In the News

It takes a lot of time and resources for health systems to drive innovation, but the investment has to happen if providers want to adapt to the fast pace of change on their own terms. Starting an internal innovation program can require a $10 million hit to the P&L in year one, and then many…

By Michael O’Brien, Ed.D., Founder & President, O’Brien Group This article is part of LinkedIn’s Hard Cases series, where healthcare professionals share the toughest challenges they’ve faced in their careers. You can read more about it here and follow along using hashtag #HardCases. One emerging challenge in the health care industry as of late has been the phenomenon of “physician’s…

The Innovation Lab, a subsidiary of The Innovation Institute, announces a limited market release of five Dynamic Ankle Resistance Trainers (DARTs) to the St Jude Centers for Rehabilitation and Wellness, marking the start of Project DART, a 3-month evaluation of the new medical product. During the evaluation period, The Innovation Lab will collect feedback from physical…

A visit to the restroom – it’s a mundane aspect of our humanity, but within the context of a hospital setting, its role and impact are far greater. For many patients, it’s an instant read on a facility’s cleanliness. Its potential to engender trust travels beyond a hospital’s four walls, into a patient’s state of…

Healthcare Technology Management(HTM) industry leader David Francoeur has joined Tech Knowledge Associates (TKA) as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales. Francoeur’s technology and leadership roles in clinical engineering and health care industries span 30 years. He most recently served as Senior Corporate Director of Brand & Quality of Clinical Technology Management for Sodexo in…

Ground was recently broken for Covenant Health’s 115,000-square-foot, short-stay surgical hospital, located in Lubbock, Texas. According to Covenant Health, the 32-bed hospital will be built to enhance the patient experience with special attention to healing elements such as access to natural light, views to green spaces and optimization of privacy within patient rooms. Construction is…

Minnesota-based digital manufacturing company Protolabs (NYSE: PRLB) has teamed up with the Cleveland Clinic Healthcare Innovations Alliance — a network of health care organizations, corporations and universities focused on innovation in health care — to offer an awards program to help propel novel health care ideas. The new initiative is part of Protolabs’ Cool Idea Award program, which began…

A crowdsourcing investment firm pulls back the curtain to reveal the workings of the organization and the alternate route to raising capital it offers. By Thomas Vogelsong, Ph.D., RedCrow Thought Leader | The smartest person in the CROWD is the CROWD, and the crowd’s greatest strength is the CROWD itself. The team at RedCrow is…

Now on Fast-Track for Commercialization Newport Beach, CA –-  Today, Innovation Lab, a healthcare incubator, announced its Top Ten medical products that will be put on a fast-track to commercialization. The product selections were the final result of an evaluation of over 1,000 idea submissions. The list was narrowed down to 237, then a final…

$2.5 Million in New Business Contracts in Multiple States, ISO 13485 Certification MultiMedical Systems (MMS), a subsidiary of The Innovation Institute, announced today its latest expansion into the state of Washington. MMS President Daren Kneeland says that Perry Morgan, Northwest Sales Director, and a team of technicians have hit the ground running. Washington adds to…

The Innovation Institute’s president shares several insights on the mission of the firm and offers a number of examples of real-world development projects. By Joe Randolph | It takes a specific type of know-how to determine which ideas and opportunities are worth investing in. This means professionals who have medical sense, financial finesse, and marketing expertise…

Mercy rolled out new high-tech medical scrubs for its employees in Springfield earlier this fall as part of an investment with Vestagen Protective Technologies, Inc., an Orlando company that received financing from Mercy and a variety of other firms. Over the past year and a half to two years, company officials said Mercy has ramped…

By Joe Randolph Having grown up in Southern California as a life-long Dodger fan, it’s that time of year when I’m pulling for them to win the World Series. Having also spent over 30 years as a healthcare executive, I started thinking about how healthcare might learn from baseball. Are there correlations between major league…

The LOOK BETTER THAN YOU FEEL CAMISOLE is a one of a kind product, a post-surgical camisole which is the legacy of Kim Newlen. Kim Newlen was 47 and enjoying life with her husband and daughter in Richmond, VA when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following her mastectomy, she was unable to find anything…

