Q&A with Houston Methodist’s Michelle Stansbury: “It’s All About the Problem You’re Trying to Solve.”

At Houston Methodist, innovation isn’t a novel concept or a trend; it’s part of the fabric of the 8-hospital organization, according to Michelle Stansbury. As such, she and her colleagues have learned quite a few things over the years. First, the key to creating a culture of innovation is to create a separate entity — but to have that entity staffed by leaders throughout the organization. That way, they’re able to develop solutions that address the organization’s unique needs and workflows, and quickly implement them, said Stansbury, who serves as VP of Innovation and IT Applications for Houston Methodist, as well as VP of the Center for Innovation.

Another critical component? Sharing knowledge about innovations throughout the organization, which enables leaders from other departments to identify potential use cases. This type of collaboration “speaks to the heart of our 30,000-plus employees and how they truly believe in what we’re trying to do.”

During a recent interview with Kate Gamble, Managing Editor and Director of Social Media, Stansbury shared her thoughts on what has made both Houston Methodist — and the Center of Innovation — successful; how her team invests in “sweat equity”; what it takes to form a “true partnership” between IT and operations; and the hard line leaders need to draw when it comes to ROI.

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Key Takeaways



* On creating the Center for Innovation: “There was an obsessive focus on how we could transform our institution utilizing digital technology” to help improve patient care and enhance the user experience.

* On IT and operations: “There are no IT projects. There are operational projects with IT partners involved to ensure that it goes smoothly.” An IT-driven initiative, on the other hand, will “never get the operational impact that it needs” because key people aren’t at the table.

* On having R&D capabilities: “It allows us to pilot new technology within that space, work with vendors on their solutions, and allow clinicians or executives to come in and see the technology in real time.”

* On co-development: “We don’t look for companies with alpha products. We’re looking for companies that have a product that’s somewhat working, but they’re looking for more expertise from health systems to help them further develop it.”

* On reducing clinician burnout: “We want to make it as easy as possible for our clinicians to do what they do best, which is take care of our patients. If we can reduce the burden on them, or even the burden on patients… that’s important.”





Q&A with Michelle Stansbury, VP of Innovation and Applications, Houston Methodist

Gamble:  Hi Michelle, thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us. Let’s start with a high-level overview of Houston Methodist.

Stansbury:  We are one of the leading health systems within Houston and the surrounding market. We’ve got our large academic center, and we have eight hospitals in the area. We have a little more than 30,000 employees and have been in existence for over 100 years. We actually celebrated 100 years as the pandemic was starting, which was interesting because the whole Methodist system started during the Spanish flu pandemic.

I’ve been at Houston Methodist for 30 years. Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe but it has been a very rewarding career and couldn’t imagine being at any other health system except Houston Methodist.

 

Gamble:  I’m sure in some ways it feels like it’s only been a few years, which is a good sign.

Stansbury:  It is.