Dr. John Kenagy knows healthcare as a physician, healthcare executive, scholar, advisor, and patient. After receiving his MD with distinction from the University of Nebraska Medical School, he trained in General and Vascular Surgery at the University of Washington and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons with board certification in General and Vascular Surgery.

   In addition to 20 years’ experience as a vascular surgeon, Kenagy has been Chief of Surgery, Chief of Staff, and held management positions including Regional Vice President for Business Development with PeaceHealth, a multi-state healthcare delivery system.

   His frustration with current methods was fueled by an injury when he suffered a broken neck in a fall from a tree. He discovered that his recovery depended on the effort of dedicated individuals working in a broken health care system. Searching for organizational answers beyond “try harder,” he earned a management degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School and was then appointed a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Business School from 1998–2002.

   He founded Kenagy & Associates, LLC to bring these capabilities to healthcare, using Adaptive Design® to better and more profitably meet the needs of patients in an increasingly complex, rapidly changing world. Adaptive Design® is a process of identifying problems — no matter how small — that impede our progress toward ideal patient care.   Problem-solving and improving solutions are a constant process performed by the people who do the work, in the course of their work. In Adaptive Design, real solutions to waste and inefficiency begin on a small scale and radiate onward exponentially as one person teaches another this new approach. These self-sustaining Learning LinesSM—a new internal learning environment that is adaptive, resilient, and profitable in a constantly changing world—serve to “heal” an organization like no other.

  John’s new book on innovation is launching in December 2008.

Topics:

Myth, Reality, and Innovation in Healthcare

• Disruptive Innovation, Adaptive Design, and the New Healthcare Reality

• Changing the Rules—New Opportunities for Healthcare Leadership

• Solving the Toyota Paradox—Why There is No Toyota in Healthcare and What You Can Do About It.