Ochsner Health System announced Thursday (March 26) two initiatives designed to make the American health care system more efficient. The announcements were made as part of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week.
The first initiative, innovationOchsner, is an accelerator program designed to drive patient-focused health innovations and support companies that work to improve patient-centered care.
The second initiative, the National Innovation Challenge, is a three-year project to be undertaken with GE Healthcare and The Idea Village.
The challenge, according to Ochsner Health System CEO Warner Thomas, is “designed to ignite brilliant thinking around the future of health care in this region and the United States.”
It will also seek to improve how the health care industry addresses behavior management and chronic disease, said Beth Comstock, chief marketing officer at GE. The first year will explore wearable technologies, she said, which may allow for more personalized patient experiences.
Dr. Richard Milani, chief clinical transformation officer for Ochnser, said innovationOchsner and the National Innovation Challenge are intended to upgrade an outdated health care system.
“Each year 86 percent of health care spending in U.S. goes to chronic disease,” Milani said. The national health care model was designed a century ago to treat mainly acute problems, he said, “but it has not evolved to manage the care needs of population we serve today.”
The national Innovation Challenge opens this summer and closes in December. The winners will be announced in March 2016 during New Orleans Entrepreneur Week.
