As we reflect on 2020, we see how the global pandemic drastically changed the world, thrusting organizations and individuals into the digital space for doing business and making connections. This has been a gradual shift that was only accelerated last year. For eighteen years, MediSked has been the leading brand in holistic solutions that improve lives, drive efficiencies, and generate innovations for health and human services organizations that support our community. Since day one, MediSked has been responsive to a changing world.
In the Home and Community Based Services / Long Term Services and Supports (HCBS/LTSS) industry, care managers, providers, and the individuals they support depend on services in the digital space, like the software solutions MediSked offers. Our solutions serve to drive efficiencies to those workers that are supporting and guiding individuals against the stress and backdrop of this shift and a global pandemic. On top of that, our industry demands research, compliance, and a response to ever-changing regulations. A best-in-class digital experience provided by MediSked solutions is more important than ever.
Through my entire career in software, I have always been passionate about focusing on development efforts that solve the problems that matters most – those of our users. Upon reading the ThoughtWorks perspective on Product Thinking[1], I felt inspired to reflect on how MediSked has adopted the principles to providing the right innovative solutions now and into the future.
- “Development doesn’t stop.” The product mindset is holistic, with an ownership-based approach. Continuous client feedback and industry learnings are incorporated, even if it challenges our original assumptions. There is an obsession for delivering value to the client.
- “Know thy client.” Empathize with the problems our clients face and their priorities for the individuals they support and their broader circles of support. Our clients are such an important tie to the HCBS/LTSS industry, and they offer direct insight into improving lives and cost efficacy for service delivery. It is vital to understand and empathize with the problems that our clients are trying to solve and offer a consultative approach to collaborate, as a trusted expert and guide.
- “Data isn’t everything.” Data is important for feedback and understanding adoption, utilization, satisfaction, and engagement – but it does not tell the whole story. Follow up and develop a relationship. Knowing that a client isn’t using something as designed isn’t the same as knowing why they don’t use it.
- “Build for real-world problems.” Engineers love to solve problems and play with new technology, which can lead to a tendency of adopting “new tech” for tech’s sake. Product Thinking is the art of knowing and applying the right resources to address client and industry needs. Clients will have great ideas for opportunities to build and MediSked has bandwidth allocated to balance incorporating client feedback with other security, regulatory, compliance, and innovation goals as we solve real-world problems together.
- “Promote a product-oriented organization.” The best product teams are outcome rather than output driven. This is aligned with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) five-year Health IT 2020-2015 Strategic Plan[2], which identifies desired outcomes. Adopting a company culture of questioning the status quo and experimenting with ideas can bring about the most valuable innovations for our customers.
- “Start small and build for speed.” Small, autonomous product teams that are tightly focused on specific outcomes or features can drive more positive results than a massive transformation. Blended teams of business owners, developers, designers, and testers can result in empowered teams to deliver that positive client experience from end to end.
Why does this matter? MediSked is more than a software vendor, we are a trusted partner for our clients. In addition to our years of experience, MediSked is also committed to a holistic product mindset: delivering value for clients — prioritizing continuous evolution, data-driven decisions, and client delight. Our mission has always been a person-centered approach that is the anchor in all that we do. MediSked is a partner to solve business problems and deliver solutions instead of capabilities.
“You are a fool if you do just as I say. You are a greater fool if you don’t do as I say. You should think for yourself and come up with better ideas than mine.”
– TAIICHI OHNO
