Innovation: Sustainability Reports

Health care, unfortunately, has not built a reputation for quality storytelling.

Health care is most often known for its acronyms, complicated research, and jargon wielding professionals. Patients are unable to read their own charts (let alone bills). And while those few items could be topics in and of themselves, I thought I would spend a few minutes on institutional storytelling.

While health care is most often believed to be a public good that should be extended to as many people as possible, providers have been reticent to talk about the margins it produces on an annual basis. For-profits don't want to draw attention to it and non-profits don't want to be accused of making too much of it.

So here is a middle way...

Phillips (and others) have recently announced the publication of "sustainability reports." While more popular in Europe than the US, these reports do an exceptional job of talking about the importance of their employees, initiatives they're involved in environmentally, dollars they're contributing to the community, and how the profits they make ensure sustainability of the organization.

I think all organizations would do well by their employees, communities, and funders (shareholders or otherwise) in producing such a report and reframing the way we think about health care and the sustainable ways it is provided to our communities.

Philip's report remains my favorite and you can find it here.

NOTE: If anyone has done a similiar report for their health care organization, please let me know and I'll make note of it in future posts.