The Future of Health is Together - Benjamin Tingey

That's why we've asked a bunch of our friends (and strangers on the internet...) to share their thoughts on what's coming next. We will be sharing their stories every Friday, using the #futurehealthfriday here, on Antwan Williams' Linkedin Articles, and @advancementleague on instagram. Share your voice: http://www.advancementleague.org/futurehealthfriday.html   

Today we welcome Benjamin Tingey, Innovation Manager at Atrium Health based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He brings prior experience in federal health policy analysis, healthcare startups and innovation, foreign language instruction, Latin American politics, and social entrepreneurship to a leading innovation department, where you can follow along with their thoughts on the future of healthcare with their podcast here: https://medium.com/a-sherpas-guide-to-innovation/where-you-can-listen-to-our-podcast-401c8eb00580

What are your predictions for the future of health and healthcare?

I would enjoy talking about this all day! Here are a few big trends that I believe will occur:

1. Traditional primary care will be disrupted through AI-infused models that lower the cost and improve the experience for both the provider and the patient. More people will gain access through these models, and population health algorithms will help us identify higher-risk groups and proactively improve their health.
2. I also believe patients will become more empowered not only as consumers but also in our ability to manage our own health in our own home—with incremental improvements in nutrition and exercise habits. Wearables and other digital health solutions will obviate much of the primary and urgent care services currently offered.
3. However, despite all of these improvements—and contrary to popular opinion—I don’t believe hospitals will disappear or even shrink very much in the next 10-30 years. There may be some on the periphery who do, but as a whole the acute side will remain intact. Yes, we will make significant inroads in population health and chronic disease management for some demographic groups, but the opposing forces of the aging of the population and the continuing decline of the public’s overall health (obesity, substance abuse addictions, isolation, etc.) will still outweigh our progress.
4. Resulting from all of this will be industry upheaval as large incumbent organizations are disrupted by entrants with lower-cost business models who are able to care for those currently not consuming healthcare services.

It won’t be an easy journey, but as with all disruptive innovations, the healthcare system will be eventually become more easy to navigate, more affordable, and more accessible.

Why did you choose your career path?

In brief, I felt called to it. During my undergraduate studies I had the opportunity to live and work overseas and be involved in social entrepreneurship projects. I quickly realized that the only way to sustain my energy and passion over an entire career was to work in an industry where I woke up everyday compelled to do my best work because I was serving a greater purpose than simply making a profit. I wanted to look back on my career and feel like I had been a part of solving large societal problems that improved people’s lives. When I learned about healthcare administration graduate programs they seemed to be the perfect blend of community service and business leadership, creativity, and problem solving. That got me started down the path.

What are your professional goals?

I desire to be a significant force in making healthcare less expensive to the patient. Several years ago, a friend of mine passed away when he was only 30 years old because he was afraid of the expense of an ER visit. Eventually his condition worsened and he reluctantly went to the ER and was admitted, but by then it was too late. He died of a stroke, leaving behind his wife and three children. This tragedy shouldn’t happen in America, the land of opportunity.

I also aspire to do something entrepreneurial someday. But don’t ask me when, or what I’ll do. I also aspire to be a resource and support to others, multiplying their talents and abilities and helping them achieve their goals.

What does your daily routine look like?

I try to begin each day with some exercise, though that’s difficult with three little kids. I also attempt to spend time studying religious texts (for me, the Bible and Book of Mormon) as it helps ground me and keep me focused on the bigger picture. As soon as I’m in the car for my commute to work I have my headphones in and I’m listening to podcasts and audiobooks. Most of them are related to innovation but I also enjoy biographies. At work, a typical day in innovation consists of some type of customer discovery, like patient interviews and observations. We facilitate design sessions and other system meetings to help teams think differently about a problem. I spend a lot of time researching emerging trends and technologies and scanning for disruptive business models. We do some of our own business model innovation, so each day includes some general project management to move that work forward. A couple times a month we’ll record a podcast episode to share what we’re learning (check us out – A Sherpa’s Guide to Innovation). Headphones back in my ears as I commute home, where I play with the boys and then commence the bedtime routine. Once the boys are in bed, I clean the house, enjoy some peace and quiet with my wife, and try to read a bit before crashing.

