PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The CEO Council for
Growth ("CEO Council") announced that its Health Care Innovation
Collaborative ("Collaborative") has launched an open call for
innovators around the country to work with its founding member
organizations to tackle problems associated with chronic disease.
Those who submit ideas at www.GreaterThanHealthCare.com, an online
portal managed by the CEO Council, may be selected to present their
ideas to founding member organizations, and, ultimately, work
directly with these organizations to accelerate innovation that
improves patient care and outcomes.
The Collaborative's Founding Members are Ben Franklin Technology
Partners of Southeastern
Pennsylvania, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Comcast, Drexel University, Independence Blue Cross,
Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., Thomas Jefferson
University and Jefferson Health, and University of Pennsylvania Health System. The
Collaborative was born of the CEO Council's Health Care Innovation
Task Force, co-chaired by John Fry,
president of Drexel University and
Daniel J. Hilferty, president &
CEO of Independence Blue Cross.
"The Health Care Innovation Collaborative is the glue that is
bringing the region together – both large organizations and the
small, nimbler innovators – to turn Philadelphia into the national hub for health
care innovation," said Hilferty. "This open call for innovation
will make it easier for young companies to present their ideas to
the area's established leaders in health care innovation, making it
easier to refine, scale and – potentially -- bring these ideas to
market."
The Collaborative, first announced in May, represents a new and
unprecedented national model for collaboration among health care
providers, academic research institutions and the investor
community. The founding member organizations have positioned the
region for strong continued growth and development in health care
innovation. Working together, these organizations are
leveraging the unique assets of the Greater Philadelphia region to accelerate and
lead the development of innovation in health care technology and
delivery. The Collaborative chose to first focus on chronic
diseases because they cause seven out of ten deaths every year in
this country, and treatment of these diseases account for 86% of
America's health care costs.
Fry stated, "Philadelphia is
reinventing itself as a place for entrepreneurs. This Collaborative
is another step in demonstrating to the nation and the world that
Philadelphia is the place to be
for health care innovation because its major institutions are
invested in finding ideas that improve people's lives."
Ideas can be submitted through the web portal Greater
Than, managed by the CEO Council, an initiative of the
Greater Philadelphia Chamber of
Commerce. Applicants must submit a brief proposal following the
online guidelines. Applicants do not need to be in the Greater Philadelphia region. Submissions are
welcome from individuals as well as domestic and international
companies. The submission process opens on November 11, 2015 and closes January 15, 2016. Priority will be given to those
applicants that represent opportunities to reduce costs tied to
health care, potentially benefit patients or health care consumers,
and have a positive impact on one or more socioeconomically
disadvantaged population. The applicant notification period begins
mid-March.
"At Safeguard, we work closely with our partner companies—many
of which focus on the Collaborative's theme of Chronic Disease—to
fulfill the needs of providers, payors, and pharmaceutical
customers. Through the Collaborative, we have a unique opportunity
to provide innovators access to a cooperation of institutions
working together to solve challenges in health care," said
Stephen T. Zarrilli, President and
CEO of Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE:SFE).
"Philadelphia is home to world
class universities, hospitals and research institutions. With these
resources, we can collectively foster a new era of innovation in
which these larger organizations, like Penn Medicine, work with
innovators to find solutions to health care challenges related to
chronic disease," said Ralph W.
Muller, CEO of the University of
Pennsylvania Health System.
"At Jefferson, we are focused on finding new ways to care for
our patients that drive down costs and improve their lives. The
Health Care Innovation Collaborative will allow us to work with
innovators and entrepreneurs to pilot new ideas that could make a
real difference in how we deliver care," stated Steven Klasko, President and CEO at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson
Health.
"This is the first time nationally that health care providers,
universities, payors and corporations are joining together this
way. At CHOP, we are excited about the potential innovations to
come that can help the children and families that we serve," said
Madeline Bell, President and Chief
Executive Officer at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
"We want to explore ways we can leverage the power of broadband
technology to get participating organizations, and those they
serve, the information they need, quickly and efficiently," said
Marc Siry, Vice President at Comcast
Cable. "Comcast looks forward to playing a role in bringing
business, higher education, government and non-profit communities
to support potential startups and small business innovators within
the Greater Philadelphia
region."
"We are very excited by the unified approach of the Health Care
Innovation Collaborative and anticipate two significant outcomes
complementary to Ben Franklin's
mission—an increased number of companies and entrepreneurs that
recognize Greater Philadelphia as
a region committed to health care innovation and greater global
awareness among investors of the exciting investment opportunities
here," said RoseAnn Rosenthal,
President & CEO at Ben Franklin Technology Partners of
Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Rob Wonderling, CEO Council
Chairman and Greater Philadelphia
Chamber of Commerce President & CEO, added, "The CEO Council
and Chamber are proud to help facilitate this kind of collaborative
and open call for innovation that can help dramatically change the
landscape of the Greater
Philadelphia region."
About CEO Council for Growth
The CEO Council for
Growth is a devoted group of business, higher education, and civic
leaders who commit their time and efforts to enhancing economic
growth and prosperity in the 11-county region across northern
Delaware, southern New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania. The CEO Council is an initiative
of the Greater Philadelphia
Chamber of Commerce influencing regional and national policy
through advocacy. The CEO Council supports key regional
partners in collaborations that will leverage these health care
assets and will bring recognition to the region as the global
leader in health care innovation.
About Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Ben Franklin is the most active early stage
capital provider for southeastern Pennsylvania's technology sectors.
