/ en Sat, 14 Jun 2025 04:57:35 -0500 Thu, 12 Jun 25 15:16:09 -0500 /role-hospitals-new-program-texas-health-harris-methodist-alliance-supports-laboring-mothers-throughout-delivery <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="col-md-5"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/ths-teambirth-alliance-shannonm-700x532.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance team member Shannon Manchesi" width="700" height="532"></p><p><em>Shannon Manchesi. </em></p><p><em>Photo Credit: Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance</em></p></div><p>When Crystal arrived at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance to deliver her third child, she was met with a new approach to childbirth that immediately put her at ease. As the first patient to experience the newly launched TeamBirth program, Crystal noticed a significant shift in how her care team communicated. The shared decision-making model centered around a planning board and regular “huddles” that included her, her support person and the entire care team. These collaborative discussions helped Crystal feel seen and heard, especially after past experiences with postpartum hemorrhage and postpartum depression left her anxious about giving birth again. “I felt like we were all on the same page. They did a good job at explaining what was happening throughout the entire process,” Crystal said. “My transition to the mother-baby unit once Gunner arrived was also smooth.”</p><p>“Talking with detail and communicating every step helped decrease her anxiety,” said Shannon Manchesi, the labor and delivery nurse who cared for Crystal. “We want every woman giving birth to feel empowered to participate in decisions made during labor and delivery,” added Tina Gist, M.S.N., R.N., director of nursing, women and children and critical care. With TeamBirth, Crystal felt in control and supported throughout the process, transforming what could have been a stressful experience into one of comfort and trust.</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://www.texashealth.org/newsroom/News-Releases/2025/TeamBirth-Helps-Mom-Feel-in-Control"><strong>LEARN MORE</strong></a></p></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/topics/innovation">Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:16:09 -0500 Innovation /role-hospitals-uva-health-aims-reduce-carbon-footprint-paper-pill-bottles <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="col-md-5"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/ths-uva-paper-pill-bottles-700x532.jpg" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="UVA Health. An orange plastic pill bottle is shown on the left, next to one of UVA's new paper pill bottles " width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>At UVA Health, the iconic orange plastic pill bottle is getting a makeover. Some prescriptions are now being filled in a new, recyclable paper bottle. Made with 100% recyclable materials and a compostable paper core, the bottles, called Tully Tubes, debuted at some UVA Health pharmacies in April. They will eventually be available in all UVA Health pharmacy locations. The bottles are still child- and moisture-resistant.</p><p>“Traditional plastic vials can be difficult to recycle, but sustainable alternatives that maintain safety, quality and usability have been limited,” said (https://newsroom.uvahealth.com/2025/04/22/uva-health-pharmacy-paper-pill-bottles/) Carrie Kovacik, PharmD, manager of UVA Health’s ambulatory pharmacy supply chain. “These paper-based bottles offer a step forward in reducing our introduction of single-use plastics into our community.”</p><p>The paper bottles cost about the same to produce as traditional plastic bottles while generating about 30% less carbon. The reduction of UVA Health’s carbon footprint by switching entirely to paper bottles would be the equivalent of not driving more than 24,000 miles in a gas-powered vehicle.</p></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/topics/innovation">Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Wed, 11 Jun 2025 10:50:32 -0500 Innovation /education-events/2025-aha-leadership-summit <p class="field_lead">The <a href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/" target="_blank" title="2025 AHA Leadership Summit"><strong>2025 AHA Leadership Summit</strong></a> senior health care executives, clinicians and experts in the field presenting innovative approaches for delivering better care and greater value, ensuring financial stability, addressing workforce challenges and improving the health care consumer experience through operational excellence, creative partnerships and redefined delivery models.</p><p>Join a diverse community of strategic and visionary leaders who represent excellence in the field as they boldly transform their organizations.</p><p>Our attendees include <strong>CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CMOs, CNOs, CIOs and other C-suite leaders</strong>, as well as <strong>VPs, Physician Leaders, Advanced Practice Professionals, Directors and Managers</strong> overseeing patient care, strategy, innovation, digital transformation, finance, workforce and policy.