Health Systems Innovation Council: A New Era of Collaboration in Southern California
The Health Systems Innovation Council (HSIC), organized by the Alliance for SoCal Innovation and the Hospital Association of Southern California, met for its second meeting on March 20th at USC Keck’s Health Science Campus. The council is comprised of leaders representing a variety of SoCal-based health centers and systems who meet quarterly in order to deepen collaboration across their organizations and create a regional competitive advantage via healthcare delivery innovation. This type of collaboration is remarkable, as noted in the welcome remarks by Dr. Steven Shapiro, Senior Vice President for Health Affairs at USC Keck Medicine, who highlighted the unprecedented nature of the council. In all his years in healthcare leadership, nothing like this council has ever been formed before: bringing together health system leaders, who are often viewed as competitors, to engage in meaningful dialogue about shared challenges and opportunities.
A highlight of the meeting was the insightful keynote by Carey Ransom who vividly described BankTech’s unique model for fintech venture investing and helped the council members see how a similar strategy could be applied to creating a fund to invest in health systems innovation, something the council is beginning to consider.
The session then transitioned into an interactive discussion skillfully moderated by Austin Gispanski of BCGX (a generous sponsor of the council) focused on piloting new technology in a highly regulated environment and the challenges faced by startups driving these innovations as well as health systems trying to adopt them. A panel of industry leaders provided their perspectives on this critical topic, including TJ Malseed of USC Keck (a healthcare provider), Debbie Lin of Caris Life Sciences (a corporation), and Phil Martie of Nicolette (a startup). Attendees engaged in a dynamic exchange of ideas, addressing the complexities of innovation implementation in healthcare. Speaker bios can be found here.
Following the discussions, attendees were given an exclusive tour of USC’s Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, led by the center’s Director, Dr. Arthur Toga. The tour provided a fascinating glimpse into this unique hub for neuroimaging innovation that not only has one of the most powerful MRIs in the country but also serves as a shared repository for over 3 petabytes of anonymized data that is accessed 24×7 by thousands of neuroscience researchers around the world. Yet another example of how SoCal’s health systems are leading in the combination of collaboration and innovation.
In an era where the healthcare landscape is rapidly evolving, the HSIC serves as a vehicle of unity and progress. The meeting at USC Keck reaffirmed that fostering collaboration and strengthening community ties are not just beneficial but essential to navigating the complexities of modern healthcare. As the council continues to build momentum, its members remain committed to driving meaningful change together.