The healthcare industry is constantly evolving and requires a workforce that is responsive and able to lead and adapt to changes. Healthcare professionals are continually asked to incorporate new services, care models, quality measures, and process improvements into daily work.
While clinical innovations and operational improvements are promising, there is growing recognition of the gap between plans to implement them and actual implementation.
HMA has extensive leadership, operational, and clinical expertise working directly with health systems, health plans, providers, foundations, community-based organizations, and associations adopt implementation science informed approaches for successful change.
Drawing on this experience, we developed the HMA Implementation Accelerator, a leadership development framework that utilizes implementation science to address on-the-ground challenges and lead successful implementation efforts.
“The importance of leadership is noted in just about every discussion of implementation. The absence of leadership support is a well-documented barrier, and success is attributed to the presence of leadership support.”
– Active Implementation Research Network
HMA Implementation Accelerator
PEOPLE
Leadership development
Build knowledge, skills, and abilities and apply them to implementation
Change agent engagement and development
Identify formal and informal leaders to inform, support and influence engagement
Implementation approach training
Build knowledge and skills critical to successful implementation
PROCESS
Project management
Develop or enhance structures and approach to guide implementation
Continuous improvement and critical feedback
Integrate structures and practices that facilitate continuous improvement, sustain momentum, and highlight critical adaptation
Communication planning
Plan and deploy intentional, pro-active communication strategies to effectively guide and support implementation
Tool development
Identify, develop, and deploy tools that support effective implementation and create efficiencies for implementation teams
Sustainability planning
Pro-actively plan for sustainability from outset
PURPOSE
Executive sponsorship
Engage and activate sponsorships for critical support and resources
Align implementation with mission
Connect implementation efforts to a larger “why” in alignment with mission
What’s included
Conceptual framework to guide implementation process
Strategies to develop effective sponsorship at the executive or senior leadership level to mitigate barriers and resource effort
Leadership skill development at the level of implementation
Processes to enhance effective ownership and commitment at all levels
Prioritization of change initiatives
Clear accountability of actions in implementation
Continuous quality improvement as part of implementation
Sustainability planning from the start
Research shows that successful leadership development occurs when the learning can be directly applied to active work processes, which aligns with how adults learn most effectively.
Through the Implementation Accelerator, we use a combination of interactive training, peer learning, and coaching to support hands-on learning. The integration of leadership development and implementation science provides a robust opportunity to develop and sustain leadership skills and develop an organizational methodology to guide both current and future implementation efforts.