Sandhu, Sahil, Mark P. Sendak, William Ratliff, William Knechtle, William J. Fulkerson Jr., Suresh Balu. “Accelerating health system innovation: principles and practices from the Duke Institute for Health Innovation.” Patterns, April 14, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patter.2023.100710
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Improving health care quality, costs, and access requires innovations in care delivery. Unfortunately, health systems often lack the full range of capabilities to foster and catalyze innovation efforts across the organization. In this perspective, we describe the principles and practices that have enabled the Duke Institute for Health Innovation to accelerate the development and implementation of health care innovations as part of routine clinical care within Duke Health. Future directions include sourcing and translating health care innovations beyond our own institution through research, commercialization, and public-private partnerships; further aligning innovation projects with emerging value-based payment structures; and informing regulatory policy for novel health innovations, such as machine learning products.
The Duke Institute for Health Innovation (DIHI) was launched in 2013. Frontline staff members submit proposals for innovation projects that align with strategic priorities set by organizational leadership. Funded projects receive operational and technical support from institute staff members and a transdisciplinary network of collaborators to develop and implement solutions as part of routine clinical care, ranging from machine learning algorithms to mobile applications. DIHI’s operations are shaped by four guiding principles: build to show value, build to integrate, build to scale, and build responsibly. Between 2013 and 2021, more than 600 project proposals have been submitted to DIHI. More than 85 innovation projects, both through the application process and other strategic partnerships, have been supported and implemented. DIHI’s funding has incubated 12 companies, engaged more than 300 faculty members, staff members, and students, and contributed to more than 50 peer-reviewed publications. DIHI’s practices can serve as a model for other health systems to systematically source, develop, implement, and scale innovations.