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Innovation to Improve Healthcare
In 2017 the United States of America spent 3.5 trillion dollars on healthcare or 18% of their gross domestic product, more than twice the average amongst developed countries (American Health Care: Health Spending and the Federal Budget, 2018). The large amounts of money spent on the healthcare system has brought their citizens some of the best healthcare in the world, yet room for innovation still exists to improve the way these patients receive their medical supplies. In order to find this innovation our team hypothesized multiple innovation strategies and products, finally deciding to develop a medical supply vending machine. Utilizing the SNIFF method of evaluation our team discusses how the product must be financed, marketed and developed so that patients in need of our services receive the care they require. Our vending machine has the potential to change the way we access medical supplies forever, creating faster and more cost-effective avenues for patients to access basic medical supplies and medication.
Team Innovation Summary
One of the indicators of a country that is doing well is the ease of access to health care services by the citizens. It is therefore paramount that every country invests in healthcare to ensure that its citizens can access health services without a lot of struggle. With this thought in mind, we came up with 5 innovative[LS1] ideas that are likely to bring medical services closer to citizens as never before. One of the ideas that we came up with is devising medical vending machines that are capable of dispensing drugs and vital medical equipment such as insulin pens, bandages, first aid kits among other medical supplies at convenient locations and at any time of the day. This innovation would make it possible for patients to access medical services without a lot of hustle that is often associated with health care where patients are forced to wait in line in order to get services needed. In order to avoid misuse of drugs, one would be required to insert their prescription from a registered medical officer into the machine before it can dispense any form of drug. However, for other medical materials that need no prescription, the machine should be programmed in manner that it can dispense without asking for a prescription. Another feature that would make this service more attractive is programming it in a manner that it can accept payments from various health insurances in form of cards which would relieve the patient the burden of having to carry cash. The second innovative idea that would also ensure that medical services are brought closer to the people is developing an app with a capability of notifying 1st[LS2] responders not on duty about an emergency that needs their attention and the exact location of the emergency via their mobile phones. Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in the United States respond to an estimated 37 million emergency calls every year. The average time for the arrival of EMS personnel to an emergency scene is seven minutes (Medical News Bulletin, 2017). All that would be required is for all the 1st responders within a given locality and who are fully qualified and duly registered to offer emergency care to register with the app and provide their contact details. In case of an emergency, all the person on the ground needs to do is to login into the app and indicate that there is an emergency that needs attention. Through a live location feature, the app should be able to pick the 1st responder who is closest to the scene of the emergency and send out a notification to them alerting them to move to the site of the emergency. With the use of this innovation, the response time to an emergency would significantly reduce and this would translate to more lives being saved. For these two innovations, the model that I find useful in evaluating their benefits is SNIFF (Strategy Need Impact Feasibility Feel). The strategy employed by the two innovations is to bring health care closer to the people which would mean less morbidity and mortality in the country. The two innovations also bridge the need for health care services that are not always accessible to most people. The impact that these two innovations will have is to reduce morbidity and mortality cases as health care needs will be met in a timely fashion and in a convenient manner. The two ideas are feasible because all that is needed is funds to distribute the vending machines and the good internet coverage in the country would make it possible for the app to be operated almost from any corner of the country. When well implemented, the two innovations would give the citizens a feeling of satisfaction knowing that their health is well catered[LS3] for as they can access services and medical supplies conveniently. The third innovation created to improve health care is to take advantage of the technological advances that modern medicine has to offer and build medical equipment that is more compact and easier to transport. The strategy behind this idea is that programs such as doctors without borders would have access to more medical equipment and supplies with the ease of transporting them. This type of equipment may also be helpful in nursing homes as well as for patients that are placed on hospice in their own homes. At times nursing homes do not have access to these types of medical supplies simply because they do not have the storage space for them. A fourth innovation formed is a smartphone application that would be used as a cost-alternative to a 9-1-1 call. This application would come, complete with triage to help categorize patients depending on the type of care and materials they need. Unfortunately, ambulances are very binary, and there is no middle ground to offer help (Townsend, 2018). This application can help individuals receive the care that they need, when they need it. Being significantly cheaper than an ambulance ride, those who do not have means of transportation of their own could greatly benefit from this. This application could have great benefits to all who use it, however; with technology comes a few setbacks as well. A few things to look out for when creating and implementing