Engaging in Service Innovation and Management

While developing plans for innovative healthcare services and processes, you'll find that true change can only take place when leaders are engaged and are able to define what success not only should look like but also how to measure that success. In this module, we will consider various aspects of measuring organizational change, from the role of consumers in measuring outcomes to the balance of efficiency and effectiveness in service. You will examine specific techniques, such as Value Stream Mapping, that inform the practical development and implementation of measurement in healthcare organizational design.

The healthcare organization is routinely impacted by external factors such as governmental regulations, relationships with insurers and payers, and organizations throughout the wider community context. It is well-established that community and social factors such as financial status/stability, physical environment, education, and housing stability are powerful drivers of health status of patients even before they may seek medical care. This module will explore treatment and care delivery to disparate populations as it pertains to the design and evaluation of process improvement efforts, as well as other external factors that must be identified and accounted for in process improvement. Understanding and monitoring external factors will ensure that the healthcare organization remains competitive and is able to nimbly shift priorities as the external context evolves.

In this module, we will examine the challenges in bringing about organizational change. Organizations are comprised of people, tools, and processes. Resistance to change existing processes and workflows in healthcare organization is a hurdle that leadership and management can address through effective communication, team building, and fostering a sense of trust and purpose. This module will explore those tactics, as well as provide insight and examples of challenges on the side of the patient or consumer receiving the healthcare services.