</p><p>Additionally, the Summit welcomes <strong>emerging and next-generation health care leaders</strong> who are shaping the future of patient-centered care and health system transformation.</p><hr><h2>Leading Hospitals | Leading Health Care</h2><p><strong>Leading Hospitals</strong></p><p>Learn with colleagues in a variety of educational opportunities that facilitate the sharing of insights and leading practices.<br>You’ll hear from innovators investing in the promising ideas, technologies and scientific discoveries that are changing the consumer experience and reimagining care delivery</p><p><strong>Leading Health Care</strong></p><p>Discover inspiration and practical strategies to sustain transformation within your organization, system and community as we prepare for the future.<br>Dive into real-world applications and connect with leaders who share your commitment to driving transformative change in health care.</p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/" target="_blank" title="2025 AHA Leadership Summit" data-view-context="top-level-view"><strong>LEARN MORE >></strong></a></p><h2>AHA Members – Interested in receiving complimentary registration?<br>Consider our Hosted Buyer Forum to connect with high-quality solutions providers.</h2><p><a href="/hosted-buyer" target="_blank"><strong>Hosted Buyer Forum</strong></a> - Sunday, July 22 | 9:00 AM-12:00 PM and 2:30 PM-5:30 PM<br>The Hosted Buyer Forum offers a private showcase for hospital and health system leaders interested in connecting with solution providers addressing key hospital issues. After the Forum is complete, participants are encouraged to join the Welcome Reception for additional networking.</p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/hosted-buyer" target="_blank" title="2025 AHA Leadership Summit Sponsorship" data-view-context="top-level-view"><strong>LEARN MORE >></strong></a></p><hr>Call for Speakers</h2> <p>We’re calling on leaders shaping the future of health care to apply to share their real-world strategies and proven solutions with peers across the field. Whether you're tackling workforce challenges, transforming care delivery or driving operational excellence, we want to hear from you. </p> <p>Proposals must be non-commercial in nature. The Call for Speakers deadline is <strong>Monday, November 25</strong>.</p> <a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" data-view-context="top-level-view" href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/program/speaking-opportunities-ls" target="_blank"><strong>LEARN MORE >></strong></a> <a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" data-view-context="top-level-view" href="https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/385d7c8476204286b3b500744d75dfe6" target="_blank" title="AHA Leadership Summit Call for Proposals - Apply Today!"><strong>APPLY TODAY >></strong></a> <br /> </p> <div class="RuralButton"><a class="btn btn-primary btn-primary-avc1" href="https://www.cvent.com/c/abstracts/c8eaf006-bb32-489c-8d5e-515f82937464" target="_blank"><strong>APPLY TODAY >></strong> </a></div> --><h2>Sponsorship Opportunities</h2><p>A variety of sponsorship opportunities offer both broad exposure and targeted connections with senior health care executives. Support the entire event, design and deliver a session that features your own executive leadership or gain visibility through numerous other opportunities.</p><p>Participation by the business community in the Leadership Summit is reserved for Summit sponsors and AHA Associates.</p><p>Learn how your organization can align with hospital and health system leaders as they meet to reimagine the future.</p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/sponsor-exhibit/sponsorship-ls" target="_blank" title="2025 AHA Leadership Summit Sponsorship" data-view-context="top-level-view"><strong>LEARN MORE >></strong></a></p> Tue, 03 Jun 2025 14:15:30 -0500 Innovation /news/blog/2025-06-03-innovative-solutions-and-strategic-insights-take-center-stage-2025-aha-leadership-summit <p>The 2025 AHA <a href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/" title="AHA Leadership Summit">Leadership Summit</a> will take place July 20-22 at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn. Renowned speakers from across health care will provide in-depth guidance and actionable strategies to enhance care quality and financial stability, overcome workforce challenges and improve the health care user experience.