Thinking different for better outcomes
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
In this edition:
Transitions are an opportunity to innovate better systems
Community is the new way to customer retention
In-chair workouts to stay active
RUNDOWN
NHIF to SHA: No smooth transitions here
What happened?
More than half of private hospitals yet to transition to SHA [Read]
Patients pay bills in cash as chaos persists [Read]
How did we get here?
In July, the High Court declared SHIF unconstitutional and suspended it to allow for amendments. Later, the Court of Appeal overturned this ruling stating that SHIF plans were already underway and reverting to NHIF in the short-term could be disruptive.
What’s happening now?
Only two weeks in and hospitals that aren’t integrated into the SHA system yet are demanding cash for payment due to uncertainty from the Ministry of Health. [Source]
Numerous health facilities, which are expected to provide services under the new scheme have reported that they are unable to access the SHA system, making it difficult to process patients’ information or claims. [Source]
What can we learn?
Transitions are painful but poorly executed transitions put everyone at risk.
We should look at transition as an opportunity to:
identify waste;
reengineer processes;
communicate to customers.
Replacing a 50+ year old health system is a large undertaking. This one could have been done better.
SPOTLIGHT
Doing things differently
78 year-old man regains sight after artificial cornea transplant advancing clinical trials for it as first-line treatment [Read]
IDinsight encourages use of AI to ensure healthcare funds increase the quality of service delivery [Read]
“Movewear”: AI wearable tech gives hikers 40% power up on the way up [Watch]
EXPLAINER
Build a community around your brand
In an increasingly connected world, building a thriving community around your brand is one of the most powerful ways to stand out.
A community is more than just a list of contacts. It creates a unique environment where customers feel part of a bigger mission but you need to give them something to believe in.
More than a transaction
As your brand values attract customers who share the same values, they send like-minded people your way. A community allows you to formalise this referral engine by creating a clear process of engagement.
Some examples of communities include:
A support group that allows patients to share their health journeys and offer ongoing support to each other after hours saves doctors response time.
A fitness community for beginners on their first 30 - 90 days ensures customer retention for trainers/gym owners.
A new health app can give early customers the opportunity to opt-in to a community of early app users who can interact with the product team directly, share bugs, suggestions and invite other users.
In all these scenarios you design a way for your customer to consistently engage with your brand while you study their pain points and build better products and processes.
Build your own
Community building entails understanding the needs and preferences of the community members, providing valuable resources and encouraging a sense of belonging.
To determine shared activities, consider unmet customer needs; for instance, do they need expert advice as they shop for supplements from your online store?
Funnel them into a shared space e.g. an exclusive online group for Q&As with a trainer who is familiar with your catalogue. Share discount codes with attendees so they can invite a friend for the next hangout and grow month on month.
Community is part of your marketing strategy that is connected to goals such as revenue growth and product development. Nail community, nail customer retention.
NEWS
Money talks
Doctors complain over unclear use for sh.4.2bn Nairobi Hospital loan [Read]
Ministry of Health spends more to acquire less effective HIV testing kits posing a risk to Kenyans’ health. [Read]
Cancer Awareness month at AAR Hospital: sh.2,500 for a mammogram & sh.3,500 for a breast ultrasound [Read]
HEALTH ED
Too busy to train? Try in-chair workouts
This week, we bring you 5 In-Chair Workouts to keep you moving with no excuses.
Try these at the office - if your colleagues ask questions, get them to join.
Seated leg lifts: Sit tall in your chair with feet flat on the floor. Slowly lift one leg until it’s parallel to the ground, hold for a few seconds, then lower. Repeat with the other leg. This strengthens your core and legs while improving circulation.
Chair seated marching: Lift your knees one at a time in a marching motion, keeping your core engaged and back straight. This increases mobility and keeps your heart rate up.
Arm circles: Extend your arms out to your sides and make small circles gradually increasing the size of the circles. This one movement tones your shoulders, arms and chest.
Seated torso twists: Sit up straight, place your hands behind your head, and twist your torso from side to side, engaging your core muscles. It’s great for improving spinal flexibility and working your obliques.
Chair squats: Move to the edge of your chair, keeping your feet flat on the floor. Stand up and sit back down without using your hands for support to strengthen your legs and glutes.
Try these as sets of a target number of repetitions or as timed exercises for even just 5 to 10 mins.
They say, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” but we often need to change how we’ve been doing things to make progress.
Let’s take the time to vet customers’ experiences against the processes in our businesses.
Can things be better? They can, but only if we think differently.