INNOVATION REQUIRES RISK; healthcare is a risk-averse industry. It's an axiom that's created a challenging climate for the healthcare design community-from the providers pursuing new projects to the architects who design them to the manufacturers whose products fill them-to push built environments forward. This institutional culture that relies so heavily on research and proven methods was among the most commonly reported reasons why our industry can be (sometimes maddeningly) cautious, according to the Healthcare LEAP OF Design Innovation Survey. "Innovation cannot always have evidence to back it up. Sometimes you just need to take a chance and try something new," said respondent Cathy Dolan-Schweitzer, president of consulting firm Health Well Done (New York). And for many, that time is now. "We try to solve for tomorrow with the thinking of yesterday," noted Tim Prince, senior adviser at Findorff (Madison, Wis.). Indeed, healthcare in 2015 is a whole lot different than it used to be. Reform and shifts in reimbursement models are pushing the need for care delivery methods to evolve-and to rethink building and design approaches of old. FAITH Healthcare today requires new built environment solutions, but adoption can be slow in an industry that's more comfortable relying on tried-and-true approaches. The Healthcare Design Innovation Survey sheds light on the current state of innovation in healthcare design and what challenges must be overcome to move us all forward. By Jennifer Kovacs Silvis HCDmagazine.com 03.15 23http://www.HCDmagazine.com