Health IT, Hospitals, Startups

NY hospital plugs innovation center into Blueprint Health accelerator

It’s not unusual for hospitals to have innovation centers these days, but the folks at […]

It’s not unusual for hospitals to have innovation centers these days, but the folks at New York Presbyterian Hospital have chosen an interesting satellite office for theirs: in the offices that house health IT accelerator Blueprint Health. It’s a remarkable development for an industry in which hospitals have tended to hold startups at arm’s length.

Although hospitals and health systems often welcome entrepreneurs’ motivation to improve healthcare, their knack for identifying problems and developing solutions as well as using technology to speed up care delivery, the complexities of making startup solutions work in healthcare has been challenging. Providers are frequently frustrated by an insufficient understanding by startups of hospital workflows, the complexities of implementing new technology along with the safety and regulatory rigors involved. On the flipside, healthcare startups are often frustrated by what they perceive as the snail-like pace of hospitals to adopt new health IT tools and make care delivery more efficient.

The innovation center is designed to bridge that gap in several ways.

In an interview with MedCity News, Dr. Peter M. Fleischut, an anesthesiologist and Associate Chief Innovation Officer at NYP,  and Helen Kotchoubey, Corporate Director of Information Services for Patient Engagement at NYP, talked about where the collaboration with Blueprint Health first took root — during what the hospital refers to as the first New York City hospital hackathon in March. Blueprint Health co-founder Brad Weinberg was one of the judges. The way Fleischut describes it, the move almost seemed inevitable.

“Having an office in an accelerator was part of our innovation road map,” said Fleischut. Kotchoubey added, “We always try to build from within, but we also need to build with the local technology community and learn from them…We have an alligned interest in helping startups understand the provider environment better and we’re committed to aligning their understanding with our needs.”

From NYP’s perspective, the relationship with Blueprint Health is also primarily about improving the patient experience. “That experience is at the core of what we are trying to innovate and improve,” Fleischut said.

The person who will head up NYP’s innovation center at Blueprint Health will be full time and focus on building strategic relationships. But it will be more than simply having an office in an accelerator. That point person will also bring clinical teams from the hospital to the accelerator, along with other NYP employees to help startups better understand hospital workflows.

The NYP Innovation Center will advance a variety of technology projects, including the series of InnovateNYP initiatives, according to a statement from the hospital. At the Hackathon, the winning ideas focused on reducing patients’ social isolation. One team developed an online platform that functioned like a social network for the hospital, connecting people with shared interests, and enabling them to compete against each other through a set of online games. After the Hackathon, NYP launched a website to make it easier for entrepreneurs to share their ideas with the hospital.

A second Hackathon is in the works, according to Fleischut. It will focus on the use of internally generated data. Another challenge at the hospital will be geared to medical residents and nurses to come up with ways to improve the workplace.

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