Rod Baird, President, Gehrimed
Since 1977, Rod has led provider and management organizations that deliver care to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, including community-controlled nonprofits, professional and trade associations, and for-profit networks. He also was chosen to be a part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Advisors Program. He received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from American University.
- What comes to mind when you hear the word innovation?
Heightened wariness. Most things/ideas marketed today as innovations actually add burden to my day (i.e., empowering me to manage something that was previously done by someone else – like self-service brokerage/banking). It’s now possible to spend most of one’s time interacting with all these new choices without accomplishing as much as in the past.
- Do you have an innovation role model and why?
Satoshi Nakamoto – the alias for the founder/inventor of Cryptocurrency (e.g. Bitcoin). Let’s ignore the speculative bubble and examine the underlying genius. Ten years ago, the anonymous author(s) posted the Bitcoin manifesto to an obscure cryptography listserv. A few months later, code for software appeared – and the result was a totally crowd-sourced, self-perpetuating, centerless ecosystem. Cryptocurrency is a popular distraction; the real genius is the underlying Blockchain.
- How do you try and instill a culture of innovation around you?
When you have a truly innovative idea it’s time to start a new company.
- Is there a particular innovation that has made your professional life easier? Any special non-health care innovation you use at home?
Social networking has made my professional life easier. At home it’s high-tech materials that improve/extend human performance (carbon fiber, GOTE-TEX and synthetic fibers, titanium, Kevlar, etc.). The older I get, the more play hurts; great gear is the best analgesic.
- What excites you most about the AMDA Innovations Platform Advisory Council?
In the states, caring for our frail elderly is bankrupting the future – the only humane solution is better care management. There are too few well-trained professionals for the task ahead – any innovation we can create or promote that extends/expands this scarce resource will payback for years to come. We have to leverage the population-specific knowledge our members represent beyond their face-to-face care.