Healthcare Holdups, Death-By-Pilot, and the Scourge of Incrementalism

Each time the idea gained traction, its time to implementation grew by 6-8 weeks as I waited for it to get scheduled on various meeting agendas. And with each meeting, the “data collection” requirements grew and the scope of a pilot narrowed.

It’s been a few years since my experience in that hospital. In the interim, I’ve held roles with successively greater authority in the government, pharmaceutical industry, clinical medicine, and managed care, and I’ve come to understand that what I was being exposed to was what I call a classic “Healthcare Holdup.” The Healthcare Holdup is the reason so many good ideas in healthcare die a slow death.