CoxHealth hosts idea-sourcing event at eFactory

CoxHealth is turning to 50 of its employees to help make the health system more efficient and effective.

Today and tomorrow, entry-level employees to executives will converge at The eFactory, Missouri State University’s downtown business incubator, to brainstorm ideas. The event is dubbed the CoxHealth Innovation Accelerator, according to a news release.

“At CoxHealth, we’re intentionally looking at how we can do things differently. But not just to be different – to be better,” said Scott Rogers, CoxHealth’s system director for performance integration and innovation, in the release. “This event gives us the chance to think outside the box and really develop ideas that bring our organization to the next level.”

The 50 employees - who were approved after applying to participate - each will give a one-minute presentation on how to improve the health system.

The participants then will select five to seven of the top ideas to present to local business coaches, who also are CoxHealth board members:
    •    Rob Fulp, president and CEO of Springfield First Community Bank;
    •    Dennis Heim, partner with Heim, Young & Associates Inc.;
    •    Jeff Tynes, president and CEO of Springfield Grocer Co.;
    •    Kurt Hellweg, CEO of International Dehydrated Foods Inc. and American Dehydrated Foods Inc.;
    •    Jim Hutcheson, president of Jim Hutcheson Realtors Inc.;
    •    Bob McDowell, owner of McDowell Consulting LLC; and
    •    Chuck Chalender, agent with American Family Insurance.

Groups will be formed to present the top ideas to CoxHealth leaders, including President and CEO Steve Edwards, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jake McWay, Senior Vice President and General Counsel Charity Elmer and Senior Vice President and Chief Hospital Officer Ron Prenger, according to the release.

Joining the executives will be Joe Turner, president and CEO of Great Southern Bank and chairman of the CoxHealth board, and Jack Prim, CEO of Jack Henry & Associates Inc., who also sits on the hospital’s board.