Abstract
There are ways to facilitate the successful implementation of technological innovations. These are especially important in a time of rapid development of new tools to support safe and effective medication therapy. This installment addresses some of the key components of a successful technology innovation strategy.
All industries, and health care specifically, need to prepare to be responsive to a rapidly changing environment. There is a distinct lag in the adoption of existing and readily available technologies into operations, and an even greater deficit exists in the planning process for potential technology breakthroughs. We believe that pharmacy managers can lead their personnel through a process that will yield increased efficiency and effectiveness and speed up the adoption and implementation process for a broad array of technologies that are present and those to come.
Consider how technology can now be implemented to support a closed loop system. A closed loop system allows for real-time transactions across the entire continuum of care. Originally, the pharmacy department was chosen to be the first to receive computer systems, because it was the only health care discipline in which the majority of practitioners were seen as being stationary enough to utilize the then refrigerator-sized workstations. Years later, mobile technologies began to emerge for providers from every discipline and specialty. And today, many pharmacy departments have failed to utilize this infrastructure to the extent possible.
Disruptive and transformational technologies are continuing to emerge on a daily basis. These can benefit health systems, especially as accountable care organizations and other population health patient management funding systems are established. If a piece of the puzzle does not currently exist with the capabilities or price point needed to be practical in your organization, would it be beneficial to have a vision that looks beyond your current operations? Would your coworkers be willing to “dream big” on how to better utilize existing technologies while preparing for next-generation innovation?
Let's get started. Does your department have anything that resembles an innovation strategy? This strategy can be responsive to what competitors are doing in your community, or it can combine with a plan for responding to marketplace opportunities. One client we are working with just had the health system that is their major competitor in their city be acquired by a large corporation. Everything that they currently take for granted in their approach to health care may need to be re-examined due to this change. Your health system may be approached by a major employer in your community with a population health opportunity. You may come back from a national meeting after viewing a handful of new technologies that have been launched on the exhibit floor. In each of these situations, your department would benefit from having an innovation strategy.
Your strategy should identify the overall goals of what you're trying to accomplish. Each goal should be prioritized from both a competitor and marketplace perspective. You should also define a process to identify, acquire, test, and determine the suitability of each innovation for implementation in your health system. We have a template for conducting a rigorous technology evaluation that allows for 5 products to be evaluated based on how well each one matches a set of criteria. At the end of the evaluation process, the tool produces a chart showing which product best matches the predetermined criteria and calculates the overall cost of implementation and operation of the new technology being considered. We would be happy to supply you with a few versions of this tool upon request.
The next consideration for your innovation strategy assumes that collaboration within your organization will be necessary. We hope that you are blessed with a progressive and visionary C suite. Your CEO's and CIO's approach to innovation, in particular, will be critical to your departmental success in any technology-based endeavor. Interoperability is a challenge within the confines of the technology employed in an individual pharmacy department. The complexity of connectivity increases exponentially. Increasingly, we need to utilize technology across a multidisciplinary team approach that will also include patients, their families, and nonprofessional caregivers. Internet browsers on any computer, tablet, or smartphone can serve as the common denominator platform for most if not all forms of transaction communication.
It's time to talk money and personnel resources that will be necessary to shepherd your innovation toward successful implementation. Usually, businesses that offer technologies and systems that are supporting innovation within your health system will be more inclined to work on a pilot implementation of your innovation. Technology companies are often looking for a proof of concept validation of their services; they may be willing to supply you with products and resources in order for you to evaluate their products and services and provide feedback. In some instances, these business units may support the entire evaluation process but other community resources, including those specifically connected to your health system, can be approached for support. On the personnel side of the equation, having an internal champion for an innovation is necessary for all departments who will be impacted by the technology. These technology advocates will be important not only for the initial evaluation but also for eventual rollout of innovations that prove their worth within your organization.
The final component of your innovation strategy should include the measures and the incentives that can be associated with the added work that implementing a new innovation will require. Health system changes such as the implementation of population health will often foster the need for innovation projects. Your health system is at risk for the care of that population; the metrics associated with your proposed innovation can potentially reduce these risks, especially for the patients that consume the most resources. We assume that you do not have an excess of personnel or even a large pool of monetary/nonmonetary incentives on hand. The excitement of trying something new will be attraction enough for some of your personnel, while others will complain that their plate is already overflowing. On the incentive side of the equation, you may find that some resources can be made available from the health system level of your organization or even from other disciplines that will be collaborating on a given innovation. These aspects can be associated with your prioritization criteria we spoke about earlier.
We would like to hear your thoughts and questions on this topic. Again, we can supply you with a few technology evaluation templates if you are interested in receiving them. You can reach Bill at felkebg@auburn.edu or Brent at foxbren@auburn.edu.