e-HealthExpert.org - Primum non nocere

Complexity is a prominent characteristic of any healthcare organization.

The Wharton School [of Business - Univ. Pennsylvania, USA] just published a joint work with the George Group about Complexity in Products and Services and how it affects an organization.

In the Wharton tradition that report is clear and concise. Most of the problems pointed also show up in our hospitals and healthcare organizations and for that reason the report deserves a few minutes of you attention.

Taken from the report:
"...three important rules of complexity:
One, eliminate complexity that customers will not pay for;
Two, exploit the complexity customers will pay for;
And three, minimize the costs of complexity you offer."

"Complexity is not easy to recognize, and typically doesn’t raise red flags in financial statements. Very few organizations successfully capture the costs of complexity in their standard accounting systems
...It’s a bit like pollution, It builds up over time, it’s hard to see, but it definitely affects the overall health of the business. It’s a systemic issue created by multiple people so no one person is really accountable."

You may download the full report in .pdf format from:
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=weblink&linkID=175

You may find the report page at:
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=SpecialSection&specialId=45