Overview
The concept of rethinking health care gained renewed attention through a three-week series by the Harvard Business Review titled Innovations in Health Care. In one of the featured articles, author Jim Champy argued that government-led reform alone cannot succeed unless healthcare professionals fundamentally redesign how care is delivered.
The Need for Redesign
Champy described how initial discussions with clinicians revealed resistance to the term “radical redesign.” Some healthcare professionals associated the word “radical” with medical procedures rather than organizational change. However, Champy maintained that only a deep rethinking of clinical and administrative processes can improve safety and reduce costs.
He noted that what is often described as a “health care system” functions more as a collection of disconnected parts rather than a unified system. During a typical four-day hospital stay, a patient might interact with more than twenty clinicians and administrators. Between a physician’s order and a patient receiving medication, multiple steps increase the likelihood of errors. This complexity becomes greater when multiple hospitals, clinics, and insurers are involved in the same case.
Integrating People, Process, and Technology
According to Champy, creating a true system of care requires a balance between technology, process, and people.
- Technology serves as a key enabler by connecting caregivers, providing portable health records, and linking treatments to measurable outcomes.
- Process redesign ensures that clinical work evolves along with technological tools. Many workflows in healthcare have remained unchanged for decades, leading to inefficiencies such as repetitive questioning and delayed test results.
- People—both clinicians and patients—must adapt to new behaviors that support collaboration, safety, and continuous improvement.
Champy emphasized that information technology alone cannot fix systemic problems. Without corresponding process reform, new systems may increase workloads rather than simplify them. Successful transformation requires both operational redesign and cultural change within healthcare organizations.
The Role of Innovation
The Harvard Business Review series encouraged healthcare professionals to explore new approaches to delivery models, patient engagement, and outcome measurement. The discussion highlighted that technology-driven innovation is most effective when combined with process improvement and human-centered design.
Broader Context
The American healthcare system continues to face challenges related to cost, coordination, and access. Reform efforts increasingly focus on data integration, interdisciplinary teamwork, and efficiency. By examining how technology and human processes interact, healthcare institutions can identify sustainable ways to improve both safety and patient experience.