Q&A with CISO Hank Capps, Part 2: “Innovation isn’t chaotic; innovation is methodical.”

Contrary to popular belief, innovation isn’t a buzzword — at least, not if an organization is doing it right, according to Hank Capps, MD, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Wellstar Health System.

Capps sees it as “part of the culture that’s going to drive the consumer experiences of the future,” he said during a recent interview. “When you lean into that environment where new ideas are percolating and being brought forward, you have an amazing opportunity to create leapfrog moments” through the enhancement of care quality and safety.” The key, he noted, is in the ability to formalize ideas and present a view of innovation that creates bandwidth and focus around solving problems.

During the interview, Dr. Capps talked about how his team is working to achieve this goal, all while dealing with the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and how they’re addressing the digital divide in healthcare. He also shared lessons learned during his time at Novant Health as well as his clinical experience; why the ability to “be nimble and shift” is more important than ever; and what it’s like to lead during such an “exciting and humbling time” for the industry.

LISTEN HERE USING THE PLAYER BELOW OR SUBSCRIBE THROUGH YOUR FAVORITE PODCASTING SERVICE. 



Key Takeaways



* To help bridge the educational divide when it comes to digital tools, Wellstar is working with the Center for Health Equity on a number of interventions to “help train and teach people.”

* During Covid, healthcare organizations realized two things: first, that “we were going to have to innovate faster than we ever had before,” and second, that they needed to establish a culture of innovation.

* What appealed to Dr. Capps most about Wellstar was its vision to “continue to evolve and lead in the future, rather than react to it.”

* The idea of co-creating and co-developing has largely been foreign to health systems, but it has become increasingly appealing for those that wish to “function like a technology company.”





Q&A with Dr. Hank Capps, Part 2 [Click here to view Part 1]

Gamble:  Let’s talk about the digital divide, which has always been a challenge, but seems more pronounced now. What do you think can be done to lessen that?

Capps:  The digital divide is something that has always been hidden in plain sight. We’ve always recognized that, by various factors, you have uneven usage adoption access to digital tools. When you assume that’s the case, you respond by creating mechanisms that engage people across all walks of life, on all access levels. In doing so, you’re solving problems in that you’re going to be able to deliver it to people who maybe wouldn’t even conceive that they need it.

We’ve done a ton of work related to this through our Center for Health Equity, including a number of interventions to help train and teach people how to use the tools in cases where it’s more of an education divide versus a resources divide. I really think it’s a multipronged approach to allowing these tools to be in the hands of every single person we can help get it to.

“A holistic view”

It’s also recognizing that as you get more people using digital tools, you also open up non-digital channels with more access. And so, ironically, even when you get higher adoption in people who do have access to technology, you’re creating spaces for those who don’t have access to get the care that they need as well.

So, really,