Written by Joe Randolph, President & CEO, The Innovation Institute | According to a study by Frost & Sullivan, the rising incidences of adverse patient safety events and cyber security risks are pushing the demand for innovative solutions in the health care industry as it affects millions of patients and imposes a significant cost burden to health…

Larry Stofko, The Innovation Institute Earlier this year, the Innovation Institute, with HQ in La Palma, partnered with RedCrow, an equity crowdfunding portal. This Q&A is with Larry Stofko, EVP of the institute. The institute is a for-profit operation owned by six non-profit hospital systems. It has three prongs: an innovation lab; a fund that…

By Jim Finkelstein, President and CEO, and Kellie Fielding, Senior Consultant, FutureSense LLC |This article explains what boards should do in order to be properly prepared for a smooth governance transition during any merger activity. How can you achieve the most efficient and effective alignment of governance as you navigate through the merger process? The new partnership…

Jon Swartz | Jerry Harrison was part of a shape-shifting band that redefined pop culture on its way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Now, in Silicon Valley, the former keyboardist/guitarist of the seminal Talking Heads is at it again. RedCrow, the equity crowdfunding company he co-founded with ex-Morgan Stanley executive Brian Smith, has…

Nail techs are particularly prone to developing carpal tunnel syndrome. Here’s how to stop it in its tracks. A cover shoot with Heidi Klum for Cosmopolitan Germany should’ve been an exciting experience for celebrity nail artist Destinee Handly, but instead she found herself crying in her car at the day’s end, overcome by pain in…

The first days of summer will see the installation of a new MRI building at St. Joseph Health, St. Mary Medical Center that will serve patients from across the High Desert region and beyond. Petra ICS and Healthcare Design & Construction, both Innovation Institute companies, have been working together as a team preparing the site…

La Palma, Calif. – FutureSense, LLC is pleased to welcome Dan Walter (Managing Consultant), Melanie Jameson (Senior Consultant & Director, Marketing and Communications), and Kellie Fielding (Consultant & Director, Client Success). Walter, Jameson, and Fielding come most recently from Performensation and will combine their skills with FutureSense, LLC as part of FutureSense’s mission to expand…

Avera Health is a member owner of the Innovation Institute which is made up of several other health systems across the United States. The Innovation Institute helps take ideas from these member owners and bring them to life to help improve patients’ lives. Gaye Granville does occupational therapy twice a week at Avera St. Mary’s…

By Joe Randolph | As patient care is transformed with pressures on margins and disruptive outside players, many health systems are struggling with how to energize their workforce to make the necessary changes. The industry is experiencing consolidation through mergers in an effort to gain synergies from reduced overhead expense and market leverage. At the…

By Betsy Taylor | SAN DIEGO — U.S. health care venture fundraising totals more than $9 billion annually and health care systems are contributing a growing portion of that amount. Three venture investment executives provided insight at the 2018 Catholic Health Assembly about models to support such investing and strategies for success in the field. Mary…

APPLE VALLEY — A large construction crane on the campus of St. Joseph Health, St. Mary has caught the attention of commuters traveling near the medical facility off Highway 18. Crews used the crane to move a relocatable medical building that will soon become a magnetic resonance imaging facility that includes electromagnetic shielding, equipment room,…

When Jean Snyder, DNAP, CRNA, read a story about a vibrant boy who went in for routine surgery and instead of coming home, died during his stay, she knew she had to do something. The cause of the child’s death was a medication error. “As a mother and as a nurse anesthetist, my heart grieved…

By Brian Kolski, MD |Diabetes is responsible for more than 60% of all non-traumatic lower limb amputations and losing a limb is a devastating event in a person’s life. There is often a significant loss of independence in one’s daily activities. A more sedentary lifestyle often comes with increased health problems including increased risk of blood…

By Joe Randolph, President & CEO, The Innovation Institute |  Outside players trying to disrupt the healthcare sector are finding that it is not an easy endeavor. Once they realize the complexities of a sector that focuses on ensuring the health of diverse groups of patients, they are left with having to go back to do more…