Becker's Hospital Review

45 INNOVATION Why the best ideas in digital health are still to come By Laura Dyrda T om Andriola, vice chancellor of information technology and data and chief digital officer of University of California Irvine and UCI Health, is bullish on the future integration of tech- nology in healthcare. Despite the huge li it takes to make changes in the healthcare system, Mr. Andriola believes now is the time to focus on where digital technology and data can improve care delivery. He joined the "Becker's Digital Health + Health IT" podcast to discuss current and up- coming trends. "We are in a transformational moment and the pos- sibility of delivering better healthcare in our country and around the world," Mr. Andriola said. "ere are so many forces pulling and pushing on health- care to improve it, whether it's the digital movement with technology being driven into the space, or the explosion around data and the focus on really un- derstanding the health consumer and not just the patient personalization." e pandemic accelerated the digital transformation in healthcare, Mr. Andriola said, and healthcare orga- nizations weren't able to go through the typical change management process. Instead, organizations had to move forward with telehealth, data gathering, artificial intelligence initiatives and more. Some technology initiatives that were sidelined before the pandemic — because some thought they couldn't be done while maintaining high quality of care — were moved forward out of necessity once COVID-19 hit, and health systems proved they could integrate tech- nology and change quickly. "I think you'll see as we go forward, and what I'm excited about, is patient care designed around the individual," said Mr. Andriola. "It's going to be very personalized and much more consumer friendly, and consumers will drive their business and dollars toward those options for themselves. We're moving to an era where patients are going to be back in control of their data, not only how it's used for them, but also how it's used for research discovery and understanding break- throughs around disease." With the data and information UC Irvine is able to collect, the health system plans to tackle healthcare disparities and use artificial intelligence and machine learning in an equitable way. e technology can help identify underserved patients and make sure those in- dividuals receive access to care as well. "I see a really exciting period going forward, because there's more open mindedness in healthcare leader- Ballad Health forms alliance to boost healthcare innovation By Naomi Diaz J ohnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health has partnered with East Ten- nessee State University Research Corp. to create an innovation and entrepreneurship alliance, the health system said April 14. The Appalachian Highlands Rural Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alli- ance aims to translate research into business opportunities and investment to accelerate early stage development to support the enhancement of healthcare delivery. "When we created Ballad Health, we made a commitment that this new or- ganization would leverage the regional strength of the Appalachian High- lands, reaching across all our communities in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia to enhance opportunities to turn good ideas into thriv- ing businesses and economic opportunity," said Alan Levine, Ballad Health chairman and CEO. "This center will not only leverage good local ideas into business opportunities for the region, but it will attract ideas from all over the world, which will support the enhancement of healthcare delivery and innovation, while also creating an ecosystem for those transformative ideas to grow and be put into practice all over the world." Ballad Health is also creating a regional investment fund to support rural healthcare, which will be open to other investors and entrepreneurs inter- ested in innovation within the alliance. The health system has donated $1 million toward the fund. n Novant Health launches innovation lab: 5 things to know By Katie Adams C harlotte, N.C.-based Novant Health opened an innovation lab April 21. Five things to know about it: 1. The Novant Health Innovation Lab is a centralized location for exploring new technologies and solving challenges that Novant staff present, the health system said. 2. The lab will engage Novant providers and staff, as well as vendors and community partners, to create tools and programs that improve care and access to care. Novant providers and staff will be able to pilot tools and programs so they can provide feedback before their deployment in No- vant facilities. 3. Those working at the lab will have access to resources such as 3D printers, industrial designers, mechanical and electrical engineering as- sistance, product prototyping equipment, FDA approval application as- sistance and an in-house production studio. 4. The lab is in a Charlotte building owned by Enventys, a product de- velopment and launch company. Those working at the lab will also have access to collaboration and partnership opportunities with Enventys staff. 5. The lab will also be open to community groups for opportunities such as STEM education programs. n

• Cover