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Startups Start Here

December 08, 2022

Hartford HealthCare is becoming the place where fledgling ideas flourish and have the potential to change how healthcare is delivered worldwide.

The work is part of HHC’s “innovation ecosystem,” a climate where intriguing and sustainable notions are welcome, innovators are paired with the deep and varied resources of a comprehensive healthcare system, and ideas give way to new solutions, clinical pilots and investments that allow them to flourish.

> Learn more about Hartford Healthcare’s Center for Education, Simulation and Innovation (CESI)

Here are some of the success stories:

  • CytoVeris. The Connecticut-based company funded by Connecticut Innovations has worked with HHC since 2020 to develop and validate artificial intelligence/machine learning technology to increase the accuracy and precision of cancerous tumor removal. Imaging solutions show promise for bladder, prostate and breast cancer surgeries. HHC was the first clinical partner to validate this technology, and is discussing a collaborative agreement to further the innovation partnership.
  • Holistic Hospital Optimization (H2O). Identifying a need to improve hospital operational efficiency, decrease patient length of stay and ensure bed availability meets demand, HHC partnered with Dimitris Bertsimas, PhD, dean of business analytics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a solution. H2O is an analytics platform leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to address operating room scheduling, staffing efficiency and improved length of stay. The tool, powered by predictive algorithms, identifies when patients can safely transition from the hospital and has been implemented in most HHC acute care hospitals.
  • Ibex. This international collaboration, generated through HHC’s partnership with the Israel Innovation Authority, led to the system being one of the first in the nation to use artificial intelligence to diagnose breast cancer on pathology slides. The platform, Galen, increases diagnostic accuracy and enhances pathologists’ ability to quickly and accurately detect cancer either as a second reading if something questionable is spotted, or earlier to bring attention to areas of interest and streamline workflow.
  • Lineus Medical. An initial startup in the Digital Health Accelerator CT in 2019, Lineus piloted the Safebreak device at Hartford Hospital to prevent IVs from dislodging. Inadvertent dislodgement is a quality and safety issue costing the nation’s healthcare system billions a year.  After the pilot demonstrated a 44% reduction in IV complications, Lineus earned Food and Drug Administration approval and brought Safebreak to market. It reduces cost, prevents waste, optimizes nursing time, and eliminates unnecessary IV restarts.
  • Wellinks. Connecticut-based Wellinks, backed by Morningside Group and Connecticut Innovations, developed a virtual care solution for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). HHC and Wellinks entered into an innovation collaboration agreement to accelerate and achieve mutually-beneficial clinical milestones. A research validation pilot at HHC provides patients access to Wellinks virtual services.
  • Upfront. The company designed a communication channel and tailored content that digitally guides patients to services they need. Proactively engaging patients closes care gaps, improves medication adherence and follow up, and schedules referrals. Through integration with Epic, HHC implemented system-wide real time texting to improve communications, increase visit adherence, increase quality metrics, and ensure equitable accessibility of COVID testing and vaccination.

“As we celebrate Innovation Week, partnering with startups is key to finding creative solutions to complex problems in healthcare,” says Barry Stein, MD, chief clinical innovation officer and chief medical informatics officer. “When startups start here, they have the unique opportunity to utilize HHC’s robust clinical innovation ecosystem to not only accelerate their company, but to truly change the world, ensuring that healthcare is safer, more affordable and equitable for everyone.”

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