There are days when being a word geek makes your life harder. No kidding!
How hard is it to write 300 words, right? Turns out it can be plenty hard when you are trying to define the distinctions between two related words: change and transformation.
Somedays, I think it would be easier to determine how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. Then, thanks to Google, I found this quote:
Change is a response to external influences, where modifying day-to-day action achieves desired results. Transformation is about modifying core beliefs and long-term behaviors — sometimes in profound ways — to achieve the desired results.
Why is that distinction so important? Well, when it comes to health care, we have been making changes — different plans, deductibles, networks, etc. — for as long as I can remember. Yet, we still have the same conversations about what we can do to improve access, quality, price, cost and result.
If we look at the quote, we are responding to external influences, which is good, to make changes in how health care is delivered. But what we really need is to make those changes with the second part of the quote in mind. Are the changes made going to modify our behaviors and beliefs? That’s the heavy lift we really need if we are going to escape the current delivery model trap and truly get to health care that costs less, delivers better results and is easy to access.
With that in mind, we highlight the ongoing journey of the Appleton Area School District in this month’s issue of NOVO Live. The district is making changes so that health care doesn’t continue to eat up resources needed for other programs. Those changes go beyond one- or two-year results and seem aimed at the transformational. As one of its community partners, we certainly hope they get there.
These are stories we look to tell with each issue. None of us can do it on our own. To transform the delivery of health care, we must work and learn together. To quote our CEO, “Let’s keep the conversation going” and see what we can achieve.
