Top 25 Innovators - 2020

Coyne helped develop a technology that can be placed in patient rooms to monitor such risks as falls and pressure ulcers. It also collects real-time information that is fed into the EHR for patient monitoring. It not only helps improve patient safety, but nurse satisfaction for both clinical documentation and communicating with patients and other clinicians. During COVID-19, the device was used to conduct contact tracing, providing bed-level insight into all who entered the space, how long the visit lasted, the proximity to the source patient and if PPE was secure at all times. It also alerts staff in real-time if PPE is not worn or secured properly.

How do you identify opportunities for innovation?
The single-most effective way to identify opportunities for innovation is to determine, at a strategic and granular level, why there is a problem with the current state. Due to the nature of a complex healthcare system and a fragmentation of IT and clinical skills, the healthcare industry often forgets to truly explore the pain points of the only two people who are essential in healthcare, the clinician and the patient. Opportunities cannot be identified by a survey or a focus group.

What advice do you have for people who know how to get an idea in front of managers but may be afraid of failing?
Seek to attain determination and persistence and a belief that they are also a leader whose time is as valuable to anyone else’s. If one measures success by the ability to exhibit consistent determination and relentless persistence, coupled with a willingness to continue to learn and share ideas with the world, failure is not possible unless the individual chooses to cease in their pursuit. A failed attempt at innovation is not synonymous with the failure of the innovator.

How do you stay focused on innovation during a crisis?
This pandemic has shown that significant healthcare innovation is essential to ensure our optimal survival. The true struggle of our time is combating apathy and then subsequently harnessing the passion found into collective action and productive results. An organization does this through cascading goals, transparency and a culture that fosters a universal focus on desired outcomes. For when human beings are singularly focused, innovation becomes a natural byproduct.