A Letter from Technology Innovation Center Leadership
Director Dwight Raum and Deputy Director Paul Nagy describe how the Technology Innovation Center innovated during an extraordinary year.
The Technology Innovation Center (TIC) was founded to develop new Health IT solutions in partnership with clinical leaders, and deploy new technology across our health system. Over the past 5 years, we have completed dozens of projects, gaining expertise on how to help clinicians create usable solutions integrated seamlessly into clinical workflow, and leading change to improve the care of patients.
The trust, partnerships, knowledge, and experience we have created were put to the ultimate test this year with the COVID pandemic. The TIC immediately jumped into the fray, building solutions critical to the support of patient care, staff safety, and vital supply management. Thoughtful and contemplative change was replaced with a rapid response to the global pandemic. The pandemic challenged us to care for patients while keeping them and our colleagues safe from the spread of contagion.
Even during the darkest of times, we saw sparks of innovation illuminate a future full of broader transformation. Some of those sparks are detailed in the pages of this annual report. Ever optimists, we believe COVID ignited irreversible change for the better in health care — from improved tele-presence for providers and patients to new ways of reaching communities. These changes — long technically feasible — have overcome the activation energy required to maintain sustainable change. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.
But lighting the fire is not enough — the most durable changes take place when health care professionals and patients find common purpose, focusing efforts for maximum effect. And yet we see a future where the pandemic recedes, and our lives return to a new normal. Our hope is that we draw on our historical values of innovation, learn from the COVID-inspired technology explosion, and engage with stakeholders for sustained change.