| | December 20179UTLOOK Healthcare Tech relationship. However, when it comes to healthcare, these same players tend to all follow deeply ingrained patterns of behavior which ends up pushing each another apart. I have begun using the term "Innovation Gap" to describe this unhealthy phenomenon. It's not than anyone is doing this on purpose or has any nefarious intentions, I look at it as a byproduct of the incredible pressures faced by clinicians and hospital CIO's. With all of the regulations, quality expectations and potential penalties, when something new is proposed, it's just easier to say no. Sadly they have lost sight of, or don't have the time to consider, all the potential benefits of saying yes. For example, on numerous occasions I have heard a hospital CIO say "we are an "Epic shop" (or Cerner, or Meditech, or Allscripts, etc.) and will only look at their approved vendors," which is a serious problem because technology shouldn't be dictating standards of care. On the flipside, it's equally problematic when clinicians are unwilling to consider or utilize any new technology that requires any change in process or workflow. Here is one example where the challenges of innovation are more challenging than necessary. There is a company here in Chicago called Fibroblast (in full disclosure, I am an equity holder and board member) that built an EMR-agnostic scheduling and referral management platform. It was started by a GI doc to solve the problem he had in his practice- getting patients to schedule their routine/recommended screenings. The concept itself is a no-brainer because it addresses a commonly recognized issue and the product is easy to implement. However, even though they had a solution that hospitals were looking for and one that supported cost effective population health and drives near term revenues, it took almost 3 years for them to hit their stride. This story is not at all unique to Fibroblast, for new solutions to get into a hospital or health systems, it can take a Herculean effort to overcome all of the technology questions; not issues, just questions. Innovation is never easy, but do we need to make it this hard?For hospitals and clinicians to fully enjoy all the potential benefits that HCIT can bring, everyone involved will need to have greater understanding of and appreciation for the responsibilities and challenges that others face within the same organization. Healthcare innovation, especially as it relates to technology, is quickly becoming a key determinant of success. That said, nothing stymies innovation more quickly than people who are not open to change or are unwilling to objectively assess their policies and processes. Entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs are already creating ­ and will continue to create ­ innovative solutions to address the most pressing challenges facing the industry. The way in which hospital technological and clinical leaders choose to respond to them may well be the deciding factor of who succeeds in the new world of healthcare. HTFor hospitals and clinicians to fully enjoy all the potential benefits that HCIT can bring, everyone involved will need to have greater understanding of and appreciation for the responsibilities and challenges that others face within the same organization
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