Bettina Zippel-Schultz

Hospital innovation portfolios: Key determinants of size and innovativeness

BACKGROUND Health care organizations face an increasing demand for strategic change and innovation; however, there are also several barriers to innovation that impede successful implementation. PURPOSES We aimed to shed light on key issues of innovation management in hospitals and provide empirical evidence for controlling the size and innovativeness of a hospitals new health service and process portfolio. We show how health care managers could align the need for exploration and exploitation by applying both informal (e.g., employee encouragement) and formal (e.g., analytical orientation and reward systems) organizational mechanisms. METHODOLOGY To develop hypotheses, we integrated the innovation management literature into the hospital context. Detailed information about the innovation portfolio of 87 German hospitals was generated and combined with multirespondent survey data using ratings from management, medical, and nursing directors. Multivariate regression analysis was applied. FINDINGS The empirical results showed that an analytical approach increased the size of innovation portfolios. Employee encouragement amplified the degree of innovativeness of activities in the portfolio. Reward systems did not have direct effects on the composition of innovation portfolios. However, they adjusted bottom-up employee and top-down strategic initiatives to match with the existing organization, thereby decreasing the degree of innovativeness and enforcing exploitation. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Hospitals should intertwine employee encouragement, analytical approaches, and formal reward systems depending on organizational goals.

Prediction and personalised treatment of atrial fibrillation—stroke prevention: consolidated position paper of CVD professionals

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the major morbidity and health economic factors in Europe and often associated with several co-morbidities. This paper (1) underlines the importance of highly professional AF management utilising a multi-disciplinary expertise, especially considering the role of AF regarding the stroke risk and prevention, (2) demonstrates the consolidated position of CVD professionals and (3) emphasises those research aspects that could deepen the understanding of the emergence and the treatment of AF and therefore helps to provide a personalised preventive and more effective management of AF. Specialised calls are considered for that within the new European Programme ‘Horizon 2020’.

Mediated and Moderated Effects of Business and Project Planning on Innovation Projects in Hospitals

Based on multi-respondent data of 130 innovation projects in hospitals, our study analyses the role of planning intensity for project success. Besides showing that also in complex service systems innovation projects are supported through planning, we contribute to innovation management research, first, by clearly differentiating between the effects of business and project planning; second, by integrating intra-team co-ordination as a possible mediator of the planning success relationship; and, third, by taking into account the degree of innovativeness as a relevant contingency. We apply a multi-level regression analysis, include several control variables, and limit common source biases by a multi-respondent empirical design. The results demonstrate that both planning types show complementary effects. Project planning increases intra-team co-ordination, which mediates the planning effect on project success. Business planning has a direct effect on project success. However, the moderating effects of project innovativeness are oppositional. While business planning becomes more important for higher degrees of innovativeness, the efficacy of project planning is limited to incremental innovations. We conclude with a discussion of implications for hospital and innovation management as well as future research.

Outcomes of Patients in Long-Term Opioid Maintenance Treatment.

ABSTRACT Background: Despite the importance of duration of opioid maintenance treatment (OMT), only few studies have reported outcomes of long-term OMT. Objectives: To describe outcomes of long-term (> 5 years) OMT patients with respect to substance use, physical and mental health, and socioeconomic characteristics. Methods: Patients (n = 160) were recruited from 15 OMT offices in different regions of Germany. Data were collected using a structured interview at baseline, and clinical recordings, including urine drug screenings, during 12 monhts follow-up. Results: Patients had a mean age of 44 years. During follow-up, 23% of patients showed indications of an alcohol problem. Cannabis was used by 56%, often frequently. Heroin was used by 28%, mostly infrequently. Three quarters of patients either had a non-substance related mental disorder (48.1%, most frequently affective and anxiety disorders) or somatic diagnosis (61.3%, frequently hepatitis C, HIV, or cardiovascular diseases), or both. Unemployment rate was 43.1% at baseline (27% for patients without comorbidity) and remained generally stable during follow-up. No arrests or incarcerations were recorded. During follow-up, 2.5% of patients prematurely terminated OMT, 2.5% regularly completed OMT. Conclusions: The sample as a whole was characterized by stable living conditions, high unemployment, low illicit opiate use, and a high retention rate. Continuation of OMT could enable further treatment of comorbidity and prevent resumption of a drug-dominated lifestyle. But it may well be asked how within the context of OMT further improvements can be achieved, especially with regard to further decrease of alcohol use and the treatment of depression.

Struktur-, Prozess- und Kostenparameter sektorenübergreifender, telemedizinisch gestützter Versorgungskonzepte für herzinsuffiziente Patienten – ein modulares Referenzmodell

In Deutschland leiden rund 40 % der Bevolkerung an einer oder mehreren chronischen Krankheiten. Fur eine qualitativ hochwertige Versorgung dieser Patienten ist es erforderlich, eine kontinuierliche und ganzheitliche Betreuung uber die verschiedenen Sektoren und Arztdisziplinen hinweg zu realisieren. Verschiedene Studien haben gezeigt, dass dieses Erfordernis bisher nur unzureichend umgesetzt wird.

Warum bedarf es einer Stelle für das Innovations- und Change Management im Krankenhaus?: Relevanz und Erfahrungen dedizierter Funktionen

im Zusammenhang mit der notwendigen Steigerung der Innovationskraft von Unternehmen in der Sozial- und Gesundheitswirtschaft wird die Professionalisierung und Profilierung des Innovation- und Change Managements thematisiert sowie das Schaffen einer entsprechenden Organisationseinheit. Nach empirischen Befunden zum Innovationsgeschehen im Krankenhausern wird anhand einer Fallstudie aus einem Universitatsklinikum dargelegt, welche Funktion, welche Aufgaben, welche Wirkung eine solche Organisationseinheit „Innovation- und Changemanagement“ hat, wie sie in ein Unternehmen einzubinden ist und welche Herausforderung bei der Implementation zu bewaltigen sind.