</p><p>The summit offers insights and ideas for senior executives, clinical leaders, and emerging and next-generation health care professionals. Attendees can expect:</p><ul><li><strong>Expert-Led Sessions:</strong> Find inspiration to transform your organization, system and community with <a href="https://cvent.me/d5nzvD" title="educational sessions">educational sessions</a> in these critical focus areas:<ul><li>Transforming Care Delivery</li><li>Patient Engagement and Education</li><li>Workforce</li><li>Financial Sustainability</li><li>Strategy and Innovation</li><li>Behavioral Health</li></ul></li><li><strong>Inspiring Plenaries</strong>: Prepare for future challenges with forward-thinking insights from a lineup of powerful speakers featured in inspirational <a href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/program/keynote-speakers-ls" title="plenary sessions">plenary sessions</a>:<ul><li><strong>Leading Through Change: Strategies for Inspired Leadership and Resilient Teams</strong><br>Cassandra Worthy, chief executive officer and founder, Change Enthusiasm Global</li><li><strong>Designing the Future of Care Delivery</strong><br>Moderator: Elizabeth Cohen,<em> </em>senior medical correspondent, CNN<br>Panelists: Marty Bonick, president and chief executive officer, Ardent Health, Brentwood, Tenn.<br>Tina Freese Decker, MHA, MSIE, FACHE, president and chief executive officer, Corewell Health, Grand Rapids, Mich.; chair<em>, </em>Board of Trustees, ���������� Association<br>Wright Lassiter, III, chief executive officer, CommonSpirit Health, Chicago<br>Eugene A. Woods, FACHE, chief executive officer, Advocate Health, Charlotte, N.C.</li><li><strong>Addressing Health Care's Most Complex Challenges: A New Leadership Role</strong><br>Moderator: Elizabeth Cohen, senior medical correspondent, CNN<br>Panelist: Laura S. Kaiser, FACHE, president and chief executive officer, SSM Health, St. Louis</li><li><strong>AHA Town Hall: Navigating the 2025 Political Landscape</strong><br>Chad Golder, general counsel and secretary<strong>, </strong>���������� Association<br>Stacey Hughes, executive vice president, Government Relations and Public Policy<strong>, </strong>���������� Association<br>Ashley Thompson, senior vice president, Public Policy Analysis and Development, ���������� Association</li><li><strong>The Caring in Health Care: Challenges and Opportunities in a Technological Era</strong><br>Abraham Verghese, MD, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author; practicing physician; professor, Stanford University</li></ul></li><li><strong>Tailored Learning:</strong> Engage in sessions designed specifically for various leadership roles, ensuring that content is relevant and applicable to your position and organization.</li><li><strong>Networking Opportunities: </strong>Engage in Summit <a href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/program/networking-connections-ls" title="Summit Networking Connections">Networking Connections</a> to reconnect with peers, establish new connections and network with business partners who offer innovative solutions. Sponsors will be categorized based on critical interest issues to help attendees better find solutions to their challenges.</li></ul><p>Early-bird registration ends June 6.</p><p>For more information on the AHA Leadership Summit, please visit <a href="https://leadershipsummit.aha.org/" title="Leadership Summit Webpage">leadershipsummit.aha.org</a>. <br><br><em>Michelle Hood is AHA’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.</em> </p> Tue, 03 Jun 2025 11:20:39 -0500 Innovation /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2025-06-03-why-rural-hospitals-may-have-some-advantages-drive-tech-innovation <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Why-Rural-Hospitals-May-Have-Some-Advantages-to-Drive-Tech-Innovation.png" data-entity-uuid="bb0adbd4-9ef7-48af-89da-1fc1b74bdad5" data-entity-type="file" alt="Why Rural Hospitals May Have Some Advantages to Drive Tech Innovation. A clinician with a stethoscope around her neck, wearing a white lab coat and holding a clipboard stands in a rural field of grain. Around her is a mandala of AI circuits." width="1200" height="751"><p>Rural hospitals and health systems may not have the size, resources or scale of their urban and academic medical center counterparts, but they have ideal traits to help spur technology innovation.</p><p>Rural health organizations offer the agility, practicality and a culture of creative problem-solving, <a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/industry-voices-plan-do-study-disrupt-how-rural-hospitals-can-power-innovation" target="_blank" title="Fierce Healthcare Industry Voices: Plan, do, study, disrupt—how rural hospitals can power innovation">notes Jason Cohen, M.D., in a recent blog</a>. Cohen, formerly chief medical officer at North Valley Hospital in Montana, is now chief medical officer-inpatient for <a href="https://www.qventus.com/" target="_blank" title="Qventus">Qventus</a>, a tech company providing AI-powered care operations automation software to improve health system efficiency.</p><p>Rural hospitals, by necessity, are experts in working “lean,” Cohen writes. “They typically lack the resources of larger systems, but their experience of doing more with less makes them understanding partners for startups.”</p><p>Feedback loops also run deeper in rural settings, he notes. Providers and patients are used to more personal, face-to-face interactions — and often are more generous with their time and insights. Though the volume of interactions may be lower, the quality is higher, offering sharper, more actionable feedback for startups, Cohen adds.