Should We Be Hopeful About Healthcare

These days, the news feels heavy.

There are a lot of things in the air.

Regulations are shifting. Rights are disputed. The future of healthcare feels... unsettled.

As someone who lives at the intersection of medicine, technology, and equity, I've been in rooms lately where people are fired up-and rightfully so. Innovation is exciting. There are so many possibilities. We are pushing the limitations forward and showcasing use cases that could change the way that we approach care delivery.

There is also quiet uncertainty brewing. A lot of folks are looking around and asking, "Where are we going?,"“Will my contributions matter?,” and perhaps more vulnerably, "Will we be okay?"

Today, I don't want to talk about the latest AI tool or newest buzz word.

I want to genuinely ask  “What is the last thing that made you hopeful about healthcare?”

For me, it has been hearing the motivation behind why people are doing what they are doing.

I’ve listened to a group of nurses, physicians, and patient advocates sitting around a table-not to build an app for “increased access,” but to build trust in a system that can be used by many.

I’ve met with UX designers asking how to design more inclusively.

I’ve been privy to teams thinking about how to change KPI metrics from "efficiently" to “with dignity.”

That question that I asked earlier about “What gives you hope?” isn't new for me.

When I hosted my healthcare podcast, I used to ask some variation of it at the end of every episode. I spoke with technologists, founders, public health experts, clinicians, and patient advocates. And while the answers were always different, ranging from "more business education to medical students” to "empowering patients" to "the return of home visits," the heart of every answer boiled down to the same thing, which was their “why.”

Why are they in this business? Why do they get up in the morning? Why do they want to help people? Knowing why you started can remind you why you should keep pushing forward.

Because even in a system full of flaws, the people committed to making it better, the ones with integrity, imagination, and empathy are what keeps this whole system moving forward.

That's what gives me hope.

Healthcare innovation doesn't always look like disruption.

Sometimes it looks like alignment between purpose, product, people, and policy.

Hope isn't naïve. I hope that it is infectious. If we want to design the future of healthcare responsibly, we can't afford to ignore the risk of doing so in the absence of hope.

So I'll ask again:

What's the last thing that made you hopeful about healthcare?

Let's start there in the comments.

Last week, I shared a cautionary tale on last week’s edition. This week, I want to keep shift it to a more positive note. Instead of sharing the errors that can cost reputations, let’s talk about a system that is building a great reputation. CommonSpirit Health offers a compelling model for what it means to operationalize innovation at both scale and depth of purpose. As a large Medicaid provider, the organization has architected an innovation strategy that is not merely technologically advanced, but clinically anchored, community-engaged, and outcomes-driven. Its Connected Community Network has successfully integrated more than 900 partner organizations to collectively address social determinants of health for over 22,000 individuals. Meanwhile, a recent behavioral health initiative has reached traditionally underserved populations, with 60% of patients achieving measurable symptom improvement within 90 days-many of whom were engaging with mental health care for the first time. In emergency and outpatient settings, CommonSpirit has deployed AI-enabled tools to streamline clinician workflows, strengthen patient engagement, and reduce the proportion of emergency department patients leaving without being seen by over 11%. Crucially, equity is not a peripheral consideration, but a structural requirement. All innovation partners must demonstrably serve Medicaid and underserved populations, embedding mission alignment into the innovation lifecycle itself.

This model is especially noteworthy in a landscape where health system innovation is too often synonymous with transient pilots or isolated technology procurements. CommonSpirit's approach challenges that paradigm by treating innovation as infra-structurally interwoven into the delivery of care at every level. It demonstrates that sustainable progress in healthcare emerges not from adopting tools for their own sake, but from designing systems with the structural integrity to support equity, accessibility, and long-term impact. Their work underscores a vital principle: transformative innovation in healthcare is measured not only by technological sophistication, but by its capacity to reach, serve, and meaningfully improve the lives of those most frequently excluded from innovation's benefits. This is what gives me hope.

Couldn't let the week go by without thanking LinkedIn for honoring me as one of their Healthcare Influencers to Watch alongside a powerful group of professionals shaping the future of health. As healthcare continues to evolve, it’s inspiring to see more clinicians using their voices to educate, advocate, and lead important conversations.Grateful to be part of this incredible community. Check out the Healthcare Industry Pulse: https://lnkd.in/eVMDKDjG

Here's to hope,

Erkeda DeRouen, MD, CPHRM

P.S. Is your team making big decisions around AI or digital health implementation? Even with strong internal teams, blind spots happen, especially when innovation moves faster than regulation. My team at Digital Risk Compliance Solutions brings an unbiased, cross-industry lens to help uncover risks your team may be too close or overextended to see. Ready to De-Risk What’s Next? DM me if a trusted outside perspective could refine your execution or schedule a call at https://calendly.com/drerkeda/drcs