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5 Pivotal Moments — and 5 Lessons Learned — from Innovation Lab’s First 10 Years

By Staff / May 30, 2023 / Comments Off on 5 Pivotal Moments — and 5 Lessons Learned — from Innovation Lab’s First 10 Years

A decade ago this summer, a group of like-minded healthcare system leaders came together to craft an innovation engine for their hospitals. In the simplest terms, the goal was to create an independent, self-sustaining organization that would identify great ideas from providers and staff members, turn those concepts into products, and get them across the…

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JP Morgan Healthcare Conference Roundtable

By Lab Staff / March 9, 2023 / Comments Off on JP Morgan Healthcare Conference Roundtable

By Larry Stofko   In early January, The Innovation Institute and Sheppard Mullin hosted a “Healthcare VC and Early-Stage Investors” lunch gathering and roundtable at the 2023 JP Morgan Healthcare conference held on January 9-11 in San Francisco.  The facilitated discussion was attended by members of MultiCare Capital Partners, 7wireVentures, Echo Health Ventures, and Amazon…

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4 Expert Insights into Innovation & Commercialization

By Staff / December 19, 2022 / Comments Off on 4 Expert Insights into Innovation & Commercialization

Trained as a medical doctor and cancer researcher, Dr. Nishi Viswanathan has spent most of her career as an entrepreneur and business professional. She’s always looking for innovative breakthroughs to drive better health outcomes and lower the cost of care. And she’ll be the first to tell you when it’s time to talk about commercializing…

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Innovation District | Five Winners Selected in Prestigious Pediatric Device Competition

By Staff / October 26, 2022 / Comments Off on Innovation District | Five Winners Selected in Prestigious Pediatric Device Competition

The National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI) announced five awardees chosen in its prestigious “Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids!” competition. Each received a share of $150,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with awards ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 to support the advancement of pediatric medical devices.…

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Four Things Health Systems Can Do Right Now to Support Creativity and Innovation

By Lab Staff / August 29, 2022 / Comments Off on Four Things Health Systems Can Do Right Now to Support Creativity and Innovation

The word “creativity” is usually associated with fine arts or hobbies, not healthcare. But health systems are actually filled with scientists and caregivers who use creativity to solve problems involving a very complicated organism: the human body. Creative thinking helps us imagine ways in which we can provide better care for our patients and their…

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Accelerate In-House Innovation with a Subscription Partnership

By Lab Staff / June 27, 2022 / Comments Off on Accelerate In-House Innovation with a Subscription Partnership

By Ryan Kelly At this very moment, someone on your frontline staff is pondering a really good idea for improving some aspect of healthcare. It could be a medical device. It could be a digital tool. What will happen to that idea? Usually, the answer is nothing. Or the innovator will give it away to…

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Innovation Lab’s Best Advice for Healthcare Innovators

By Lab Staff / May 26, 2022 / Comments Off on Innovation Lab’s Best Advice for Healthcare Innovators

“There’s got to be a better way.”    This common phrase “is like a homing beacon,” says Innovation Lab General Manager Ryan Kelly, that indicates a pressing, unmet need and a new product opportunity. Healthcare professionals find themselves thinking it all the time, so they become experts in developing creative workarounds.   Here’s one example. The standard…

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From Vision to Life-Changing Device: The Development of the Gait MyoElectric Stimulator

By Lab Staff / April 26, 2022 / Comments Off on From Vision to Life-Changing Device: The Development of the Gait MyoElectric Stimulator

In late August 2004, physical therapist and researcher David Embrey, PhD, was analyzing electromyography of the gait cycle in children with and without cerebral palsy. As he stared at his screen, Embrey’s mind wandered to a conversation he’d had with a colleague about the need for innovative ways to improve gait in people with neuromuscular…

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Startups Demonstrate Power of AI and Machine Learning to Reshape Healthcare

By Lab Staff / March 15, 2022 / Comments Off on Startups Demonstrate Power of AI and Machine Learning to Reshape Healthcare