</p><h2>How Rural Hospitals Can Advocate for Innovation</h2><p>Cohen offers the following suggestions for ways rural hospitals can become advocates for innovation to drive greater tech advances that can lead to greater efficiency in the field.</p><ol class="red"><li class="red"><strong>Develop in-house expertise</strong> across clinical, technical and operational teams. This helps rural systems become active co-creators of solutions.</li><li class="red"><strong>Step into startup spaces</strong> such as digital health summits and health conferences like the <a href="https://ruralconference.aha.org/" target="_blank" title="AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference">AHA Rural Health Leadership Conference</a>.</li><li class="red"><strong>Build innovation coalitions</strong> across hospitals to attract startups that need broader populations to develop their products. Innovation partnerships thrive on mutual readiness, and rural systems that show up informed, organized and curious can help steer solutions that can work for them and others in the field.</li></ol></div><div class="col-md-4"><p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" width="721" height="130" data-entity- type="file" class="align-center"></a></p><p><a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type alt width="360" height="300"></a></p></div></div></div>.field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } h2 { color: #9d2235; } ol.red li.red::marker { color: #9d2235; font-weight: bold; } Tue, 03 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0500 Innovation /role-hospitals-shine-how-vanderbilt-expanded-its-integrated-care-model-opioid-exposed-infants <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-4"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/ths-vumc-shine-700x532.jpg" alt="Vanderbilt University Medical Center Shine logo features three fireflies under a shooting star" width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>Vanderbilt University Medical Center is growing its integrated, multidisciplinary care for infants and children who have been exposed to opioids while in utero.</p><p>In 2021, VUMC began the Firefly Program, in which OB-GYNs, pediatricians and psychiatrists offer a broad range of care, including neurodevelopmental monitoring, to babies from birth to 12 months of age. “Children with intrauterine exposure to opioids may experience differences in how their nervous system develops,” said Neill Broderick, Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. “These differences can manifest in many ways, such as sensory integration differences, emotional and/or behavioral dysregulation and learning differences.”</p><p>Building off the success of the Firefly Program, VUMC now has a new initiative dedicated to infants and young children exposed to opioids in utero. SHINE (Support and Health for Infants with Neonatal Exposures) uses neurodevelopmental monitoring for the prevention and early detection of developmental delays and differences for children from birth to 6 years old. Using the same integrated approach as the Firefly Program, SHINE brings together general pediatrics; physical, occupational and speech therapy; and the Firefly Program to ensure that patients receive the full scope of care they need. The program also streamlines the care of the mother and the care of the child, improving the chances of success for both.</p><p><a href="https://news.vumc.org/2025/04/21/neurodevelopmental-care-initiative-supports-infants-and-young-children-exposed-to-opioids-in-utero/">Read more about the Firefly Program and SHINE</a>.</p></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/center/population-health">Improving Health and Wellness</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Mon, 02 Jun 2025 12:36:13 -0500 Innovation /role-hospitals-university-arkansas-medical-sciences-strengthens-cancer-treatment-research-through-dna <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="col-md-5"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/ths-uams-cancer-research-700x532.jpg" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Kevin Raney, PhD, and his team at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences" width="700" height="532"></p><p><em>Photo credit: Bryan Clifton</em></p></div><p>The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is working to enhance their cancer treatment research with a nearly $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The five-year funding opportunity will support research into DNA structures known as quadruplexes — unusual formations that could revolutionize how we approach cancer treatment. Led by Kevin Raney, PhD, chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the study aims to explore how these structures interact with key proteins involved in disease, potentially acting as natural drugs.