When I was asked to write a blog this week on the topic of how open innovation (OI) is driving new thinking in healthcare companies – my first thought was: When hasn’t OI driven new thinking in healthcare companies? During my career in academic biomedical research, many of my medical school colleagues were funded by such companies to conduct very focused research, and to participate in clinical trials of specific therapies. Pharmaceutical companies and other healthcare companies have a long history of working with the academic world to develop new drugs, understand mechanisms and assess effectiveness.

But one of the challenges I’ve faced at NineSigma is addressing the culture at some healthcare companies whose people may assume they are using OI effectively because of this type of previous experience. When I ask, where have you looked already to find a solution that can meet your needs? Most often the answer is, the experts that are already known and that the company has worked with before, and people identified based on searching for publications based on keywords specifically associated with the topic. But consider this: with such an approach, the same questions are asked of the same people over and over again.

Open innovation is more than that. Open innovation is reaching beyond what is already known, and thinking about problems and possible solutions in new ways. It may be as simple as reaching beyond an existing list of go-to people and organizations to expand across the globe, or as complex as developing an entirely new platform and business model for healthcare access.

These days, healthcare companies are doing more than just keeping the new drug pipeline flowing. With pressure from regulatory agencies to protect the environment (and us!) from accumulation of drugs and hormones in our water, safer drug disposal and “greener” formulation components are needed. With global economies changing, products to facilitate entry into new and emerging markets are of great interest. With energy costs rising, more efficient manufacturing is another big issue. Convenient new drug delivery platforms, novel medical devices, protection against sole source suppliers, overcoming long-standing technical hurdles, and adapting manufacturing for new drug formulations and delivery mechanisms are important current needs.

Many years ago, when my lab was located at Children’s Hospital in Seattle, Washington, the lead nephrologist held television interviews below my office window in response to some of the early pediatric cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome caused by E. coli O157:H7. So one of my hopes for the future of OI in healthcare is that work will be done that helps me feel secure that my family is protected against new diseases and global pandemics. What are yours?