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the SHIP Newsletter, Summer 2010

Dear Friends:  It is my privilege to update you on the exciting and productive work that has been accomplished during our second year of the Szollosi Healthcare Innovation Program (SHIP).
 
As you know, we launched SHIP at the start of 2008 based upon Peter's personality and experiences, with a mission to "use creative thinking and diverse technologies to produce a better healthcare experience for patients, physicians  and others associated with their care".   And within two years of our start, a nationally published report highlighted SHIP as one of the top healthcare innovation centers in the nation, alongside organizations such as Mayo, Kaiser Permanente and Johns Hopkins.  Our first newsletter in the Spring of 2009, described the formation of our program from a simple idea to a real organization with successful projects and increasing national recognition.  Here, in our second newsletter, we will describe the evolution of these initial projects, the continued national exposure SHIP has gained, and a glimpse into our future.

Thank you for your continued interest in Peter's legacy and best wishes to each of you. 

Successful Sailing in the Past Year
The past year was filled with exciting accomplishments that highlighted the evolution of our innovations, from initial brainstorming and piloting, to moving into standard operations and ever widening dissemination.  The following are three recent success stories.

ExpectED Improving the Emergency Room Experience
In 2008, we launched a pilot project called "ExpectED", a web-based system created to improve the efficiency of providers communicating with Northwestern Memorial  Hospital's Emergency Department (ED).  In the Spring of 2009, we integrated the  ExpectED content and philosophy into the campus wide electronic medical record system for use by all physicians at Northwestern.  We are continuing to study how to improve and expand this innovative program.   Of special note, the Healthspottr organization highlighted ExpectED as a significant innovation in 2009 and named Dr. Berkowitz as one of the nation's top healthcare innovators for his  work with the Szollosi Healthcare Innovation Program.

The Inflection Navigator Project Care Coordination When It Is Needed Most
Between the Fall of 2008 and Spring of 2009, we worked with the Northwestern University Biomedical Informatics Center (NUBIC) to create "iNav", a web based tool for helping a Navigator (or care coordinator) manage a patient through a healthcare "inflection point" (a sudden change in their healthcare needs).   SHIP then worked with Northwestern Memorial Physicians Group (NMPG) and the Northwestern Memorial Faculty Foundation (NMFF) to use this tool to create a unique care coordination program for patients newly diagnosed with cancer, atrial fibrillation or hematuria (blood in the urine). During this past year, over 100 patients were successfully navigated through this system and it has now transitioned into routine care as provided by NMPG, the largest primary care group in Chicago.  We are currently studying how to implement similar care coordination programs for other "inflection points" in healthcare (e.g. poorly controlled diabetics, obesity management, chest pain, heart failure) and share this type of program with other organizations. The Inflection Navigator project was presented at the Annual Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG®) Conference (Fall, 2009) and at the CIMIT (Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology) Bi-Annual Health Forum (Fall, 2009).  SHIP has also received significant press attention for this project.

The Innovation Learning Network (ILN) SHIP remains an active part of the ILN, a non-profit organization which brings rogether the most innovative healthcare organizations in the country to share the joys and pains of inovation. SHIP prsented at the ILN/CIMIT Innovation Exloratoriumin Boston in October, 2009, and in May 2010, SHIP co-sponsored the Spring ILN meeting in Chicago.

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Where is This SHIP Going?
A recent article highlighted much of SHIP's work to date and concluded by saying, "Innovation takes hard work and a willingness to experiment.  Those organizations that actively seek out innovations, both large and small, are the ones that are most likely to achieve the greatest long-term success." While the past year has seen the fulfillment of several projects, SHIP is now laying the groundwork for further research and development of new concepts.  The following briefly describes future plans and projects on which we are starting to work.

Economic Analysis of Care Coordination
In early 2010, we constructed a mathematical model to determine the economic effects of the care coordination process created with the Inflection Navigator project.   We are now working with Northwestern's Urology Department and an internationally known health economist expert on analyzing this mathematical model and applying  it initially to the diagnosis of hematuria.  In proving this model, we believe we can show the world that good care coordination can actually create a better experience AND economic benefits for the ultimate triad of patients, physicians and payors of care. Empowering Caregivers This project focuses on how we can improve the hospitalization experience from the caregiver's viewpoint.  We plan to start by studying the intensive care unit (ICU) experience and create educational materials and training programs to help caregivers during this particularly harrowing scenario.


The Future EMR Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) have not been fully adopted in the US, in large part because they are difficult for physicians to use in their normal workflow.   SHIP has become known for presenting some wildly creative ideas in this area and we are now sponsoring a project in the worldwide Health 2.0 Design Challenge. Our specific challenge is asking design teams to rethink medical record documentation by showing how physicians could write their notes electronically using publicly available blog or wiki software.

Global Healthcare Innovation
We have started to explore the global health arena and brainstorm on ways to help improve situations in poor and underserved areas around the world, as well as underserved communities closer to home.  Dr. Berkowitz spent time in Europe this spring speaking with physicians and other healthcare experts about their experience in global health, and has more recently worked with Northwestern's Center for Global Health as well as NU-AID (Northwestern University Alliance for International Development).  Current ideas being explored include using light-weight telemedicine (e.g. cell phones)  to help create a sustainable and consistent communication channel to support even very remote villages.

Helping This SHIP Sail Strong
As our healthcare system evolves, innovation continues to be an extremely important tool with which to improve both the quality and experience of care delivered.  We appreciate all your support to date and hope that you are able to continue supporting Peter's legacy as we look towards continued growth and expansion. Our web site, www.theSHIPhome.org, has more information about SHIP as well as details about making a tax-deductible donation online.

For correspondence by mail (including donations):
The Szollosi Healthcare Innovation Program, c/o Lyle Berkowitz, MD
1913 West North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622
Email: LBerkowi@NMH.org
Web: www.theSHIPhome.org
Donate Online:  http://www.theSHIPhome.org/Donate.html