By Suzy Engwall In healthcare, some problems are so enormous and complex that a solution has long seemed impossible. Artificial intelligence and machine learning promise new insights into these multifactorial challenges, as we learned at our recent Startup Demo Day: AI and Machine Learning. Not only that, but artificial intelligence in healthcare is enabling humans…

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Innovation Never Sleeps: A Look at 2021’s Successes

By Lab Staff / January 25, 2022 / Comments Off on Innovation Never Sleeps: A Look at 2021’s Successes

Even in a year of intense pressure on frontline healthcare workers, creative innovation never stopped. General Manager Ryan Kelly looks back at the highlights of 2021.

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Behavioral Health Stakeholders Fuel Design Thinking Process

By Lab Staff / November 30, 2021 / Comments Off on Behavioral Health Stakeholders Fuel Design Thinking Process

By Melissa Goodwin Transferring patients suffering behavioral health crises from Emergency Departments (EDs) in hospitals from coast to coast into proper care is a largely manual process involving many stakeholders. But as the Innovation Lab and Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH) seek to prevent potential complications and delays in this widespread process, it isn’t just about…

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Novel Study Guide Preps Surgical Residents for Oral Board Demands

By Lab Staff / June 22, 2021 / Comments Off on Novel Study Guide Preps Surgical Residents for Oral Board Demands

The oral exam to become a board-certified surgeon is unnerving: a trio of 30-minute cases with questions fired from a panel of surgical experts. Avera transplant surgeon and intensivist Dr. Sujit Vijay Sakpal reimagined how to prepare specifically for this experience, which requires different skills than those in an operating room. Learn how his hot-off-the-presses study guide, complete with hand-drawn illustrations, is arming future test-takers with those unique skills.

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Informational graphic showing the innovation lab design thinking guide, from Planning and Research, Empathy, Definition, IDeation, Prototype and Test, and Commercialization; Concept to Commercialization

Design Thinking Aims for Right Solution to Improve Behavioral Health Transfers

By Lab Staff / May 27, 2021 / Comments Off on Design Thinking Aims for Right Solution to Improve Behavioral Health Transfers

Innovation emerges in countless different ways. Sometimes you walk straight into a problem and an effective solution appears right in front of you. Sometimes, however, you find yourself struggling with a problem so complicated and ambiguous that you don’t know exactly what you need to (and can) solve. Enter design thinking.

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Pediatric Innovation Showcase to Highlight Opportunities in Underserved Population

By Lab Staff / May 17, 2021 / Comments Off on Pediatric Innovation Showcase to Highlight Opportunities in Underserved Population

Newport Beach, CA – May 14, 2021 – Innovation Lab announced today that they will host a virtual Startup Demo Day on May 20 to highlight opportunities in the underserved pediatric sector. The Pediatrics Innovation Startup Demo Day is co-hosted by Valley Children’s Healthcare and will be sponsored by Medline, the nation’s largest privately-held manufacturer and…

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Koazie Helps Families Find the Right Post-Acute Care Facility

By Lab Staff / May 6, 2021 / Comments Off on Koazie Helps Families Find the Right Post-Acute Care Facility

Choosing the right post-acute care facility after a hospital stay is hard, but Koazie gives families transparency and ease in reviewing options – right down to quality ratings.

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Serial Innovation Method Generates New Ways to Innovate

By Lab Staff / April 9, 2021 / Comments Off on Serial Innovation Method Generates New Ways to Innovate

In 2017, Innovation Lab partnered with Avera Health to provide creative thinkers a way to bring their ideas to life. Filled with hope and a lifetime of ideas, Physical Therapist Nicolle Samuels enthusiastically began a journey to becoming a serial innovator. Her purpose and passion transitioned from simply helping people to helping people help other people.

