Putting a dent in healthcare’s complexity.
Lessons + Insights from S1E1 of Barkley OKRP’s Healthcare Champions Podcast
Healthcare is a uniquely complex industry – a tangled web of competing incentives, outdated business models, and siloed organizations. But beneath the surface, complexity lies a simple, noble purpose: helping people live healthier, more fulfilling lives.
As Jimmy Keown and Jason Spacek of BarkleyOKRP’s Healthcare Innovation team explain, the key is stripping away the industry’s accumulated layers of obfuscation to restore that fundamental human-to-human connection. “It’s people trying to help people live longer, more fulfilling lives,” says Keown. “And so kind of that juxtaposition, or that dissonance between the complexity and the simplicity of what it is at its base elements, excites me.”
The challenge, of course, is navigating that complexity to uncover opportunities for meaningful change. Keown and Spacek’s experience at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City provides a roadmap. Rather than react to a “house on fire” scenario, they proactively sought to disrupt the status quo from a position of strength. The secret? Embracing qualitative, human-centered research to understand the lived experiences of patients and providers truly.
“We could share those same stories with these people that were joining the project team, and they became believers now, and sort of these champions for the people we heard from,” Spacek explains. “Building this became more of a mission than just an obligation.”
Of course, driving transformation in a highly regulated, risk-averse industry requires no small amount of courage and resilience. Keown and Spacek credit the leadership team at Blue KC for providing the “air cover” to experiment and iterate, even in the face of setbacks.
The result was Spira Care, a primary care model that aligns incentives between payers, providers, and patients. The lesson? Healthcare’s complexity may seem daunting, but the path to meaningful change lies in stripping away the noise to reveal the simple, human-centric solutions that have been there all along. As Keown puts it, “it’s people trying to help people.” With the right mindset and approach, the dent can be made.
Healthcare Champions captures stories from visionaries at the forefront of healthcare business strategy and innovation. Each episode highlights healthcare industry opportunities that could drive real impact from individuals who are champions of real change.
To explore more episodes of Healthcare Champions, click here.
For a thorough evaluation to help your brand build its biggest future, contact Sam Meers, EVP, BarkleyOKRP Health Innovations, at smeers@barkleyokrp.com.