Clinical Systems Innovations: Of The Futures

Creating LEARNING, "LIVING" LABORATORIES across
the continuum of care

CIMIT launched a pioneering initiative in 2002 with the MGH “Operating Room of the Future” (ORF) project, with the full support of the institution’s clinical and administrative leadership. The ORF is a “living laboratory” that explores new technology platforms and systems of care for performing minimally invasive surgical procedures.

The ORF’s programmatic approach has become the model for subsequent CIMIT Of the Futures efforts in other venues. The incorporation of data capture, analysis, and metrics of ROI are key to effectively disseminating the best of systems technologies and innovative patient-care pathways to other Partners Healthcare facilities, and ultimately to the wider world. Success with the ORF project triggered a multiplier effect, contributing to or leading other pioneering initiatives in other surgical or procedure suites within the Partners Healthcare network, including:

• Brigham Advanced Surgical Innovation Suite (BASIS)
• Medical Device Plug-and-Play Interoperability Program (MD PnP)
• Advanced Multi-Modality Image Guided Operating Room (AMIGO)
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Future
• Emergency Department of the Future
• Emergency Response of the Future
• Ambulatory Practice of the Future (APF)
• Elder Care Home of the Future

The Of The Futures phases of innovation include discovery, design/ development, construction, implementation, outcomes measurement and iteration. Establishing and tracking metrics of success is a key component here, as with all CSI initiatives. CIMIT is the key technology collaborator in this important effort, in collaboration with important I.S. efforts from Partners.

Beyond more established multi-year initiatives, such as the Operating Room of the Future or the Ambulatory Practice of the Future, short-term exploratory working groups are also supported by the CSI Program to allow clinicians or healthcare administrators to explore problem areas and/or formulate novel approaches to targeted needs.

The Clinical Systems Innovation Program with its experienced and dedicated team of CIMIT facilitators, is the common denominator knitting this diverse portfolio of projects together. These individuals leverage “lessons learned” across initiatives, interconnecting key resources and enabling platform technologies, such as RFID, modeling and simulation tools, networked
sensor solutions, and wireless communication technologies. With this help, each new clinical group need not start at the beginning or re-invent key infrastructure, but can build upon successes and learnings from other projects and teams. Beyond that, CIMIT extracts successes that may have wider application and/or commercial potential, and propagates them with all of
its networking, tech-transfer and communications skills.