Introduction: What's considered "impossible"—is it actually possible?
The world of healthcare that we face every day: soaring costs, long waiting times, regulatory hurdles... Solving these challenges is not easy.
However, considering the way of thinking demonstrated by Steve Jobs, even things that were said to be "impossible" might actually be possible.
This article explains in detail why innovation in the healthcare industry has been slow, how telemedicine expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what three key points can help us initiate change.
From a "negative reality distortion field" to "positive"
Let's get straight to the point. Steve Jobs had a remarkable ability to get his development team to accomplish things that they told them were impossible. Apple's development engineers called this the "reality distortion field."
Specifically, there's an anecdote about Jobs asking the project team to shorten the startup time of ProtoTime. When the team member began explaining that it was impossible, Jobs countered with, "If it saves people's lives," and the team ultimately succeeded in reducing the time by 28 seconds.
Unfortunately, the current US medical industry has not been able to escape this "reality distortion field." Rather, it is deeply trapped in a "negative reality distortion field."
What will the result be?
- Costs continue to rise
- Healthcare workers suffer from burnout syndrome.
- Patients will have difficulty accessing medical care.
- Innovation that overcomes regulatory barriers is not occurring.
The key to solving these challenges lies in learning a mindset like Steve Jobs' and continuing to challenge even those things that are considered "impossible."
Why did telemedicine explode in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Here's some interesting data: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the utilization rate of telemedicine in large healthcare systems was only a few TP3T.
However, within just one month of the COVID outbreak, more than 751 TP3T of healthcare services nationwide became telemedicine! This is truly an astonishing transformation that turned the "impossible" into the "possible."
Why did it change so rapidly? The main reasons are the following three:
Point 1: The organization responded quickly for survival.
While the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) frequently criticizes bureaucratic stagnation, the COVID-19 pandemic forced "rapid innovation for survival." This led to the removal of regulatory barriers and improvements to infrastructure.
Point 2: Patients' and families' requests for flexible access
Despite little significant progress in telemedicine over the past decade, COVID-19 highlighted the strong desire for flexible access to it among patients and their families. Organizations responded to this need.
Point 3: The Importance of Data and Transparency
CMS has removed regulatory barriers by guaranteeing reimbursement for virtual consultations to protect beneficiary access. To unlock new possibilities, data transparency from management to the front lines is essential.
Three things that need to change in the healthcare industry right now
Now, let's discuss specific actions. Keep the following three points in mind.
1. Focus on the process, not just do checks.
Many medical facilities tend to be satisfied with just a "green checkmark." However, Toyota Motor Corporation conducts more than 2,000 quality checks before delivering a vehicle to a customer. It's not enough for a single person to simply click "confirmed" on a screen.
2. Take patient feedback seriously.
In the retail industry, customer feedback is the driving force behind innovation. The same is true in the healthcare industry, but currently, patients are left to the discretion of healthcare providers and are forced to endure long waiting times and inconvenient facilities. We need an approach like Walmart's, which provides the services customers need in easily accessible locations.
3. The Importance of Business Knowledge and Education
For clinicians, understanding the past, present, and future of the entire healthcare system is essential. Changes in CMS regulations and payment environments also transform treatment methods. By learning business knowledge, you can understand both patient care and organizational management.
Summary
Steve Jobs' "positive reality distortion field" enabled breakthroughs in the consumer electronics sector, a field previously considered impossible for competitors. In today's healthcare industry, there are increasing opportunities to learn this way of thinking.
There is a gap and power imbalance between healthcare providers and management. Clinicians lack business knowledge, and stakeholders struggle to engage constructively with regulators. It is necessary to break free from this negative reality distortion field and establish data transparency, listen to patients' voices, and provide clinicians with basic business education.
Simply put, we need to learn from Steve Jobs' way of thinking. If many lives are at stake, you should ask yourself, "Can I do it?" Frankly speaking, lives are at stake right now.
Together, let us cast aside the reality-distorting fields that hold us back, see things as they truly are, and reframe them as achievable. Our mission lies in tackling challenges previously deemed "impossible" and building a future of innovative medicine. Let us continue to work towards the growth of the entire organization, never forgetting the importance of caring for each individual patient.
