Technology change, an ageing population, increasing consumer-based demands, public finance constraints, insurance constraints and loss of patient confidence are just some of the issues facing today's health industry. Without a doubt, the health sector is being pushed and pulled into revealing more about the effects of its decisions in both outcomes (what have we achieved) and inputs (what people, finance and resources have we needed). These tensions, combined with increasing scrutiny, mean that making correct choices is more important than ever.
Z/Yen delivers a tremendous number of special projects in the commercial and not-for-profit health sectors. Prior to Z/Yen's establishment, several Z/Yen people had extensive personal health sector experience, such as helping start the UK's Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts, early strategic planning for private sector health care providers, developing health informatics, procurement investigations and recommendations, information systems planning, quite a large project assessing preparedness for trust status around the UK and even working on turning around London Ambulance Service's crisis in the early 1990's. Z/Yen itself has:
managed outsourcing programmes, in both facilities and information technology, including the evaluation of public-private partnership for both government and industry;
project-managed and put into successful trials at two leading UK research hospitals cancer detection and treatment technologies;
conducted research into "evidence of worth" with leading care providers, research providers and think tanks, such as "Blue Sky Cancer Research" with the CSFI;
helped develop the funding strategy, and find funds, for an award-winning diabetes lifestyle management system; ¨ assessed risks and rewards of treatments using epidemiological techniques, geographic information systems, financial analysis and lifestyle analysis;
worked on alternative risk transfer techniques which successfully managed long-term environmental liabilities, e.g. incinerators;
installed a scientific information managing system for research cases containing grant application, awards, scientific contacts and project management;
specified and procured an educational online resource for health professionals managing activities to prevent heart disease and promote healthy lifestyles;
developed and implemented information technology training programmes for health professionals;
undertaken market research on a variety of health treatments, products, systems and services from scanning equipment to natural health care products;
researched the potential market created by reducing Legionella analytical testing time;
helped to get a major service and market research business for clinicians underway.
Z/Yen's work ranges from strategic management issues to direct operational assistance. We classify our projects in five categories - people, organisational, strategy, systems and intelligence. We implement solutions through an appropriate combination of projects, coaching and secondment (interim management). As we tend to work on complex or special projects, much of our work has in some way introduced new technology to the health sector or improved financial/operational links. While we recognise that the health sector has unique demands, we believe, and our experience supports this, that our commercial risk/reward analysis leads to better decisions and implementation for health sector organisations.