“Frugal innovation — doing more with less — redefines the traditional notion of innovation in healthcare. It is often discussed in the context of emerging countries and economies, such as rural China and India, and may provoke images of makeshift tools and technologies. A lack of resources calls for the industry to find new ways to do things.”
Molly Coye, M.D., chief innovation officer of UCLA Health, says ”’frugal innovation’ sounds like it’s something entirely new and different. {But} frugal innovation begins with the patient experience and the problem to be solved. It asks the question, ‘How can we do this at the lowest possible cost and the greatest convenience for the patient and their family and still have high-quality results?,'” she told Becker’s.
As some observers have said, healthcare innovation shouldn’t be technology looking for a use, but rather a smarter use of technology. Consider, for example, telemedicine to decrease clinic visits.