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Innovation in Action

A practical guide for healthcare teams

D. Scott Endsley, MD, MSc

Director, Innovation and System Design
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio
USA

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Foreword

In any business, leadership and innovation are essential to success in a competitive environment. We are particularly challenged in healthcare by the complex and often perverse payment and regulatory environment in which we operate. All too often, our mental models of what we have done in the past get in the way of thinking about how things could be in the future. To stay on top, healthcare organizations must constantly find new efficiencies while improving service, quality, and reliability.

Sustained organizational change takes real leadership. Creating and communicating a clear vision that all can understand begins the process of change. Everyone must be empowered to contribute in some way toward the desired future state. They must be able to see day-to-day progress in some meaningful way to stay engaged. This book will serve as a step-by-step guide to begin fostering a culture of innovation in your organization.

Healthcare organizations must intentionally instill a culture of improvement and innovation. It does not just happen by accident. Through a series of building blocks, tools, and scenarios, Dr Endsley has assembled a handy field guide to help your team develop a habit of idea generation and innovation. In succeeding chapters, you will see the importance of prototyping and testing ideas to make sure they work in the real world. Once these innovations have been tested, it is important to integrate and align promising new ideas throughout the organization.

Innovation in Action is the catalyst you need to get your people and your organization started on the important journey to a culture of improvement and innovation.

Bruce Bagley, MD

Past president, American Academy of Family Physicians

Medical Director for Quality for AAFP

February 2010