SPRINTing to Innovation: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Strategic Approach to Discovering Its Untapped Innovation Potential. (17th November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hunter, Ryan Brandon; Winston, Flaura K.; Dehel, Paul; Oh, Kelsey; Nicklas, Joshua; Hartung, Helge
• Is Part Of: Academic medicine. Volume 96:Number 4(2021)
• Page Start: 534
• Page End: 539
• Publication Date: 2020-11-17
• Subjects: Medical education -- Periodicals; Medical policy -- Periodicals; Medical personnel -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 610.711
• DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000003852
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1040-2446

Abstract

Abstract : Problem: There is a clear and urgent need for health care innovation in the United States. Hospital employees routinely recognize pain points that affect care delivery and are in a unique position to propose innovative and practical solutions, yet leaders rarely solicit ideas for investment and development from frontline providers and staff, revealing an untapped resource with innovation potential. Approach: To address these deficiencies, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia expanded its innovation infrastructure with the competition-based SPRINT program in 2015. All hospital employees are encouraged to apply with early-stage innovative ideas, and if selected, are provided with business, legal, technical, and scientific project management support to help accelerate their projects toward commercial viability. SPRINT was modeled around 4 core tenets: (1) small, dynamic, and attentive project manager-led teams; (2) low barriers to entry; (3) emphasis on outreach; and (4) fostering innovators. Outcomes: Over its first 4 cycles from 2015 to 2018, 271 innovative teams applied to the SPRINT program, which led to support for 30 projects (11% acceptance rate). About a quarter of the projects each year were submitted by physician-led teams (mean 23%), a third by nonphysician clinical providers (mean 33%), and almost half were submitted by employees without direct patient contact (mean 44%). Nurses have emerged as the largest applicant group. Eleven of the SPRINT-supported projects (37%) resulted in commercial endpoints. Next Steps: SPRINT has proven to be an effective model for supporting institution-wide, employee-driven health care innovation, especially among frontline clinical and nonclinical personnel. Critical next steps for the program include a formal cost–benefit analysis and the earlier participation of technology transfer and intellectual property experts to improve the commercialization roadmap for many SPRINT projects.