What If Patagonia’s Values Were Healthcare’s Values?

Let’s take a look at Patagonia’s Core Values:

Build the best product
Our criteria for the best product rests on function, repairability, and, foremost, durability. Among the most direct ways we can limit ecological impacts is with goods that last for generations or can be recycled so the materials in them remain in use. Making the best product matters for saving the planet.

Cause no unnecessary harm
We know that our business activity—from lighting stores to dyeing shirts—is part of the problem. We work steadily to change our business practices and share what we’ve learned. But we recognize that this is not enough. We seek not only to do less harm, but more good.

Use business to protect nature
The challenges we face as a society require leadership. Once we identify a problem, we act. We embrace risk and act to protect and restore the stability, integrity and beauty of the web of life.

Not bound by convention
Our success—and much of the fun—lies in developing new ways to do things.

Our Core Values—Patagonia

Now, let’s focus on the second one, and rewrite it for a healthcare institution:

We know that our business activity—such as creating vast patient data sets and monetizing this data—is part of the problem. We work steadily to change our business practices and share what we’ve learned. But we recognize that this is not enough. We seek not only to do less harm, but more good.

Just imagine if a healthcare institution—in a core value statement— recognized they were also part of the problem!

Now that would revolutionize healthcare.