In 2013, Mackenzie Health embarked on an exciting journey to transform the organization’s capacity to engage in innovative health care delivery. Mackenzie Health built partnerships with industry and academia and established an evaluative focus on implementation, usability, adoption and scalability of disruptive innovations, predominately in healthcare technology.
Committed to build and develop the advanced technological infrastructure necessary to support innovations, Mackenzie Health launched the Mackenzie Innovation Institute (Mi²) on June 24, 2015 to provide both internal and external consulting support, and management services for all health innovation related projects. Our applied innovation approach enables stakeholders such as patients, clinicians and other staff to define problem statements and for Mi² to then source, develop and facilitate implementation of relevant solutions in collaboration with industry partners.
Telemedicine, predictive diagnostics, wearable sensors, AI chatbots, and a host of new apps will transform how people manage their health. Mi² is positioned as a leader in healthcare applied innovation with a focus to ensure sustainability and long term success.
Our current transformative process methodology allows clinicians to define problem statements which are then jointly reviewed by clinical and non-clinical process stakeholders. Mi² will work with industry and academic partners in order to identify new technologies or processes, often disruptive in nature that can more effectively solve healthcare problem statements. We embed unique methodologies within an iterative design process and then analyze both clinical and non-clinical project outcomes before diffusing new innovations outward. Mi² will be a catalyst for innovation in healthcare through its research, education and training while further enhancing healthcare practices, treatments, service delivery models and technologies.
Mi² Strategic Road Map
Our strategic priorities are achieved with support from the Mackenzie Health, Mackenzie Health Foundation and commitment and dedication of staff, clinical champions, and our partnership network.
Mackenzie Innovation Institute (Mi²) has a clear vision with significant milestones in the years ahead – amongst them to support and prepare for the new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, while continuing to develop and scale our innovation initiatives.
Our strategic directions revolve around three key mandates:
Disruptive innovations are ideas that redefine current industries. Mi² will be a healthcare innovation centre that will promote a culture of disruptive innovation amongst industry partners by facilitating communication between different stakeholders and by creating a workspace where experimental and innovative ideas can flourish. The results of these strategic partnerships will improve and simplify healthcare processes using cost efficient solutions.
Mi² will continue to develop and implement Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHT) solutions, one of which is a secured network of devices that are interconnected and that exchange data and communicate unobtrusively. Each device has the capability to operate independently while simultaneously working as a part of larger system. This interconnectivity creates the capability for ambient intelligence, an environment where the devices are sensitive to the needs of the users. One capability of IoHT, is that it can breakdown the information silos that isolate people and systems and remove distractions and unnecessary notifications thereby allowing clinical staff to perform their duties efficiently.
To improve health outcomes, healthcare systems need to be critically examined. Design thinking methodology will be utilized in order to find opportunities for change and improvement at different levels. This problem solving procedure promotes viewing problems from the user’s perspective and is characterized by idea generation, prototyping and testing. To further support potential healthcare redesign, evidence based practices will be utilized to drive sustainable change.
Technology and solutions are simply tools to solve the problem, essential to the process and success of health system redesign is the engagement of appropriate stakeholders who are crucial in defining the current state creating the design, operationalization and refinement of healthcare solutions. Mi² will actively disseminate and translate knowledge to ensure that healthcare solutions can be scaled and spread globally.
In order to build capacity for innovation, there must be an environment of enthusiasm, engagement and one where individuals are not afraid of taking risks. Mi² will add value by working with partners to instill curiosity and ‘out of the box’ thinking; traits necessary to maintain an appetite for innovation. By working closely with external stakeholders, Mi² will gain a deeper understanding of not only what is needed but the characteristics of the organization so as to better tailor solutions. Extensive work with partners will allow Mi² to become a trusted source in innovation capacity building.
