by
Sean Ruck, Contributing Editor | November 07, 2018
From the November 2018 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Part of the reason it was possible to work through all the different ideas and backgrounds had to do with the support, starting at the CEO, down through the C-suite and the frontline staff. “Everyone believes in the idea that innovation is not only important, but a core value,” Rizvi said.
To determine how the process is going, he said there are two main success criteria. For example, on the subjective side, there’s the focus on improving patient experience. Feedback is gathered through surveys and testimonials. The more objective items would be the hard metrics tied to reducing costs and generating revenue. “I think on both fronts, we’re making significant process. In the beginning it was about improving the patient experience and as time has gone on, we’ve been able to shift some focus to the hard metrics.”
Rizvi said that aside from newly released, beta only technology – which is even selectively available in the U.S. – most technology is very easy to obtain Beyond the technology, the work with the staff in direct contact with patients has proven invaluable. “They’re often the ones that have the really good ideas, but traditionally, if you’re not at the highest level of leadership, those ideas aren’t acted on,” he said. So part of the work from the start was to build a culture and process where people are encouraged to speak up and contribute. Others can then comment on the ideas, support the ideas, and once the good ideas rise to the top, they’re reviewed by the innovation board to determine if they’re cost-effective and if there are any issues that need to be addressed. “We then either move forward with the ideas or drop them, but we let the people know why a decision was made,” Rizvi said. A pitch day is then scheduled where the originator gets to explain his or her idea to colleagues.
Rizvi believes the successes of Sidra Medicine could be replicated elsewhere – if organizations are willing to take some level of risk and if they’re willing to put faith in their people. “There’s definitely a learning curve involved, but you have to accept the fact that it’s okay to fail during the journey. If you fail, it doesn’t mean there wasn’t something valuable in going through a process, it’s only if you don’t build off that experience to make things better that it’s a wasted effort.”
As for his feelings on whether he’d go through this process again if he had the opportunity? “Absolutely. One thousand percent. I get to do my dream job innovating in the health care space.”
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