Quality, and Safety on Consumer Health Care Choices

In the healthcare industry, transparency is as important as the delivery of quality care to patients as it helps care consumers make informed decisions while empowering them. When the information about pricing tools, safety, and quality is transparent, consumers can make informed choices based on clear and comprehensive details. This helps in providing quality care, controlling and reducing costs, and finding a specialist or care setting that has high transparency rating (Saghafian & Hopp, 2019). Furthermore, transparency allows a care consumer to look for providers who have low ratings of adverse events in their clinical practice duration as well as the ones who offer better value for the care costs. The current example of transparency in the US healthcare industry is the Affordable Care Act of 2012 which offers pricing information visible to the general public in an understandable way (Muir et al., 2012).

Healthcare consumers’ choices and decisions have a major impact on the organization’s direction and leadership decisions as they are the major stakeholders of the care industry in driving patient-centered care. Consumers shape care leadership decisions as the care provided to a certain society is based on the needs and preferences of the patients in that particular area. While meeting the requirements of healthcare consumers in terms of personalized care, providers manage to invest in innovative technology to improve patient care and organizational outcomes on both individual as well as societal levels (Porter et al., 2015). For instance, if the unhealthy community of a certain area prioritizes preventive care measures, the healthcare providers may invest heavily in wellness programs in their care settings including hospitals and clinics.

References

Muir, M. A., Alessi, S. A., & King, J. S. (2012). Clarifying costs: Can increased price transparency reduce healthcare spending. Wm. & Mary Pol’y Rev., 4, 319.

Porter, J., Love, D., Costello, A., Peters, A., & Rudolph, B. (2015). All-payer claims database development manual: Establishing a foundation for health care transparency and informed decision making.

Saghafian, S., & Hopp, W. J. (2019). The role of quality transparency in health care: Challenges and potential solutions. NAM Perspectives, 2019.

Part 6: Discussion – Diffusion of Innovation

Everett M. Rogers’s theory presented in 1962 explains how innovation is communicated in a social system over time. The theory identifies different stages of adoption that influence the strategies and characteristics of a change as well as the choice of whether or not the innovation will be adopted. The theory explores how and why an idea and technology over time gets momentum emphasizing the role of individuals and their behaviors in adopting an innovation(Sahin, 2016). Moreover, the theory uses the law of diffusion of innovation to state how new ideas, services, or behaviors help in spreading innovation throughout the society where people of different cultures, nations, generations, ethnicities, color differences, and other defined groups can adopt a certain change on both personal and social scales (Dearing & Cox, 2018). In the context of healthcare and the advancements taking place throughout the industry, Everett M. Rogers’s theory explains how healthcare providers and consumers of care can adopt new technologies while being compatible with existing practices keeping in observation the benefits of the innovation. Moreover, the theory also encourages other stakeholders in the healthcare sector to become adapt to the implementations of the innovations within their area of practice(Kaminski, 2011).

References

Dearing, J. W., & Cox, J. G. (2018). Diffusion of innovations theory, principles, and practice. Health Affairs, 37(2), 183–190.

Sahin, I. (2006). Detailed review of Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory and educational technology-related studies based on Rogers’ theory. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology-TOJET, 5(2), 14-23.

Kaminski, J. (2011). Diffusion of innovation theory. Canadian Journal of Nursing Informatics, 6(2), 1-6.