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Lab Team Researches and Builds Path to Bring LiveBand to Market

By Lab Staff / February 18, 2021 / Comments Off on Lab Team Researches and Builds Path to Bring LiveBand to Market

Getting a great idea to market takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work. Our innovation process runs from market and intellectual property research to prototype development and assessment. And with the right product, we’re aiming for the best commercialization channel. Take a look behind the curtain on how we’re supporting LiveBand, a new device that could make a high-grade therapy more accessible.

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Innovator Reimagines Muscle Rehabilitation Therapy with Wearable Blood Flow Restriction Device

By Lab Staff / February 17, 2021 / Comments Off on Innovator Reimagines Muscle Rehabilitation Therapy with Wearable Blood Flow Restriction Device

A device the size of a smartphone could deliver easier, affordable therapy for muscle recovery and development. Under development with the Lab, the LiveBand puts short-term limits on a limb’s blood flow, which pushes muscles to work harder under less stress. Dr. Eric Bowman explains how he’s creating a more accessible version of a proven therapy – with the potential to move from the physical therapy studio to the corner gym.

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Start-Up Demo Day

Start-Up Demo Day to Spotlight Cutting-Edge Solutions to Healthcare Access

By Lab Staff / January 28, 2021 / Comments Off on Start-Up Demo Day to Spotlight Cutting-Edge Solutions to Healthcare Access

Technology is now a valuable facet of healthcare, and startup companies are constantly creating innovative solutions to improve patient health and deliver care where people need it. Is your hospital looking for ideas on how to solve healthcare delivery challenges?

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Avera Health Complex

Lab’s ‘Boots on the Ground’ Nurtures Innovation Culture at Avera Health

By Lab Staff / January 21, 2021 / Comments Off on Lab’s ‘Boots on the Ground’ Nurtures Innovation Culture at Avera Health

When people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them that I work for a unique healthcare incubator. I’m the Innovation Lab’s “boots on the ground” at Avera Health. I’m here to help enhance and grow the culture of innovation through the system, which includes hospitals, clinics and other healthcare services across four states in the Upper Midwest.

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Four Best Practices for Leading for Innovation

By Lab Staff / December 23, 2020 / Comments Off on Four Best Practices for Leading for Innovation

During this past year, which has been dramatically shaped by our response to the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare workers demonstrated they could push through stress, pain and untold human suffering to find better ways to care for others. Their collective creativity and innovation has been phenomenal, leading to: faster, more efficient supply chains for critical equipment and…

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Pandemic Generates Best Practices for Pediatric Telehealth

By Lab Staff / December 15, 2020 / Comments Off on Pandemic Generates Best Practices for Pediatric Telehealth

By their very nature, pandemics stress healthcare networks, as providers are constantly adapting to new best practices that drive quality patient care. In the case of COVID-19, the challenge of providing preventative, acute and chronic treatment has been complicated by the risk of respiratory spread. The obvious solution? Telehealth, where secure video capabilities allow for…

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Hackathon Generates Ideas to Change Pediatric Healthcare Delivery

By Lab Staff / November 17, 2020 / Comments Off on Hackathon Generates Ideas to Change Pediatric Healthcare Delivery

A pandemic can’t hold great ideas and solutions at bay, especially when it comes to improving healthcare for young patients. In fact, the coronavirus environment is generating a new slate of tough challenges to solve if we’re to successfully navigate today’s world. Getting to the right answers is about creating an opportunity for smart people…

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Inventors Create BayWin Closed Circuit Valve to Protect Patients and Caregivers

By Lab Staff / November 5, 2020 / Comments Off on Inventors Create BayWin Closed Circuit Valve to Protect Patients and Caregivers

For two decades, Dr. Harry Bayron and Neil Winthrop worked to reimagine a safer ventilator valve so providers could easily treat patients and protect everyone in the room. Then came a chance online mention of the Innovation Lab – and the novel coronavirus pandemic. Bayron, a retired pediatric cardiologist, and Winthrop, a respiratory therapist, had long tinkered with…

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