this app is to ensure that the requests for care are going through to the accurate professionals in a timely manner and that the response time from the app’s EMT’s[LS4] is equivalent, if not faster, that than of an ambulance. The last innovation idea created is to configure an at home kit that will allow patients to send blood, urine, stool, and saliva into labs for testing. The kit is designed to help those individuals that do not like visiting a doctor’s office and simply try to avoid it the best that they can. The at home kit is complete with sterile containers, gloves, labels and a training guide that will show each patient how to properly collect and store each sample so that accurate test results may be read. These kits are designed with the idea of getting individuals proactively involved in meeting their healthcare needs by allowing them to track their test results month to month. Lastly, this innovation would utilize the SNIFF method; the team designated to create and implement these kits would need to strategize the best way to form and introduce them to the public, ensure they were meeting the needs of their consumers, greatly impact how much involvement individuals have in their healthcare regimen, be feasible in how samples are collected, stored, and turned in, and allow their consumers to feel at ease when their healthcare concerns are being monitored regularly. Overall, healthcare is something that we must all be proactively involved in to ensure that with each passing year we are healthy and maintain that health. Each of the innovations provides an opportunity for healthcare professionals as well as the patients themselves to better monitor one’s healthcare needs.
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The Medical Vending Machine
As selected for further evaluation for growth and success of an innovative idea, our group has chosen the vending machine idea to be the best model for improving the health care system. Taking all proposed ideas into consideration, the SNIFF test was used to evaluate the health care vending machine through looking at the strategy, need, impact, feasibility and feel this product would bring to the public in order to make a final decision on whether to choose it as the idea to expand upon (Creative Realities, 2011). Searching the strategy behind a health care vending machine would indeed make medicines and supplies more accessible to the public and encourage people to take better care of themselves with such reminders lurking on all corners. The need for such a machine to exist is found through horrendous wait times at hospitals, pharmacies and stores even when it comes to basic medicine needs. Having medicine readily available during emergency situations can be a life saver as well. The impact this vending machine would have on the community would be of a positive and healthier tomorrow for the people would be able to take care of themselves and others more easily. With advancements in technology, feasibility of this machine and its supplies can be created through medical coverage the public already pays into, therefore creating access to these items at no additional cost. The feel this vending machine brings to the community is of a safer and healthier mission set to help people who are in need get the supplies their bodies demand at a quicker response rate.
Everyone gets sick, but more than 40 million people don’t[LS5] have health insurance, because they simply can’t[LS6] pay the monthly payment (Herzlinger, 2014). When these people get sick they have no other option than to go to the ER where they are faced with very high bills, and an out of pocket payment for their prescription. Most times these patients don’t[LS7] end up paying their hospital bills, and continue to not have insurance, because they have to pay steep co-pays. Having vending machines that dispense medication that insurance covers or is free would be very helpful to everyone. Although this is a very good idea, there are many problems that could occur that would impede the development of this idea from working. There are six forces in the health care system that really impede innovation and those are: industry players, funding, public policy, technology, customers, and accountability (Herzlinger, 2014). The health care system has many stakeholders. These players have substantial resources that will either help the innovator or make sure they do not exist. In order for the vending machine that dispenses medication to see the light of day, we would have to get these players on our side. Innovation in health care presents two financial challenges such as funding the innovations development and figuring out who will pay for the product or service it yields. Therefore, we would have to get pharmacies and health care insurances on board that if we created this vending machine it would save a lot of people who go to the ER for non-emergencies because they don’t [LS8] have medical insurance. If these patients can’t [LS9] afford medical insurance they are most likely not going to be able to afford their ER visit bill. Government regulations of health care often aid innovation, but sometimes hinder it. Therefore, we would have to have our idea in order before we pitch it to the government officials, so they don’t[LS10] turn this great idea down. Medical technology evolves and understanding when to adopt or invest is very important. If we move too quickly the needed support might not be in place, but if we wait too long, someone else might have come up with another idea like the vending machine. We must get all kinds of patients on board from the sick patients, to the elderly community who advocate for increased healthcare funding, and last but not least those who suffer from various ailments who need healthcare services. A company that recognizes and leverages consumers’ growing sense of empowerments, and actual power, can greatly enhance the adoption of innovation (Herzlinger, 2014). Empowered consumers and cost-pressured payers are demanding that health care innovators are accountable. We must show the consumers that the vending machine would be cost-effective, long term safety to the public, and be able to fulfil short-term and long-term safety requirements of regulatory agencies.