What are you doing to make an impact outside of work?

Most importantly, my wife and I are raising three boys to be courageous and kind.

I also have a passion for helping integrate Latino immigrants into the local community, working closely with several families through my Church congregation as they learn English and establish a home in this country.

What organizations do you admire and why?

Three companies come to mind:

IDEO – Perhaps the leading design and innovation consultancy on the planet, IDEO has found a way to harness creativity and channel it to serve the world. They live what they preach, making products and services human-centered. They also appear to have a lot of fun while doing it! I share many of the same values they espouse, such as continuous learning, empathy, and creative confidence.

Netflix – Netflix is Exhibit A of an adaptable organization who has successfully reinvented itself, disrupting other industries and then disrupting itself—on purpose. The vision and courage to pursue this course is rare in any industry, yet Netflix continues to anticipate what’s next and shape their future. Plus they produced Stranger Things.

Concordia – Concordia is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to actively fostering, elevating, and sustaining cross-sector partnerships for social impact. Concordia’s strength is the ability to convene the critical public and private stakeholders in a forum to address pressing societal problems. I’ve admired this organization for several years for many reasons, one of which being that the founders just barely turned 30 and yet they’ve already had a tremendous global impact. The healthcare industry could learn from their example of bravely convening the most influential minds from across the political and economic continuum and uniting them in a single cause.

Who are your mentors and/or people you follow?

So many people have been so generous and kind to me throughout my brief career. For brevity’s sake I’ll mention just a few:

My Dad – I’ve traveled the world and met lots of people, yet I still consider my Dad to be the greatest man I have ever known. He’s a wise mentor and a model of integrity and service.

Dave Bodel – Dave is the example I look to for multiplier leadership. He possesses an incredible ability to bring out the best in his team, pushing them beyond what they believed they were capable of achieving. He’s also an example of making family a priority.

Clay Christensen – While arguably the top business thinker of our era, Clay remains humble, modest, and genuinely good. I can detect no ego in his writing or speaking, he truly seeks to find the truth and then share it with as many people as can benefit from it.

My current and former boss – For the last several years I’ve had the privilege of working under two extraordinary women, both of whom I consider to be some of the wisest and most capable leaders I know. I won’t mention their names here, but I believe that someday their names will be known across the industry for their contributions.

What are the biggest challenges you see in healthcare?

My biggest worry is that our social services infrastructure is wholly inadequate in its current state to help people make the lifestyle and life circumstance changes needed to truly impact the health of our nation.

If we want make a dent in healthcare spend, we need to improve our education system to generate a more adaptable and self-sufficient workforce. We need to fix the economic stagnation afflicting rural America and many urban centers across the country. We need to teach people how to take better care of themselves, specifically with nutrition, exercise, and emotional/spiritual care. And don’t forget about taking care of the environment.

If we could dramatically improve the condition of the most vulnerable among us, that is true healthcare disruption.

To resolve this lack of readiness in our social services infrastructure will require a complete change in our investment strategy as a nation and an industry. Instead of spending money to care for people when they’re sick, we need to invest more heavily in the social determinants of health and nip problems in the bud before they require expensive treatment. That means more than just investing in primary care or creating fully integrated health systems. It’s a complete paradigm shift.

What are the tech tools you can’t live without (apps, products, etc)?

I can’t do without the podcast app on my iPhone. Similarly, Audible and Hoopla are just as essential for audiobooks. The next two aren’t tech tools but they’re some of my favorite things: The Hydro Flask is the best water bottle I’ve ever used, thanks to a generous gift from a friend. I’m also really snobby about my pens, so the Uni-ball Signo .38 pens nail my Job to Be Done with their bold colors and extra extra fine tip. Perfect for my extremely small handwriting. 

Connect with Benjamin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamintingey/