Using Technology to Improve Operational Agility in Healthcare

In the article “Competing through organizational agility,” Donald Sull highlights the importance of having organization agility.  He discusses how this skillset is extremely important to organizations, especially in times of economic instability.  This led me to explore how healthcare organizations are acquiring and utilizing organizational agility in times of uncertainty.  With the changing landscape of regulations in healthcare, for both providers and payers, these companies need to be able to quickly adapt. 

In a healthcare technology news article, it seems that many healthcare companies are turning to external vendor, Pegasystems that works in the business process management space, in order to achieve greater operational agility.  Specifically Health Net, a health plan that insures about six million people, used Pegasystems in to harness data and information from claims, care management, and customer service business areas.  With these solutions in place, Health Net is now prepared to make rapid improvements and changes with deal with the changing regulatory environment.  Pegasystems has also helped healthcare providers reach similar operational agility. 

In order for healthcare organizations to stay afloat during times of payment and quality related health reforms, it is important for these institutions to be able to monitor their abundant data and quickly adapt as needed.  How do you think that most healthcare organizations will fare as regulations change?  Are they equipped with the operational agility that they will need?

Sources:
Sull, Donald. "Competing through Organizational Agility." McKinsey Quarterly (2010): 1-9.

Nathesh (2010, December 22). Healthcare technology: Health Net picks Pegasystems to achieve new value and efficiencies across its operations. Health Tech Zone website.  Retrieved from http://www.healthtechzone.com/topics/healthcare/articles/128959-health-net-picks-pegasystems-achieve-new-value-efficiencies.htm