“Great ideas can come from anywhere," shared Allen Cubell, MBA, executive director, Innovation. "No one has a limit on imagination."
The recently opened Center for Health Care Innovation at LG Health (CHCI-LGH) hosted its first workshop, “Innovation on the Road,” Dec. 7, at Lancaster General Hospital. The Lancaster extension of the Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation (CHCI) aims to produce dramatically better health care value, patient outcomes and experiences by testing and implementing new strategies, technologies, and processes that impact health care delivery.
"Our approach to innovation is collaborative and culture-driven,” said Cubell. “We want to create an engaging process for employees that removes barriers to implementation."
During the half-day workshop, participants learned practical methods to address health care’s most difficult problems through highly interactive exercises and action-based problem-solving. Tools included a multidisciplinary approach to problem identification, divergent thinking and rapid solution testing.
“It’s great to have this approach to innovation here at LG Health,” said Participant Chris Hager, MD, managing physician, Novara. “The session was energizing and sparked ideas for future projects.”
Caro Garzon Mrad, co-facilitator of the workshop, added, “It is always great to share our methods with staff looking to improve the care we deliver to patients. Everyone is so engaged and motivated when you give them the tools to drive change. We look forward to seeing how this group implements these innovation methods in their everyday jobs!”
As The Center continues its work, it will employ many of the techniques taught in the workshop to help various departments identify potential issues and solutions.
“Moving forward, The Center staff looks forward to working with employees throughout LG Health,” shared Cubell.
To learn more about the Innovation on the Road programming, visit https://healthcareinnovation.upenn.edu/innovation-road-workshops.