Heralding “an incubator for innovation,” Michael Dowling and the Northwell Health system have opened the doors of the Center for Health Innovations and Outcomes Research.
Dowling, president and CEO of the New Hyde Park-based health system, presided over a ceremonial ribbon-cutting event in November, officially christening the 20,000-square-foot, $15 million Manhasset facility, part of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.
Leveraging Northwell Health’s uniquely large and diverse patient population, the CHIOR is designed specifically to crunch Big Data and test out new technologies in a creative attempt to measure patient outcomes and improve the delivery of services across the healthcare spectrum.
The center draws on the work of a broad and deep team of thought leaders, information-technology experts, biostatisticians, public-health professionals and healthcare practitioners – including physicians, nurses and psychologists – making it the ideal facility to “identify and nurture new ideas to improve patient care, which can be rapidly implemented across and beyond Northwell Health,” Dowling noted.
Among other unique uses for cutting-edge technologies, CHIOR scientists are focusing on real-time data-input into electronic health records and developing new patient-centric uses for smartphones and the Internet.
On the drawing board are apps to help female cancer patients evaluate their fertility options, help male patients manage prostate-cancer treatments and help HIV patients track medication regimens, according to Northwell Health.
All told, the center houses more than 100 scientists and staffers working on nearly 30 distinct projects funded by more than $20 million in research grants from the National Institutes of Health and other public and private sources, the heath system added.
And their efforts won’t only pay off for patients down the road. Thomas McGinn, Northwell Health’s senior vice president of physician network operations and head of the CHIOR, said the work occurring at the Manhasset facility “saves lives today” by making “an immediate impact on patient care.”
“This new facility brings to life dynamic collaboration and creativity our researchers thrive on,” McGinn said in a statement.
