Usually it’s the speed of digital technology change that’s the first reaction point when people encounter something new. “It’s hard to keep up, things are changing so swiftly, we don’t know when to commit to a new product or procedure, we’re just going to wait until things settle down.”

Or, another common reaction is that taking on a new approach or devising a new service, after years of doing something the same way—accompanied by a staff also doing things the same way—is bewildering. “Where to start? How do we leap into the unknown? How can I get my staff to accept change when as the manager, I’m not 100 percent sure how the new approach is going to work?”

It seems, though, that the key is to study, pause, enlist the support of your trusted strategizers and your best team members and then, commit to change and learn together. That’s because today, revisiting the traditional is the start of a new tradition: consistent and persistent change.

Our VM cover story this month, Refraction Revisited, is but one example. Digital technology is making examination equipment more robust and detailed and powerful than ever before, which will provide even greater patient care. And other technologies will throw a wrench into what we define as exams, challenge the doctor’s role and make new interpretations of technology more accessible to more people.

The pro/con and the double edge is today’s new normal. Regardless of the debate, the mandate is to move forward, use new tools and develop your own definition of change.

maxelrad@jobson.com