Rushika Fernandopulle – Vision, Passion and Persistence

When Rushika Fernandopulle, Founder of Renaissance Health, imagined a new kind of primary care delivery he took action. He did not wait for someone else to give it a try, he did not shy away from the certain risks or challenges, Rushika moved forward and built his vision of primary care delivery.

Making a leap from what is, to what is imagined becomes a key ingredient for innovation and transformation. Other key ingredients are passion and persistence and having both meant that Rushika did not waiver when his practice met hostility from others in the medical community. He simply changed his strategy while still holding his vision constant. He found supportive partners and began working in a more conducive environment. He developed a new business model and found new ways of exploring primary care delivery.

Two new experiments include:

The Ambulatory Intensive Care Unit which serves the part of the population (10%) that accounts for the majority of health care costs (65 %).

The Concierge Care for the Uninsured is using the idea of competing against non-consumption. Seeking to deliver care to those that can’t afford the monthly payment for health insurance, but can afford a small monthly payment for high quality primary care.

These experiments are putting into practice principles that are both basic and complex. The first, meet the needs of the patients, seems to say something simple and direct. But what if the needs of the patient don’t always match up with their medical needs? Rushika used an example of a woman who had a grand maul seizure, she went to the ER and when no reason for the seizures could be found, she was sent home and instructed to follow up with her primary physician. When the woman tried to make the appointment, her primary care physician determined that the patients medical needs, ( the facts about her condition ) where not acute and that she could wait to be seen. The medical needs did not match up with the needs of the patient. In Rushika’s model, this patient would be seen immediately, her personal needs as well as her medical needs would be met. The second principle is that the physician can’t manage a patient’s health the patient must manage their own health. With the tools and resources that a physician can provide, a patient can be expected and capable of managing their own health.

In addition to the principles above, Rushika is applying new processes such as – Jointly created strategic health plans, In depth education, Unfettered access to help and Proactive management. He is also using new structures like – Different staffing, Robust information and technology platforms, Physical design of space and a new business model and culture.

These principles, processes and structures combine with a passion for transformation are helping Rushika take extraordinary steps towards a new way of delivering primary care.

What can we learn about innovation and transformation from Rushika?

– Look outside ourselves, look at the small groups doing incredible things.
– Break the rules
– Its about the patient / provider relationship
– Hire the up and coming, the creative rule breakers and then tell them its okay to break the rules
– Learn not from the mean, but from the extreme
– Backload constraints instead of frontloading them
– Build before you are ready
– Design space and workflow to create
– Build slack into the system
– Be accountable – find ways to measure what you do
– Seek feedback
– Have a vision
– Be persistent
– Be brave enough to act on your passion

Thank you, Rushika, for an incredibly inspiring presentation.