What Do Harley and John Deere Have to Do With Health Care?

Over the last 15 years, representatives from Beacon have made more than 30 Inno-Visits to companies like Whirlpool, DuPont, Harley-Davidson, Johnsonville, John Deere and Hershey’s to bring back new ways of thinking and breakthrough ideas so Beacon can distinguish itself as the health care provider of choice for our region.

“An Inno-Visit is the most efficient, quickest and effective way to increase the learning curve about innovation,” says Matt Krathwohl, Executive Director of Innovation at Beacon Health System. He estimates that about half of Beacon’s innovation knowledge comes from Inno-Visits.

“Nationally, as health care shifts from a volume-based industry to a value-based industry, and as we change from a sick-care mindset to well-care thinking, innovation serves as a blueprint to help us continue to grow and to provide new forms of health and wellness services,” explains Matt.

The Inno-Visit teams of five or six people usually include board members, members of leadership and associates from all areas of the health system. A typical Inno-Visit takes just a day. New products, collaborations and insights into developing a brand that creates lifelong customers are just a few of the valuable results from the journeys. As an added bonus, Inno-Visits help forge new relationships and strengthen existing bonds among colleagues during the road trips.

“We’ve created a way to bring together individuals who may not cross paths in a typical day,” says Matt. “This leads to better teamwork.”

The Beacon Inno-Visit team at the John Deere headquarters in Moline, Illinois: (left to right) Ray Tilkens (John Deere), Greg Conrad, Lori Whaley, Lori Turner, Merita Allsop-Borton, Matt Krathwohl, Phil Newbold and Steve Eller.

Key Learnings from Inno-Visits

Ideas and solutions gleaned from other industries could be applied at Beacon Health System related to our approaches to safety, efficiency, customer service, branding and performance improvement. How would you “Beaconize” these ideas?

DuPont

DuPont facilities are regarded as being among the safest in the world. Their goal is to have zero safety incidents every day. Employees work as a team to achieve this goal, holding themselves and each other accountable. Examples include having every meeting begin with a safety spotlight and employees’ mandatory use of handrails when using stairs. DuPont developed a set of safety principles that were adapted for use at Memorial Hospital. The visit eventually led to alliances with DuPont, including help in testing a hospital-based water certification program.

Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson spends a great deal of time listening to and trying to deeply understand their customers and their motivations. The result is a powerful brand that reflects fiercely loyal customers. Harley-Davidson is not in the motorcycle business; they state they are in the business of “personal freedom.”

Hershey’s

At Hershey’s, safety is encouraged by abundant signs promoting a safe work environment. Signs are also clearly visible to visitors and point to their culture of safety. Prototyping is the company’s primary means to test new ideas before making significant investments. Development of an innovation pipeline, or a flow of ideas to turn into products or services, is a large part of how the organization achieves its strategic objectives.

Johnsonville

At Johnsonville, everyone follows “The Johnsonville Way.” Described as more of a lifestyle than a philosophy, the credo affirms a continual focus on doing things better, teamwork and a commitment by individuals to pursue personal growth and excellence.

Phil Newbold test-drives a John Deere combine.

John Deere

Ensuring safety is a priority at John Deere. Fork lifts operating in the plant beam a blue light onto the floor and a few feet beyond the blades. Employees see the blue light before they encounter the blades, helping to reduce accidents. Also, the John Deere brand is powerful, extending well beyond the creation of farm machinery to helping to feed the world. The company showcases its innovations in a public museum, thus giving back and honoring its innovation heritage.

Beacon Health System 2014 Inno-Visit participants:

• Lori Allen, R.N., Exceptional Experience Consultant, Beacon Health System
• Jewel Abram-Copenhaver, Operations Coordinator, Pfeil Innovation Center
• Merita Allsop-Borton, R.N., BSN, Patient Care Manager CC, OSC, GI Lab, Pre-Testing, Memorial Hospital
• Greg Conrad, President, Beacon Health Ventures
• Steve Eller, Chief Human Resource Officer, Beacon Health System
• Danielle Gagliano, Chief Strategy Officer, Beacon Health System
• Rachel Kartman, R.D.C.S., Cardiology Coordinator, Memorial Hospital
• Matt Krathwohl, Executive Director of Innovation, Beacon Health System
• Dawn McCaskill, Exceptional Experience Consultant, Beacon Health System
• Philip A. Newbold, Chief Executive Officer, Beacon Health System
• Pam Sandy, Manager, Volunteer Services, Elkhart General Hospital
• Lori Turner, Chief Marketing, Innovation and Customer Experience Officer, Beacon Health System
• Lori Whaley, Patient Care Assistant, Ambulatory Care Center, Memorial Hospital