Phase 2 Project Plan
During phase two the team will develop a detailed description and innovation plan for the medical vending machine. Kaylyn Benzen will describe our innovation as well as create and finalize a name for the vending machine. This product will provide an important service to patients around the world, meeting their medical needs through convenient and efficient vending services. The team ember that will work to convey this value and service provided to our target market will be Amanda Copper. Each member will suggest a management process, methodology or model to be used to implement the vending machine. Once the group has decided on a chosen methodology, Chris McFarlain and Mariah Gomez will create a detailed implementation plan for the product. Using charts, graphs and budget tables Samuel Nanasi will increase the readability and professional appeal of the plan. The team will establish timelines for section submissions throughout weeks four and five, allowing for members to research ideas for their sections before the week of the assignment. Their respective sections will be completed and submitted to the group forum no later than two days before the final submission date, allowing for time to collaborate and agree upon the final product.
Conclusion
Our vending machine will create a more independent and efficient avenue for patients to receive medical supplies and medication, decreasing wait times at pharmacies and over-crowded emergency rooms. Through the utilization of the SNIFF method of evaluation our team found the major obstacles to the implementation of this product will be financing and government approval. With cooperation and assistance from pharmacies and major health care insurance organizations the vending machine will be able to begin providing services to patients during the initial phases of its implementation. Over the next three weeks our team will develop a detailed implementation plan for the vending machine. Our phase two plan will outline contingencies and risks associated with our implementation plan, realistic timeframes and a budget analysis needed to keep our product thriving inside the health care environment.
References
American Health Care: Health Spending and the Federal Budget. (2018, May 30). Retrieved January 19, 2020, from https://www.crfb.org/papers/american-health-care-health-spending-and-federal-budget
Creative Realties (2011). The SNIFF Test- Criteria for Early Innovation Decision Making. Catalysts for Collaboration Innovation. Retrieved from: http://www.creativerealities.com/innovationist-blog/bid/54706/The-SNIFF-test-criteria-for-early-innovation-decision-making
Herzlinger, R. E. (2014, August 1). Why Innovation in Health Care Is So Hard. Retrieved January 17, 2020, from https://hbr.org/2006/05/why-innovation-in-health-care-is-so-hard
Townsend, M. (2018, January 22). Eleven Ideas For Healthcare Innovation. Retrieved January 15, 2020, from https://tincture.io/eleven-ideas-for-healthcare-innovation-461d70b21fe6
What is the Average Response Time for Emergency Medical Services? (2017, October 5). Retrieved from https://aus.libguides.com/apa/apa-no-author-date
Team Yellow,
Nice job on this first phase of the team project! Your paper demonstrated a good understanding of the objective. Thank you for choosing one common problem that everyone could focus their innovative ideas on. As you move forward, remember our intent here. It is not to learn about a specific new product, service, or process idea; rather, it is to learn how to use a methodology to master the PROCESS of evaluating an idea (and in later phases, to move that idea through the development process). It is this process I want you to understand because then you can apply it to any idea (product, service, process) in the future. Do NOT become an expert on a particular product; DO become an expert on the INNOVATION PROCESS. My suggestion would be to label your use of innovation methodologies in future phases to make it easier to read, but also to determine that each step was addressed. For example, if you were utilizing the SNIFF method, “During the first step in the SNIFF methodology, strategy, we considered this and decided that…” Hope that poor example makes sense.
There were a few grammar and/or formatting issues, as noted along the right margin of your paper. Please make certain that each of you review these notes so any issues are addressed in upcoming phases. Super happy with your team’s dynamics and commitment to the project. Thank you to Amanda, Chris, Kaylyn, and Mariah for submitting completed PEFs. 98% (127/130)