Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1242957
39 INNOVATION Johns Hopkins, Hackensack Meridian Health, Mount Sinai: 3 coronavirus tools to know By Laura Dyrda T hree health systems and their spinouts have developed tools to help track, diagnose and accelerate treatment for the novel coronavirus. Here are brief descriptions: e Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering in Baltimore built a tool to track COVID-19 and update in near real time. e online dashboard is updated with information from the World Health Organization, the CDC and other sources to map the global spread. Visitors can download the data for free, and the site displays statistics about deaths and confirmed cases. e map is available for both desktop and mobile use. Hackensack Meridian Health in Edison, N.J., is using a tool that combines the CDC and WHO di- agnostic tools to accelerate test results for COVID-19. With the toolkit, the health system expects to test 24 patients every eight hours, and can reduce the time between testing and diagnosis. e New Jersey Department of Health approved the test, and it received the FDA's preliminary Emergency Use Authorization. New York City-based Mount Sinai spinout Rx.Health launched a digital toolkit to help hospitals and health systems triage patients that present with COVID-19 symptoms. e tools include the "COVereD" platform, which has a triage chatbot and artificial intelligence-powered clinical assistant to help monitor patients. Microso assisted in building the toolkit, which can be implemented with- in a day and requires minimal training. e company also temporarily waived platform licensing fees during the outbreak. n Too many cooks in the kitchen? 4 benefits of small innovation teams By Andrea Park T hough innovation departments are expected to accomplish big goals, their teams don't need to be equally big — and, in fact, they shouldn't be, for reasons that go far beyond the obvious reduced costs and simplified management structure. In an op-ed for Fast Company, tech entrepreneur Aytekin Tank posited that "when there are too many voices involved in decision-making, innova- tion goes out the door." He went on to outline four benefits of building a small innovation team of highly and widely skilled individuals: 1. Smaller teams see big picture solu- tions: Rather than filling out a team with a vast array of experts in their own very specific fields, Mr. Tank suggests that having a few Da Vinci-esque polymaths is "far more lucrative." 2. Smaller teams stay focused: With bigger teams comes the greater potential for power struggles, distractions, tangly bureaucracy and derailing inefficiencies. 3. Smaller teams foster communi- cation and transparency: Similarly, the bigger the team, the greater the opportunity for miscommunication and misunderstanding. 4. Smaller teams don't waste compa- ny resources: A smaller team means less overlap between individuals' responsibilities, ensuring the most efficient use of time and resources. "More importantly, each person can make a more significant impact because they aren't just another cog in the machine. As a result, they can bring their valuable skill sets to the forefront," Mr. Tank wrote. n Emory Healthcare taps Verizon to test 5G-powered healthcare devices By Jackie Drees A tlanta-based Emory Healthcare has teamed up with Verizon to explore 5G-powered health technology including connected ambulances, next-generation medical imaging and remote physical therapy. Verizon on Feb. 28 launched a 5G ultra-wideband network within the Emory Healthcare Innovation Lab. Powered by the next generation of internet speed, which can load websites at least 10 times faster than 4G, according to CNN, the Emory innovation lab is testing how 5G can improve augmented and virtual reality applications for medical training. The 5G network also allows researchers to explore its effect on telemedicine and remote patient monitoring technologies as well as provides diagnostic and imaging systems in the ambulance before it reaches the emergency room. "The healthcare industry, driven by value-based care and increased consum- erization, is set for a paradigm shift that will put a much greater focus on con- nectivity and access to data," said Scott Boden, MD, vice president of business innovation at Emory Healthcare, according to the news release. "Across every facet of healthcare, from care innovation to reimbursement model transforma- tion to decentralization of care, speed to data is critical to the digital evolution of health." As part of the partnership, Verizon will also provide Emory Healthcare and its nine innovation hub partners network and security services, project manage- ment, consulting services and managed infrastructure. The technology compa- ny will also sit on the innovation hub's executive advisory board. n