Mountain View, Calif.-based El Camino Health CEO Dan Woods told Becker's that its new innovation fund will allow the health system to accelerate its beta testing and research partnerships with nearby Silicon Valley.
The health system used a donation from philanthropists Pamela and Edward Taft to launch a fund dedicated to healthcare technology innovation.
El Camino joins dozens of others looking to take innovation and investment processes in-house.
To learn more about El Camino Health's strategy with its innovation fund Becker's reached out to Mr. Woods.
Question: How does being located near Silicon Valley affect El Camino's innovation strategy?
Dan Woods: Being in this part of the country has provided El Camino Health with the fortunate opportunity to partner and collaborate with industry innovators in creating novel ways to approach healthcare delivery. Our proximity to Silicon Valley provides an ideal beta testing environment and proving ground for technologies and solutions. The El Camino Health Innovation Fund allows us to accelerate these developments.
El Camino Health has a long-standing commitment to innovating. This is evident from our adoption of the first computerized physician order entry system in 1971, to the recent adoption of the FloPatch sepsis management system and incorporation of mental health assessments into mother-baby care. For more than 60 years, our patients have come to expect innovative, personalized solutions to their care needs. El Camino Health has consistently embraced new tools, equipment, and technology while developing best practices to improve patient care.
Q: What is the future of artificial intelligence in healthcare?
DW: From reviewing records in our EHR to help predict falls so our care teams can ensure patient safety to discovering the early signs of patient decline to assisting radiologists in prioritizing workflows in reviewing images, AI is already being used at El Camino Health. As a result of the fund, we will be better able to responsibly incorporate AI in other service areas to improve work efficiency, ensure patient safety, and enable better care experiences for our patients.
One example of improving work efficiency is using artificial intelligence and machine learning with an ambient listening capability so physicians will no longer need to type into their notes in the computer during patient visits. However, I believe we are scratching the surface of AI in healthcare and that a decade from now AI will be incorporated into areas we cannot imagine today.
Q: How are innovation projects selected?
DW: At El Camino Health, we have an Innovation Committee that reviews various new innovation project requests. The committee selects projects based on how they will make a difference in four key areas:
- Clinical care — funding research and innovation in patient care,
- Medical technology — funding advanced diagnostic and treatment tools,
- Clinical research — funding clinical trials that provide additional and better treatment paths for patients
- Compassionate care services — funding for programs focusing on personalized comfort and healing to patients
Projects are also evaluated for the benefits provided to El Camino Health's goal of setting the standard for the best healthcare experience in the Bay Area by delivering dependable clinical excellence in a caring, convenient way.
Q: How do you handle healthcare investment during a time of economic uncertainty?
DW: It is important to continue to invest in our operations in light of the current economy. Economic uncertainty should not overshadow the need for staying at the forefront of medical advancements. Furthermore, adopting innovative solutions is one way we can streamline operations, reduce costs, and optimize resource allocation. The El Camino Health Innovation Fund will enable us to continue making these important investments in innovative projects so we can advance the science of medicine and care provided at El Camino Health.
Q: How will patients benefit from the fund?
DW: The programs made possible by the El Camino Health Innovation Fund, by the gracious donation of the Tafts, have the potential to revolutionize patient care. El Camino Health is targeting ways to relieve patient suffering across the care continuum — from diagnostic imaging, patient wait times, patient outcomes, pain and anxiety, and more. All of the programs will be of great benefit to our patients. Some of the innovative programs will be more visible than others to patients but all of them have the goal of improving patient healing, wellness and overall healthcare experience.