Cultivators of Outpatient Pharmacy Transformation
Who is ultimately responsible for the transformation of outpatient pharmacy? One argument is management, and that is fair.
Yet, is there room for others to participate?
I was frustrated by the absence of any movement in an outpatient pharmacy after weeks of discussions, analysis, and encouragement. Finally, I asked what I could do to get the ball rolling. The answer was shocking and telling. “We were told not to do anything unless you told us specifically what to do.”
The notion of waiting for someone to tell me what to do never occurred to me during my career. I cannot remember ever being a part of a process that I could not improve or transform. In my early years, I presented the notion of an on-line executive query system. My presentation did not convince the future president of the company and he denied the project. It was not my job.
Eight months later, after long nights and working every weekend the ERAQ (Executive Random Access Query) System came on-line in 1981. Within a month, the senior vice-president of store operations (a man close to retirement), called a district manager about his performance, accessing information at conversational speed at the push of a button.
The C-Suite is not the only source for innovation and transformation. More often than not, the seeds are planted and cultivated by middle management, even the rank-and-file. I recently offered to present these seeds for outpatient pharmacy transformation at an upcoming meeting of hospital directors hosted by Health Connect Partners. Why? Because you are the cultivators for change.
But, what does it mean to be a change cultivator for true transformation of the outpatient pharmacy? It begins with ownership, commitment, and perseverance. It is about believing in a future that does not yet exist or perhaps fully possible. You will need to be more than you are and become the person everyone else does not know they need. And, you will need help and support.
The first step is recognizing that nothing is going to happen unless you lead the way. The future of outpatient pharmacy is waiting for its next great innovator. Transformation is about doing something that has not been done before. You can begin with ensuring all patients receive medications at the right time and place, giving them the best chances for a successful therapeutic outcome. This is, after all, what pharmacists are about.
The second step is to imagine the future state and carefully define what makes it work. Do not be discouraged by not knowing how to do it yet, that technology may not exist, or that legislation favors the status quo. These are the building blocks of true transformation.
Third, be a willing and able partner to change. What you need to learn, learn. What needs to change, change. The world is full of followers. Surround yourself with leaders who share your vision and bring the necessary tools for innovation and transformation. Drive technology change rather than waiting for it to happen.
And finally, the most important step of all, stand up and begin.