Leadership

Diversity: The Untapped Power Fueling Innovation and Growth

By Claudia Elmore, CPCS, CPMSM

Diversity is often viewed as a moral imperative or compliance requirement — but what if we saw it for what it truly is: a powerful, renewable source of energy that can fuel innovation, drive growth, and transform healthcare from the inside out?

Just like solar or wind energy, diversity is all around us and ready to be harnessed. Yet, too often, its full potential goes untapped. This Celebrate Diversity Month, we explore how healthcare organizations can more intentionally plug into this source of power — and how the steps we take today can build lasting momentum for future generations.

Diversity as a Catalyst for Innovation

Dr. Upasna Mini Swift, MD, MPH, FACP, vice president of population health at Alameda Health System, sees diversity as a tool that sharpens vision — allowing us to see the full scope of challenges and opportunities.

“Getting a variety of perspectives drives innovation,” she says. “To see the whole picture, you need people looking at it from different vantage points.” Like renewable energy, diversity requires infrastructure to capture and apply its benefits. “Without including those closest to the work, we risk missing critical insights,” she explains. “Diversity helps us uncover root causes, find better solutions, and identify broader opportunities.”

Karen Claxton, MBA, CPCS, CPMSM, FMSP, NAMSS President, shares how her perspective on diversity deepened through leadership training. “Many managers, including myself, are promoted based on technical skills but lack formal leadership training,” she says. “It wasn’t until I pursued a management degree that I fully understood the value of diversity.”

Her key takeaway? The most diverse organizations are often the most successful. “Diverse teams are more creative, better at decision-making, and more profitable. But our natural bias to hire people like ourselves can limit that potential. Recognizing this allows us to consciously seek out different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.”

Powering the Future: Laying the Infrastructure

Like any energy source, diversity needs systems in place to make it sustainable. Dr. Swift emphasizes the importance of embedding inclusion into everyday processes. “Tools like equity impact analyses can make inclusive practices part of standard work. Simple questions — ‘Who’s impacted?’ or ‘Do they have a seat at the table?’ — can lead to meaningful change.”

She points to healthcare’s multidisciplinary teams as examples of diversity in action. “We already have models that work — we just need to recognize and scale them.” Claxton stresses that it is crucial to show future generations how diversity powers success. “Some DEI programs have come under fire recently, but we need to separate the programs from the principles,” she notes. “The benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion speak for themselves. When people feel included, they’re more creative and collaborative. Organizations that promote fairness foster psychological safety — the foundation for innovation. In a healthcare environment full of challenges and thin margins, this kind of energy is essential.”

The Energy of a Collective Movement

Healthcare organizations nationwide are making bold commitments to diversity as a key driver of their missions:

• American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) affirms:
  “Diversity in its leaders, members and staff serves as a catalyst for a stronger workforce, improved decision-making and outcomes, and a competitive advantage.”

• Massachusetts General Hospital states:
  “Because of diversity we excel; through inclusion we respect; focused on equity we serve, heal, educate and innovate.”

• IU Health commits to:
  “Advancing a culture where all people can come together while we work to equitably improve the health of all Hoosiers.”

• Mercy Health affirms:
  “Creating a workplace environment where all patients, employees and vendors are treated equitably, with dignity and respect.”

• Mission Health believes:
  “Excellence in healthcare starts with a foundation of inclusion, compassion and respect for our patients and each other.”

These statements reflect a growing consensus: Diversity is not only a core value — it is a strategic advantage.

The Energy We Need for What’s Next

Diversity is not a passive virtue — it’s an active, renewable power source, ready to transform how we think, lead, and deliver care. Like the wind that propels turbines or the sun that charges cities, its strength lies not just in its presence, but in our willingness to harness it with purpose.

This Celebrate Diversity Month, let’s move from recognition to activation — plugging into the potential of diverse perspectives to energize healthcare today and empower the leaders of tomorrow.

Claudia Elmore, CPCS, CPMSM

Claudia Elmore, CPCS, CPMSM, is a credentialing coordinator at Alameda Health System and serves as the vice chair of the NAMSS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. She is passionate about fostering inclusive practices in the medical services profession and supporting the development of the next generation of MSPs. Claudia considers herself a citizen of the world, building relationships and networking with professionals from many countries to promote cultural understanding and connection.