</p><p>Raney and his team are particularly interested in how quadruplexes bind to proteins like PARP1, a major target in breast cancer therapies. “As it turns out, quadruplex snippets of DNA bind really tightly to PARP1 and inhibit its ability to bind to genomic DNA where it’s normally found,” Raney explained. This discovery opens the door to developing new treatments that could be more effective than current options. The research also delves into helicases — tiny cellular motors essential for DNA function — which were unexpectedly found to interact with quadruplexes.</p><p>The implications of this research are vast. Quadruplexes, once thought to be cellular waste, are now recognized as powerful biological tools. “I think that taking advantage of the quadruplexes’ ability to enter cancer cells more easily than normal cells is an area that’s ripe for pursuing,” Raney said.</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://news.uams.edu/2025/03/31/nih-awards-uams-nearly-3-million-to-study-dna-structures-that-could-impact-cancer-treatment/"><strong>LEARN MORE</strong></a></p></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/topics/innovation">Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Mon, 02 Jun 2025 12:00:16 -0500 Innovation /role-hospitals-maui-memorial-medical-centers-mini-heart-pump-keeps-hope-afloat <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="col-md-5"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-05/ths-MauiMemorial-HeartPump-700x532.jpg" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Maui Memorial Medical Center. A surgical team is shown operating in an operating room" width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>Maui, like other Hawaiian Islands, is often referred to as “paradise.” But being an isolated travel destination can be a double-edged sword when it comes to health care delivery. There are finite medical resources on an island, and patients must travel further than the typical U.S. resident if they need to leave the state for treatment in the continental U.S.</p><p>But Maui Memorial Medical Center, the island’s only acute-care hospital, has a secret weapon when it comes to providing critical care — <a href="https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/04/04/maui-hospitals-new-device-is-saving-many-lives/">the world’s smallest temporary heart pump</a>. This device, called the Impella, has saved the lives of more than a dozen people after being launched at the hospital in August 2024.</p><p>One of those grateful patients is Maui surfer Morgan Dupont, who found himself fighting to stay alive after a seemingly minor dog bite developed into life-threatening fulminant myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart most likely brought on by a viral infection. After the Impella was installed, Dupont was flown to the Keck Center of the University of Southern California for further treatment. The tiny device kept his heart pumping until Keck Center doctors were able to provide care. Days later, Dupont woke from his coma, eventually making a full recovery and returning to surfing.</p><p><a href="https://www.mauihealth.org/blog/posts/saving-lives-with-advanced-cardiac-care-a-second-chance-at-life-for-maui-surfer/"><strong>LEARN MORE</strong></a><strong> </strong></p></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/topics/innovation">Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Thu, 22 May 2025 14:19:14 -0500 Innovation /role-hospitals-henry-ford-st-john-hospital-aerosolized-chemotherapy-debuted-michigan <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="col-md-5"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-05/ths-Henry-Ford-Aerosolized-Chemo-700x532.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Henry Ford Health. Large monitor showing aerosolized chemo treatment in process" width="700" height="532"></p></div><p>Traditional chemotherapy is delivered via the bloodstream, making it less effective for metastatic cancers that occur within the peritoneal cavity — such as colorectal, appendiceal, gastric, ovarian and others. Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosolized chemotherapy offers new hope for patients with cancers such as these.</p><p>PIPAC is a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. Surgeons make two small incisions in the abdomen and insert a device that delivers chemotherapy that is aerosolized as it enters the body. The drug then attacks tumors in a concentrated, targeted way.</p><p>Henry Ford Health offered treatment for advanced cancer in the abdominal cavity before expanding to PIPAC in January. Cancer surgeon Richard Berri, M.D., has vast expertise in heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy and has developed the leading center in the state to offer the procedure.</p><p>Berri and team underwent significant training to bring PIPAC to Henry Ford St. John Hospital, now offering even more patients the opportunity to benefit from a therapy that is available at only a few cancer centers around the country.</p></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/topics/innovation">Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Wed, 21 May 2025 09:00:00 -0500 Innovation /center/form/innovation-subscription Tue, 20 May 2025 00:04:36 -0500 Innovation