Ben Franklin combines best practices
of venture capital with a public-spirited purpose: leading the
region's technology community to new heights, creating jobs and
changing lives for the better. Ben
Franklin is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of
Community and Economic Development and is funded by the Ben
Franklin Technology Development Authority.
Visit www.partnerswithapurpose.org for more information.
About The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the
nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing
commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new
generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering
major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many
discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric
research program is among the largest in the country. In addition,
its unique family-centered care and public service programs have
brought the 535-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for
children and adolescents. For more information, visit
www.chop.edu.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation is a
global media and technology company with two primary businesses,
Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the
nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to
residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides
these services to businesses. NBCUniversal operates news,
entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo
broadcast networks, television production operations, television
station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and
Resorts.
About Drexel
University
Founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Drexel is a top-ranked, comprehensive university
recognized for its focus on experiential learning through
cooperative education, its commitment to cutting-edge academic
technology and its growing enterprise of use-inspired research.
With more than 26,000 students, Drexel
is one of the nation's largest private universities. Drexel is a leader in creating technological
solutions to societal problems of the 21st century. Drexel is committed to translational research and
is poised to respond to novel opportunities for research,
scholarship and technological development. Drexel is one of Philadelphia's top 10 private employers, and a
major engine for economic development in the region. For nearly a
decade, Drexel has been ranked in the
category of Best National Universities in "America's Best Colleges"
by U.S News & World Report.
The Drexel University College of
Medicine has established some of the most highly innovative and
rigorous academic programs available today, incorporating the
University's expertise in engineering and technology into
traditional medical training. The College of Medicine is home
to one of the nation's leading centers for spinal cord research;
one of the foremost centers for malaria study; and a highly
regarded HIV/AIDS program with extensive NIH-funded research in
prevention and therapeutic interventions. Drexel University College of Medicine has been
designated a Vanguard National Center of Excellence in Women's
Health by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and
is highly respected in numerous other specialties including
cardiology and the neurosciences. Visit www.drexel.edu/medicine for
more information.
About Independence Blue Cross
Independence Blue Cross
is the leading health insurance organization in southeastern
Pennsylvania. With our affiliates,
we serve nearly 10 million people in 24 states and the District of Columbia, including 2.5 million in
the region. For nearly 80 years, we have been enhancing the health
and wellness of the people and communities we serve by delivering
innovative and competitively priced health care products and
services; pioneering new ways to reward doctors, hospitals, and
other health care professionals for coordinated, quality care; and
supporting programs and events that promote wellness. To learn more
visit www.ibx.com. Connect with us on Facebook at ibx.com/facebook
and on Twitter at @ibx. Independence Blue Cross is an independent
licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
About Jefferson — Health is all we
do.
Our newly formed organization, Jefferson, encompasses
Thomas Jefferson University and
Jefferson Health, representing our academic and clinical
entities. Together, the people of Jefferson, 19,000 strong, provide the
highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients, educate
the health professionals of tomorrow, and discover new treatments
and therapies that will define the future of health care.
Jefferson Health comprises five hospitals, 13 outpatient
and urgent care centers, as well as physician practices and
everywhere we deliver care throughout the city and suburbs across
Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks Counties in Pa., and Camden County in New Jersey. Together,
these facilities serve more than 78,000 inpatients, 238,000
emergency patients and 1.7 million outpatient visits
annually. Thomas Jefferson
University Hospital is the largest freestanding academic
medical center in Philadelphia. Abington Hospital is the
largest community teaching hospital in Montgomery or Bucks counties. Other hospitals include
Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Center City Philadelphia; Methodist Hospital
in South Philadelphia; and
Abington-Lansdale Hospital in Hatfield Township.
Thomas Jefferson University enrolls
more than 3,900 future physicians, scientists, nurses and
healthcare professionals in the Sidney Kimmel Medical College
(SKMC), Jefferson Colleges of Biomedical Sciences, Health
Professions, Nursing, Pharmacy, Population Health and is home of
the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer
Center.
For more information and a complete listing of Jefferson services and locations, visit
www.jefferson.edu.
About Penn Medicine
Penn Medicine is one of the
world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related
missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence
in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and
Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of
Pennsylvania(founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school)
and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which
together form a $5.3 billion
enterprise. The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among
the top five medical schools in the
United States for the past 17 years, according to U.S.
News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical
schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top
recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with
$409 million awarded in the 2014
fiscal year. The University of
Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities
include: The Hospital of the University of
Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center -- which
are recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals
by U.S. News & World Report -- Chester County
Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and
Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in
1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services
throughout the Philadelphia region
include Chestnut Hill Hospital and Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a
partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn
Medicine.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through
a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal
year 2014, Penn Medicine provided $771
million to benefit our community.
About Safeguard Scientifics
Safeguard Scientifics
(NYSE:SFE) has a distinguished track record of fostering innovation
and building market leaders. For more than 60 years, Safeguard has
been providing growth capital and operational support to
entrepreneurs across an evolving spectrum of industries. Today,
Safeguard is focused specifically on healthcare and
technology. Specifically, Safeguard targets early- and
growth-stage companies in advertising technology, digital media,
financial technology, enterprise software, Internet of Things,
devices, diagnostics, digital health and healthcare IT. For more
information, please visit www.safeguard.com follow us on Twitter
@safeguard.
Media contact: Kate Hagedorn,
215-790-3831, KHagedorn@greaterphilachamber.com
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SOURCE Greater Philadelphia
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