Cooperating for better care.

‘Social innovations’ are needed to transform care

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From NEJM Catalyst:

“Hopelab’s CEO outlines an approach to innovation that takes into account the systemic and social factors that individuals and communities face as they try to achieve and maintain good health, an approach that builds bridges between sectors and takes risks to think big about human-centered design at scale — especially for those the current health care system doesn’t do a great job of reaching or engaging.

“When getting ready for {last fall’s} NEJM Catalyst event,’Care Delivery Innovation: Why, How, and the Impact,’ Margaret Laws, MPP, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hopelab, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, reviewed lists of innovations. One list from Cleveland Clinic in 2018 predicted the top 10 medical innovations for 2019, such as artificial intelligence, robotic surgery, and immunotherapy. But while those medical innovations are important, ‘they don’t have a lot to do with most people’s experience of the health care system,’ Laws says. ‘I got to thinking, what if we put this much focus on addressing some of the areas in which our health system and the people it serves are desperate for innovation, areas where we see glaring disparities in access and outcomes?”’

“’What if we also asked what social innovations will transform care?’ Laws suggests to the audience. She outlines the need for an approach to innovation that takes into account the systemic and social factors that individuals and communities face as they try to achieve and maintain good health. These challenges call for an approach that focuses on more than the ‘silver bullet’ drugs, devices, and technologies, an approach that thinks about human-centered design, how innovations get to and are used by people — including and especially those people our current health care system doesn’t do a great job of reaching or engaging.”

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