Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

Miguel Villagra, MD
Tech
June 6, 2025
Share
Tweet
Share

Let’s bust a myth: Health care is not just about rules, protocols, and playing it safe. In fact, real breakthroughs happen when we dare to think differently.

Whether it’s improving patient outcomes, solving staffing gaps, or designing more human-centered workflows, the future of health care demands creative thinking at every level.

And no—you don’t need to be an “artist” to be creative in medicine.

Why creativity is no longer optional

Health care is under pressure:

  • Aging infrastructure
  • Burned-out staff
  • Rising patient expectations

… all while trying to stay compliant and efficient.

Creative problem-solving isn’t fluff—it’s how we move forward. From penicillin to robotic surgery, history shows: Breakthroughs come from breaking the mold.

Here’s how health care teams can tap into creative power

Rethink brainstorming:

  • Bring in voices outside of medicine—designers, engineers, patients.
  • Try “reverse brainstorming” (ask how to make the problem worse… then flip it).
  • Use “What if?” questions to push past assumptions.

Apply design thinking:

  • Empathize → Define → Ideate → Prototype → Test

It’s not just a business tool—it’s tailor-made for patient-centered care.

Break silos:

  • Collaborate with data scientists, developers, even artists.
  • Great ideas often come from outside your department (or comfort zone).

Turn constraints into fuel:

  • Short on resources? That’s the perfect time for ingenuity.
  • Necessity is still the mother of invention.

Build a culture of curiosity:

  • Ask: “Why are we doing it this way?”
  • Encourage small experiments and rapid feedback loops.
  • Celebrate learning from failure.

Final thought

ADVERTISEMENT

Creativity in health care isn’t just “nice to have.” It’s how we make things better—safer, smarter, more human.

Let’s stop waiting for permission to innovate. Let’s start asking better questions, testing bold ideas, and building a system that evolves with the world around us.

How do you encourage creativity in your health care environment? Reply with a story, tactic, or challenge—I’d love to hear what’s working (or what’s getting in the way). Let’s spark a conversation.

Miguel Villagra is a hospitalist.

Prev

Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

June 5, 2025 Kevin 0
…
Next

When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient's final chapter

June 6, 2025 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Health IT

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]
Next Post >
When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient's final chapter

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Miguel Villagra, MD

  • How physicians can get started in digital health and health care innovation

    Miguel Villagra, MD
  • 10 essential tips for doctors: Mastering contract negotiations

    Miguel Villagra, MD
  • How choosing purpose over design transforms your life and destiny

    Miguel Villagra, MD

Related Posts

  • Why the health care industry must prioritize health equity

    George T. Mathew, MD, MBA
  • Proactive care is the linchpin for saving America’s health care system

    Ronald A. Paulus, MD, MBA
  • What happened to real care in health care?

    Christopher H. Foster, PhD, MPA
  • To “fix” health care delivery, turn to a value-based health care system

    David Bernstein, MD, MBA
  • Health care’s hidden problem: hospital primary care losses

    Christopher Habig, MBA
  • Melting the iron triangle: Prioritizing health equity in dynamic, innovative health care landscapes

    Nina Cloven, MHA

More in Tech

  • The future of clinical care: AI’s role in easing physician workload

    Michael Wakeman
  • Why Grok 4 could be the next leap for HIPAA-compliant clinical AI

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • AI is already replacing doctors—just not how you think

    Bhargav Raman, MD, MBA
  • A mind to guide the machine: Why physicians must help shape artificial intelligence in medicine

    Shanice Spence-Miller, MD
  • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

    Vineet Vishwanath
  • The promise and perils of AI in health care: Why we need better testing standards

    Max Rollwage, PhD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why so many doctors secretly feel like imposters

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • How neuroplasticity offers hope for complex PTSD

      Hannah Holmes | Conditions
    • WeightWatchers shifts to value-based care with GLP-1 strategy

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • How reforming insurance, drug prices, and prevention can cut health care costs

      Patrick M. O'Shaughnessy, DO, MBA | Policy
    • New treatments for enlarged prostate offer faster relief with fewer side effects

      Martina Ambardjieva, MD, PhD | Conditions
    • Meeting transgender patients where they are: a health care imperative

      Tyler B. Evans, MD, MPH | Physician
    • How to break the cycle of judgment in medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why so many doctors secretly feel like imposters

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • How neuroplasticity offers hope for complex PTSD

      Hannah Holmes | Conditions
    • WeightWatchers shifts to value-based care with GLP-1 strategy

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • How reforming insurance, drug prices, and prevention can cut health care costs

      Patrick M. O'Shaughnessy, DO, MBA | Policy
    • New treatments for enlarged prostate offer faster relief with fewer side effects

      Martina Ambardjieva, MD, PhD | Conditions
    • Meeting transgender patients where they are: a health care imperative

      Tyler B. Evans, MD, MPH | Physician
    • How to break the cycle of judgment in medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...