Spring is on the way, and garden planning has started to consume my attention. Like my day job creating software, gardening is an amazing process of creation. However, the hobby also offers a chance to embrace the outdoors and beauty of nature. In the spirit of this upcoming gardening season, this post is focused on successfully innovating with real-world constraints and challenges. I recently spoke with WellSky’s Valarie Johnson and Cindy Campbell to gather valuable learnings from their experience leading teams for WellSky’s Pitch Day. Pitch Day provides WellSky teammates the opportunity to dream big and to share their ideas for new solutions and services that can enable even better care in the communities we serve. Thoughtful pitches are presented to the WellSky senior executive team who evaluate and select a winning pitch to receive WellSky funding to bring the idea to reality. A perfect example of a past winner is the revolutionary WellSky Resource Manager now solving real-world problems for our clients.
Refine your bold idea
Constrained resources apply to garden planning in many ways. One must consider space, time, and finances. There is always an opportunity cost. For instance, if I opt for tomatoes and cucumbers, there will be no space for green beans — and my aunt loves those green beans. Technical innovation mirrors this in substantive ways. Let us look at this in terms of alignment from both an internal and external perspective.
Internally, pursuing a new problem solution will require resources and investment. Considerations should include alignment with current priorities, organizational objectives, existing skills, professional development goals, market direction, applicable regulatory requirements, integration possibilities and reuse opportunities. Leveraging a template to walk through this alignment process can be very effective.
From the external perspective, we need to pursue a problem that resolves our clients’ real- world problems. The methodology of Five Whys, often used by WellSky’s R&D group in Root Cause Analysis, is an excellent way to determine the extent of alignment with client need. This process is intended to enable deep understanding of the problem and find the best version of the problem to solve. Valarie shared one of her most significant challenges was narrowing her original problem and then refining the proposed solution to truly fit the problem. Many of us have fallen into this pitfall of omitting this refinement step and attempting to solve a large problem all at once. I have found the most effective conversations with clients start with their intended outcome and then move to exploring what innovation might truly drive this outcome and significantly impact their business. There is rarely a single way to solve a problem with technology, our responsibility and opportunity is to consider how likely users would adopt a new technology, adapt to a new workflow and achieve the intended outcome. Alignment with achievable and impactful outcomes is crucial for successful innovation with real-world constraints.
Seek the knowledge and experience of others
Most would not consider gardening a sport, and while I would agree, I do acknowledge all of those in the past that were on my “team.” Collective knowledge and experience have proven invaluable repeatedly. Optimal sunlight, soil pH, hydration cadence, and potential pests are just a few aspects that I tend to lean on the expertise of others.
A key to innovation success is leveraging the knowledge and experience of others. As mentioned in the past, this collaboration is an excellent way to build your network and industry relationships. Step out of your comfort zone and share your ideas with others. At WellSky, the shared passion for our industry and clients empowers an amazing collaborative culture. Taking the initiative and asking questions to innovate continuously strengthens that culture. Valarie also suggests to “rally support behind the scenes- get people excited about your idea informally.” Asking teammates to share their expertise and experience is an effective tactic for driving excitement and buy-in. As you look forward to potentially securing resources to pursue your idea, the gathered feedback, information, and support will be vital. If you are stepping out of your comfort zone, Cindy advises further, “Don’t be afraid to ask for guidance from the top, as for me it yielded tremendous resource (people, concept references, regulatory guidance).”
Attack your own idea
My first year in gardening provided a memorable initiation in all that could go wrong. I certainly delivered an amazing buffet for the deer and rabbits. Based on that experience, I started to ask the right questions regarding adversity in the garden planning process.
Regarding innovation, Cindy expertly provided this section's title. She goes on to suggest guiding your teammates in asking the specific question, "If this failed, and we were looking back at why, what would you imagine to be the reasons." Pressure-test an idea with sales, marketing, financial and technical leaders. While we may often defend our ideas, especially those we are passionate for, an integral part of the process is anticipating potential obstacles, complications and impassable impediments. Three of the key traits to successful innovators are courage, mental resilience, and intellectual humility. Answer the right questions and lean on the data available to drive your path forward. One of the best Thomas Edison quotes is “I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that will not work.”
WellSky teammates like Cindy and Valarie maintain their “day jobs” while participating in Pitch Day. This is a testament to their dedication to the healthcare industry, WellSky clients, and the communities we serve. While successful innovation requires diligence, discipline and hard work, the reward can be amazing. Cindy described her Pitch Day endeavor: “It takes a lot; however, it was a great experience!”
What ideas are you thinking about exploring next? In conclusion, words of wisdom from Cindy, “Expect the process to change the way you looked at your idea - be open and learn!”
Express appreciation
A special thank you to Valarie Johnson and Cindy Campbell for sharing their thoughts, ideas, and experience. They always find the time to collaborate and meaningfully contribute to the knowledge and growth of myself and others across WellSky.
Cindy Campbell is a nationally recognized thought-leader and management consultant to the continuum of healthcare at home. Cindy holds a Master of Health Administration with a specialty in Healthcare Informatics, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She brings deep experience leading and guiding others in multi-service line healthcare at home. Cindy and her team help agencies leverage strategic thought and operational efficiency into organizational, work-process and clinical model design for Home Health, Hospice, Palliative Care and Private Duty organizations throughout the United States. Cindy has served as a Board Member of the National Association for Homecare & Hospice, Chair of the Pediatric Homecare & Hospice Association of America, and member of the Executive Committee of the American Telemedicine Association’s Homecare and Remote Monitoring Special Interest Group. A passionate advocate for innovation on behalf of patients and industry, Cindy is committed to driving methodology to best serve the needs of advancing healthcare at home.
Valarie Johnson is the Director of Education and Clinical Integration for WellSky and a nationally recognized advisor and educator within home health, specializing in OASIS education. She currently leads WellSky’s education teams and works with WellSky Solutions to improve the end-user clinical experience. Valarie has spent the past 20 years in the home care industry in a variety of roles from front line patient care as a physical therapist to leadership in clinical education and operations. She has a passion for helping agencies and individual clinicians simplify the complex nature of home health care assessments, data collection to provide appropriate, efficient, and patient-focused care to those in need, within the comfort of their home environments. Valarie has specialized in educating clinicians of all disciplines in OASIS, best practice patient care strategies, documentation, utilization, and regulatory compliance. She holds advanced certifications in OASIS, coding, and case management. As an experienced physical therapist and a subject matter expert in OASIS, she has a strong understanding and perspective on how to efficiently assess and translate patient status and functional ability in the home to the OASIS accurately which affects all aspects of agency health.
With a steadfast belief in work-life harmony, Valarie aims to develop education and assist in clinical efficiencies within documentation solutions that assist individuals and agencies in meeting high demand expectations without sacrificing wellness, health and time with family and friends. She believes this begins with excellence in training resulting in proven competency and confidence with every member of the health care team.
