Founded in 2009, KaiNexus is a technology company that aims to help solve one of the most vexing problems for healthcare organizations today - increasing quality while decreasing cost.  KaiNexus makes improvement easier through web-based software that helps initiate, manage, spread, and sustain ideas that come from clinicians and front-line staff.  KaiNexus streamlines the management processes required for continuous improvement to thrive.

The KaiNexus platform has been in beta use by multiple departments throughout the Vanderbilt University Medical Center since early 2011 after participating in the development of early versions since 2005.  KaiNexus is in the process of rolling out to several other large organizations, including the University of North Carolina Health Care.  Co-founder and CEO Gregory Jacobsen, MD, has published on the use of lean and continuous improvement methods in the Journal Academic Emergency Medicine ("Kaizen: A Method of Process Improvement in the Emergency Department").

Dr. John W. Kenagy’s experience as a physician, health care executive, Harvard Business School  Visiting Scholar, and, most importantly, as a patient has shown him that innovation in healthcare means creating the ability to adapt and do what others won’t.

His research and professional experience focus on the methods, skills and tools of those few organizations that excel at adapting to complex, dynamic, unpredictable challenges. He translated that research to healthcare as Adaptive Design®, an integrated management/frontline approach to getting patients exactly what they need at continually lower cost.

Forbes Magazine named Dr. Kenagy, “the man who would save healthcare.” His book Designed to Adapt: Leading Healthcare in Challenging Times is a guidebook that you can use to increasingly get patients exactly what they need at continually lower cost. That’s the way you can fix healthcare.

Barbara Balik, RN, EdD is Senior Faculty at the Institute of Healthcare Improvement and the Principal of Common Fire Healthcare Consulting.  Her areas of expertise include leadership and adaptive systems for quality and safety, patient-and-family centered care and patient experience, policy/systems development to improve transitions in care and creating systems that excel in transforming care and services prior to or after an electronic health record implementation.  She works with leaders to develop adaptive systems and skills to excel and innovate in complex organizations; to assure sustained improvement and innovation every day in care settings.

Barbara has a BS and MS in nursing and a doctorate in educational leadership.  Her previous roles include: at Allina Hospitals and Clinics, MN – Executive VP of quality, safety, and technology; Hospital and clinic CEO at United Hospital; VP of Patient Care/CNO at United Hospital; System CNO Council Chair; at Minneapolis Children’s Medical Center – VP of Patient Care/CNO; Pediatric nurse practitioner; maternal-child health nurse.