06 Aug Innovation Digest – August 2019 Vol. 1

Change must occur in every sector and it’s the hardest kind that needs our perpetual attention: culture change. Repeatedly, we hear that we have all the knowledge, science, resources, expertise, technology and more to deliver care and achieve health. It’s our processes, our conflicts of interest, our attitudes and stigmas, our self-protective policies and procedures that get in the way. I don’t discount that change is complex, but I challenge all to not let complexity win. In my worldview, culture change starts with simple and doable actions. Listen to what patients worry about, need and want for their health. Shine light into patient information, clinical data, EHRs, decision algorithms and models, and relationships between all actors that (we hope) work in the service of patients first. Seek to prevent disease, injury, disability first, rather than waiting to address crisis. Meet and serve patients where they are, or a specialized academic medical center. Make health care a culture of “yes” and “how can we”, instead of “no”, “not yet”, “not unless you’re covered”, “not until you fail.”

In this issue:

• The High Costs of Unnecessary Care
• Some providers fear ‘brave new world’ of freed patient health data
• Opinion: The democratisation of information
• ‘Send Them to the ER’ – Our default for psychiatric patients
• ‘Meticulous’ study shows that value-based care works
• Patient Registries May Prove Valuable in Regulatory Decisions, EMA Study Finds
• Commentary: Advances in healthcare save lives, but not if no one hears about them
• Patients need a health system that helps them make informed decisions