U.S. Healthcare is Perfect

Dr. Meghan Bausone is a UX, product and service designer who recently finished a doctorate in design on rural access to maternal health care, written around a full-time job. Before design, she studied midwifery and co-founded a nonprofit publication about birth. She joins Sheev Davé to talk about why America’s maternal health crisis isn’t the product of a broken system, but of one doing exactly what it was built to do. Drawing on Donella Meadows’ work on leverage points, she explains why designers should look at who controls information before reaching for an app, and why the right solution isn’t always the scalable one. In this episode: Why the US has the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income nations, and why around 35% of rural counties are now maternity care deserts “Broken” vs. “working as designed”: what happens when a system’s real goal isn’t the one we assume Donella Meadows’ leverage points, and why information flows matter more than funding A $13,000 quote, a $40,000 bill and a $2,000 payment: what does a hysterectomy actually cost? Why the app isn’t always the answer The community midwife as a system, and what maternal care looked like in 1900 Don’t wait for the money: building the right solution first The question she’s still working on: what emerges when we redefine the system? Five school apps and one telephone pole Guest: Dr. Meghan Bausone Connect on LinkedIn @ meghanbausone Connect with Ishmael Interactive LI: @ ishmael-interactive Substack: @ ishmaelinteractive Website: ishmaelinteractive.com Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of design, organizational change, and the systems that shape both