Trimble shares tips to spread innovation in healthcare

In the second of a two-part series, Chris Trimble, MBA, the author of How Physicians Can Fix Health Care: One Innovation at a Time, spoke with Clinical Innovation + Technology about how healthcare organizations can innovate to improve patient outcomes. Trimble is on the faculty at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and The Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science.

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When asked how organizations should get started on innovative projects, Trimble said they shouldn’t spend too much time trying to develop the perfect idea. He’s currently teaching a class to mid-career healthcare executives who are assigned to deliver better care to a specific patient population. “I’m blown away by the ideas. Healthcare professionals know what is needed, they just haven’t been able to do it in the past because it wouldn’t work financially."

The real challenge, he said, is for senior execs to sign value-based contracts and recognize the power of small, full-time teams. They have to be prepared to nurture those teams because there’s always a conflict between innovation and day-to-day business.

To start building a team, Trimble suggested looking for a physician volunteer who wants a new job. “Someone who’s fed up. Find three or four more people and give that team the opportunity to serve the elected patient population in a brand new way.” These team members should have brand-new jobs, not just make small changes. He said he has noted significant enthusiasm for this process but only about 10 percent of physicians need to take this on for real change to happen. “There’s a real eagerness out there to reinvest care. There is real frustration and deep morale problems—all of which this can help address.”

When asked about the role of technology, Trimble said better EHRs are needed. But, he worries that people expect too much from new technologies. “By focusing on or glamorizing new technology and its potential to solve everything, people may be overlooking the type of innovation I’m talking about. By and large, it’s not at all technology dependent and yet delivers breakthrough results.”

When people ask if innovation can be taught, Trimble said they usually are referring to the idea generation portion. There are two challenges, however. It’s not just about ideas but execution. Most of his work is focused on execution which is “absolutely teachable.” By laying out the principles, companies can avoid making the mistakes their predecessors have made.

He is working to launch a website and seminar series specifically designed to stimulate learning interactions between physician innovators and their peers around the country.

Looking ahead, Trimble said he hopes that at least half of all U.S. patients are cared for under some sort of risk-based contract within the next two years, and “we’d have all health systems in the country fully aware of the power of full-time teams to transform care.”

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To read more from Trimble on innovation and coordination, check out the first part of our interview.