The American Hospital Association and the West Health Institute have launched a three-year initiative to help healthcare providers implement and scale health IT technologies, including digital health, AI and EHR optimization tools.
Called the West Health Accelerator at AHA's Health Research & Educational Trust, the accelerator will provide hospitals and health systems with access to a digital hub to assess digital health solutions. The hub currently includes AI-driven sepsis detection and management, ambient AI, EHR-embedded safety bundles for older adults and virtual nursing tools.
Some hospitals and health systems will also serve as national models, sharing their experiences with health technology implementation and lessons learned.
West Health will provide $12 million to support the initiative. West Health is a network of nonprofit organizations that includes the Gary and Mary West Foundation, the Gary and Mary West Health Institute and the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center. Their goal is to reduce healthcare costs and help seniors age in place.
"This collaboration is designed to expand and strengthen health care innovation by consistently using technology solutions to strengthen care delivery, advance quality and safety, and improve outcomes that matter to patients and their families," said Michelle Hood, executive vice president and COO of the AHA, in the press release.
Participating hospitals and health systems will also be able to access hands-on implementation support and guidance from AHA and West Health experts, as well as participate in peer-learning networks.
"We are at a point where many tools exist to meaningfully improve care. By aligning the right technologies with the realities of modern patient care, we can redesign how health care is delivered in this country. This is not about inventing the future – it's about deploying it," said Shelley Lyford, CEO and chair of the West Health Institute and Gary and Mary West Foundation, in the press release.
The West Health Accelerator at AHA's Health Research & Educational Trust builds on accelerator models launched by West Health over the last year, including those with Mass General Brigham and Northwestern Medicine.
The initiative comes as hospitals and health systems face a rapidly evolving health technology market. However, as vendor options balloon, health systems are increasingly evaluating the return on investment from these tools, as well as the value they will generate.
Resources that provide pathways to successful integrations and shared learnings on scaling these tools will be critical as the providers adopt digital healthcare to improve patient outcomes and support their clinicians, according to the press release.
Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers the virtual healthcare landscape, including telehealth, remote patient monitoring and digital therapeutics.
