Giving Compass' Take:
- Ann Somers Hogg shares how creating a standard for improvement can help drive important changes in health care and health insurance.
- How can donors support clearer definitions for improvements they want to see?
- Learn more about issues related to health.
- Search Guide to Good for local nonprofits.
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Calling for change is easy. But actually changing is quite hard.
It’s mid-January. That means most people who made a resolution to change something about themselves this year have already “failed” in some way, or they have ditched their resolutions altogether. Many fail to keep their resolutions for the whole year because they aren’t specific enough, they underestimate the amount of effort required, they lack accountability, they aren’t clear on why they’re seeking change, and more.
So, how can we, as individuals, do better? One of my favorite fitness instructors says, “A goal is a wish, but a standard holds you accountable.”
In other words, we can’t achieve “better” if we don’t define what “better” is.
Applying this phrase to our current state in health care, it seems quite obvious we’re missing a standard for what better looks like. Alongside Brian Thompson’s horrific and untimely death came calls for change—not just in the unsavory public response but also from health care insiders.
Yet, in such a complicated and complex industry, with many intertwined and long-established business models running the show, it’s hard to know what’s a realistic standard and how to start a transformation toward that new standard.
These questions of what and how depend on defining some of the following:
- What “better” looks like
- The amount of effort required to achieve “better”
- Knowing when we’ve achieved it
In brief, understanding the standard for “better” and how we get there.
We need a new standard to ensure we don’t backslide into accepting today’s horrific status quo as the continued way of doing things for years to come.
Setting the standard for improving health care
I certainly don’t have all the answers, but questions and the resulting discussion can help lead us to some. As Clay Christensen once said, “Questions are places in your mind where answers fit. If you haven’t asked the question, the answer has nowhere to go.”
Read the full article about improving health care by Ann Somers Hogg at Christensen Institute.