A Glossary of Sick Care Innovation

Many of you are probably confused by terms used by people talking and writing about sick care innovation. Since the terms are confusing and the field is growing so rapidly, here is a glossary that might help you.

1. Innovation: Anything that is new, trendy, or hot that might get funded

2. Pivoting: Changing your mind about being a physician entrepreneur because you realize early on that there is no way you are going to make as much money as you are now practicing cardiology or orthopedics.

3. Disruption: Doing anything is sick care in a way that looks like Uber

4. Customer discovery: Asking the guy next door, who runs a auto parts chain and has a Mercedes parked in the garage, whether your idea is any good

5. Lean start up: Spending lots or time and money getting a patent, putting it on the wall of your home office, and dialing for dollars for the next six months to see if anyone is actually interested in buying or developing your gadget.

6. Agile development: Finding someone to take all the risk developing, testing, and deploying your technology and then expecting them to send you automatic funds transfers to your bank account

7. Entrepreneurs: College dropouts who take many risks and wear black turtle neck sweaters

8. IPO: stands for "I pooped out". The idea is to float your unprofitable company on public markets and then lead it down the drain because you became complacent.

9. Market segmentation: Doing whatever you have to do or say whatever you have to say to appeal to the millennial stereotype

10. Innovation districts: Places, in mostly hip urban areas, where debt laden people in their twenties ride public bicycles, live in 300 sq. ft. micro apartments and spend most their time in co-working spaces, drinking coffee and micro brewed beer learning the same lessons their parents tried to teach them when they lived in the basement.

I hope this helps. Now, go forth and innovate. How was my driving?