chief innovation officer – The Health Care Blog

Rooting and Leveraging the Innovation Economy

Mar 31, 2015• 4

by GREGG MASTERS

The use of the term ‘innovation’ is getting pretty worked up lately. In fact, almost every healthcare entity whether health plan, health system, IDN or even ‘mature ACO’ (morphed from an IPA or risk bearing PHO “chassis” or “carcass” as the case may be) seem to have anointed a ‘CIO’ as in ‘chief innovation officer’ to steward the critical transformation from volume-to-value during a yet to be determined period of conflicting if not schizophrenic incentives coupled with its legacy cultural inertia.

In fact some institutions via branded ‘Centers for Innovation or Transformation‘ have made substantial investments in people and infrastructure (“bricks, sticks and platforms”) as well as the promise of the essential ‘firewall inoculation’ and separation from the ‘mother-house’ to catalyze the required re-engineering during a likely period of cannibalization of traditional revenue streams.

So the ancient Chinese curse (paraphrased below) most likely applies here:

..we live in ‘interesting times’ with both ‘danger and opportunity’ before us.

For those tasked with this challenge and fortunate enough to participate in conferences (Health 2.0, Exponential Medicine, Health Datapalooza, TEDMED to name a few of the trophy organizers) at the disruptive and transformational tip of the spear, the nature of the challenge including opportunities to meet and leverage connections of like minded and focus colleagues is a distinct strategic advantage.Continue reading…

Innovation as a Cliché

May 28, 2012• 1

By Richard Reece, MD

For the last six years, I’ve written this blog under the title “Medinnovation” with the tag line, “Where Innovation, Health Reform, and Physician Practices Meet.”

The novelty of use of word “innovation” is wearing thin. And for good reasons.

Sad to say, as a piece in the Wall Street Journal says. “Companies love to say they innovate, but the term has begun to lose its meaning.” Companies are touting chief innovation officers, innovation teams, innovation strategies, and even innovation days.

Companies last year mentioned “innovation” 33,552 times in their annual and quarterly reports.
Publishers issued 255 books in the last 90 days with “innovation” in their titles.
43% of 260 companies said they have appointed chief “innovation” officers.
28% of business schools use the word “innovation” in their mission statements.

So what is “innovation”?