The status quo has got to go.

The healthcare profession has a reputation as a very conservative occupation. As a result, innovation in medicine comes about very slowly. There are numerous examples from medical history where innovators were sanctioned and even ostracized for their new ideas and recommendations to make medical care for patients better. This also applies to the business of medicine. This article will discuss examples from history where doctors have attempted to advance the clinical aspects of medicine, receiving condemnation from their peers and colleagues, and ultimately receiving approval and even the Nobel Prize on several occasions. It will also review innovation and its implications for nonclinical aspects of medical care.