Becker's Hospital Review

80 INNOVATION 31% of medical students don't see themselves as innovators, survey finds By Naomi Diaz F resh ideas in medicine drive the creation of new technology and tools that can improve patient care, but med- ical students face significant barriers to engaging in innovation, according to a survey published March 16 in Nature Biotechnology. Researchers at Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital surveyed 51 medical students, residents and fellows about their involvement in innovation, what barriers they perceived in pursuing innovation and what tools they needed to develop their ideas. The survey found the following: • Thirty-one percent of respondents considered themselves as innovators, while others said they were not or weren't sure. • Forty-three percent identified lack of time and energy as a source of lack of innovation. • Thirty-five percent said lack of resources contributed to lack of innovation. • Thirty-one percent said they didn't have the expertise to initiate innovative ideas. • According to the survey, medical trainees interested in medical innovation lack the skills and resources to pursue such ventures. n Healthcare is complex and patients want simpler experiences, says the CIO at CVS By Naomi Diaz T he consumer healthcare experience is transforming and patient preferences are changing rapidly as the need for a more personalized and digitized care experience grows. is means healthcare organizations will have to adopt new technologies and strategies to meet the demand. Roshan Navagamuwa, executive vice presi- dent and CIO of CVS Health, spoke to Becker's about how the consumer healthcare experience is changing and what technology hospitals and health systems can embrace to meet the demand. Question: How is the consumer health- care experience transforming in 2022? Roshan Navagamuwa: We live in a world where everything needs to be faster and consumer preferences change daily. Healthcare is no ex- ception. Especially on the heels of COVID-19, consumers are increasingly seeking digital-first experiences for healthcare. ey want care that is connected, convenient and personalized. Healthcare can be complex, and consumers want simple experiences. For example, they want to be able to book appointments when it's convenient for them, or in a way that is more convenient for them, like from their smart- phones. ey want timely access to health information, and seamless ways to manage their own care and that of their families. Q: What should healthcare organiza- tions' IT teams be investing in? RN: We're at an inflection point in the indus- try, where healthcare is moving from a busi- ness-to-business and claims-driven volume to consumer-driven volume. Consumers today have, and expect, more direct interactions with technology, which places a greater focus on the underlying IT foundation to be reliable, secure and able to scale to deliver these experiences. Healthcare organizations should invest in technologies and develop frameworks that enable agility while maintaining prod- uct integrity and security. For example, hybrid cloud architectures are helping pro- vide the speed and security to deliver new applications sooner, with mechanisms for continuous improvement. AI and machine learning are helping to auto- mate manual processes and save time for both consumers and providers, while reducing costs. But the way that AI has evolved today, too many organizations treat it as a bolt-on technology. At CVS Health, we are embedding AI, as well as security, into the solutions as we're building them. Additionally, organizations need to have intelligent, integrated data platforms to make rapid innovation possible. Q: How can healthcare utilize technolo- gy to its benefits in 2022? RN: Healthcare organizations can use tech- nology to help deliver informed care that can lead to better health outcomes. For example, when a longitudinal view of a patient's data is available, providers and other healthcare professionals can provide recommendations that are tailored to that specific patient and their unique set of circumstances. ey can more easily empower patients to live health- ier lives by providing personalized nudges for preventive care, and encourage things like health screenings and being up to date on immunizations. Internally, healthcare organizations can use technology to reimagine internal workflows and use AI and machine learning to bring more automation and effectiveness to the care deliv- ery process, which lets healthcare providers and other professionals focus on patient care. n

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