The New Existence: A Framework for Action for the Future of Healthcare

by Jason A. Wolf, PhD, CPXP 

As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence
is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being.

Carl Jung

In moments like we find ourselves today, in the midst of a health crisis that is shifting the ground on which we live and work, one that further reveals the fissures in our humanness in how we care for and treat one another, we realize there is an opportunity, and more so a need, to kindle that very light of meaning.

In moments like we find ourselves today, we look back for inspiration and understanding and look forward with hope and purpose. And we take action with each step to make sense of, to clear a path and to understand the way forward.

What we have discovered in this moment is that things will change. They will have to. As I wrote in May:

There is nothing “normal” about what we are facing. Normal suggests a new “typical state or condition.” But the moment in which we find ourselves now and the moments to follow will not be steady. They will rapidly evolve and dynamically shift; we will ultimately find ourselves in a New Existence. Existence is not a state, but rather a way of living and being, driven by survival and a commitment to do what is right and true.

This opportunity led us on the journey to define a new existence for healthcare, articulating what this moment has called on us to do and how it will ground us in new ways of being as we move forward. The New Existence project, launched earlier this year, was guided by a global steering team of patients, family members and healthcare leaders, representing 5 continents and supported by the voices of over 1000 members of our global community. The process of inquiry and reflection on what our new existence would be was not intended to erase all we have done and known, but rather to reinforce the strengths of what we know and stepping forward with a shared purpose for what we know we can become.

This work resulted in a framework for action for the future of healthcare. Its intent is to push both the boundaries and purpose of healthcare forward. As the preamble to this work reinforces, “The New Existence will align disparate efforts and ensure the human experience at the heart of healthcare flourishes. It will ultimately steer us through this moment to a future we create together.”

The framework for action is grounded in a set of foundational agreements:

• This work is born from our common experience in this moment
• We are all humans in healthcare and must recognize and act together on what impacts us
• We insist on equity in healthcare
• We commit to working better together, through and beyond this moment
• We will come out of this crisis as better human beings, organizations and systems

The agreements align purpose with intent but also move us from philosophy to action. The framework itself is built on four segments of focus and a set of associated actions. I share them here with their framing statements.

• Care Teams. Redefine and advance the integrated nature of and critical role patients and their circle of support play on care teams.
• Governance & Leadership. Reimagine, redefine and reshape the essential role of leadership in driving systematic change.
• Models of Care & Operations. Co-design systems, processes and behaviors to deliver the best human experience.
• Policy & Systemic Issues. Advocate for equitable institutional, governmental and payor policies, incentives and funding to drive positive change.

When we look to these essential elements for moving to our new existence, we underline the active nature of what will be required – to redefine, reimagine, co-design and advocate. Each of these items has a full set of associated actions and sub-actions that begin to frame the steps we can take together. You can access and review the full framework here.

But The New Existence isn’t simply focused on a concept; it is a community-sourced and curated repository of how we can do it together. Each action listed in The New Existence will house a library of content – sourced from and contributed to by members of The Beryl Institute global community. This community-driven effort will support all of us in not just agreeing on what actions we must take, but providing us with the ideas, resources and processes that will support us in stepping forward. The invitation now is to both engage in and contribute to The New Existence together.

As we look to what we always believed healthcare could be and work to elevate the human experience at its heart, there has remained an opportunity for alignment and support, clear purpose and intent. This effort, which represents the voices of our community, born from crisis but rooted in all the good we knew existed before this moment and will now carry us  through and beyond it. That is what we have framed here together.

The New Existence is not a thing so much as it is an idea, that when we focus with purpose on what we know is right, what we know is needed and what we know people serving in and served by healthcare deserve, we can and will always do great things. While no path forward will ever be framed with certainty, we can take steps into that future with confidence, knowing we have a framework for action on which to proceed and the people we need to succeed by our side. That is what it means to “kindle a light of meaning.” For when we all seek to and act on the opportunity to elevate the human experience in healthcare, even in these darker hours, the future can only be brighter, and it is one we can and will build together.

Please contribute to and pull from The New Existence framework. You can get started here. A special thanks to our incredible global steering team for this work and to the 1000 plus members of our community who provided your guidance in this effort. The future not only belongs to the beauty of our dreams, but to what we are willing to do about it today. Here is a to a great journey!

Jason A. Wolf, PhD, CPXP
President and CEO
The Beryl Institute