CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Milwaukee-based Froedtert Health, a member of the AVIA Innovator Network, is expanding its relationship with AVIA by making an equity investment and joining AVIA’s board of directors. The deeper partnership will speed the Wisconsin health network’s transformation efforts.
“We have made a commitment to transform how healthcare is delivered, and in particular, to improve the consumer experience,” said Cathy Jacobson, president and CEO of Froedtert Health. “We recognize that some of the smartest people and the best ideas come from outside our own health system. To capitalize on this we did two things: We created a new organization called Inception Health and we established a partnership with AVIA, which we are now expanding through this equity investment.”
Through Inception Health, Froedtert Health led AVIA’s most recent investment round as a “member-owner.” Additional member-owners participating in the round include long-standing partners and healthcare leaders: Providence Health & Services, which led AVIA's previous round, OSF HealthCare, and Rush University Medical Center.
“AVIA’s model and recent success has encouraged a number of our members to strengthen their relationship with an investment in our company,” said Eric Langshur, CEO and co-founder of AVIA. “Having the financial backing of our health system members is further validation that AVIA has the right approach to accelerating healthcare transformation. We will use the funding to further scale our provider network and drive adoption of technology solutions that solve healthcare challenges.”
AVIA is the innovation partner to the nation’s forward-leaning health systems. They are members of the AVIA Innovator Network, working together to address shared challenges such as patient satisfaction and post-acute care. AVIA helps its members translate their strategic challenges into action through accelerated technology adoption. Their unique combination of collaboration and disciplined process enables members to identify and implement solutions at a faster pace with lower risk.
“Not only does AVIA have the right process for finding the signal in the noise – identifying new companies with real solutions to our problems – but they also help us identify barriers and map our internal innovation process to make it more efficient,” said Peter Pruessing, president of Inception Health. “AVIA is a great partner in helping us achieve transformative change within our health system.”
Inception Health serves as an innovation engine for Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network; its purpose is to improve health outcomes and enhance consumer interactions. Inception Health focuses on the rapid testing and scaling of digital health solutions across the health network and beyond. The AVIA partnership acts as a super highway for bringing a consumer-driven, or “outside-in,” approach to the Froedtert & MCW health network, including the technologies and processes that support it. Leveraging AVIA, the health network can engage with national thought leaders and innovators across the industry to accelerate its own transformation to more consumer-driven healthcare.
According to Langshur, while many health systems recognize that innovation is an imperative, the path to adoption and scale is complex. As a result, health system members are increasingly relying on AVIA to act as their transformation partner. This includes technology sourcing and implementation planning, as well as strategic opportunity mapping and innovation competency building.
“Our members have data points – pilots, successes, and lessons learned – around the adoption and scale of emerging technologies. Our goal is to harness all of that knowledge and share it across the network so collectively, they move faster,” said Langshur.
Some of the areas that Inception Health is exploring with AVIA include patient experience, post-acute care, and behavioral health.
About AVIA
AVIA is the innovation partner to the nation’s forward-leaning health systems. We help health systems advance from strategy to action – accelerating their pace of healthcare transformation. The AVIA Innovator Network brings providers together to solve shared challenges that are ripe for technology innovation. Our collaborative model drives a rigorous process to identify, implement, and scale innovations. The result? Health systems shorten their innovation cycles – taking on more opportunities with better results. Learn more at www.aviahealthinnovation.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
About Inception Health
Formed in 2015, Inception Health LLC is the hub of Froedtert Health’s strategies to reposition the health care system through innovation and digital health services. As the axis for digital health services and technology, innovation partnerships and strategic investment, Inception Health strives to reinvent the consumer experience, reduce the cost of health care, improve the health of individuals and communities, and scale solutions across the Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin health network. Inception Health facilitates innovation both by working within the Froedtert & MCW health network and by collaborating with technology companies and other partners outside the network to rapidly test and scale digital health solutions. Learn more at www.inceptionhealth.com.
About Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin
The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin regional health network is a partnership between Froedtert Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin. It comprises eastern Wisconsin’s only academic medical center, Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee; and Community Memorial Hospital, Menomonee Falls, and St. Joseph’s Hospital, West Bend. The health network also includes more than 2,000 physicians across 25 primary and specialty clinical locations representing the collaboration of Wisconsin’s largest multispecialty physician practice with a community-based physician group. The network’s three hospitals have 784 staffed beds, nearly 40,000 annual admissions and more than 930,000 annual outpatient visits. Froedtert & MCW network physicians have more than 750,000 annual patient visits at its health centers and clinics. For more information, visit www.froedtert.com.
