Fact sheet: The Center for Healthcare Innovation at Allina

In June 2008, Allina Hospitals & Clinics was proud to announce a new $100 million center for community health, research and clinical excellence.

The Center for Healthcare Innovation at Allina will be a "living laboratory" for researching new care models and treatments to transform health and health care. The Center will advance Allina's strategic vision to improve patient care and serve as a catalyst for change in health care locally and nationally.

The Center will be a virtual space, bringing together researchers, community members, clinicians and others around targeted, unique opportunities to improve patient care and community health.

Allina's commitment is unique

The Center for Healthcare Innovation will generate innovations and research outcomes that can be translated to improved health for patients and the wider community.

By making this bold investment, Allina hopes to become a national leader in creating innovative, sustainable models of care and sharing best practices and innovation.

The Center will leverage the experiences of others and seek collaborative partnerships as it fosters innovative approaches to providing care.

Potential areas of focus include:

new models for care and coverage for underserved populations
investment in innovative community health improvement initiatives
support for clinical research and other health care innovations
developing new approaches to care and disseminating that knowledge widely.

Allina's investment

Allina's investment will leverage additional private and other sources of funding, bringing the total investment to $100 million over five years

Allina's board of directors has authorized a $50 million investment over the next five years and Allina intends to raise an additional $50 million during that time in partnership with private corporations, foundations and through government and other research grant making organizations.

In 2008, Allina will invest about $788,000 to launch three inaugural projects and build the infrastructure for The Center. This will include both Allina funds and philanthropy from partners and foundations.

Three projects will launch the Center

The Backyard Project

Allina will extend its commitment to the Phillips and Powderhorn neighborhoods of Minneapolis to improve population health.

Allina's headquarters, along with its largest hospital, Abbott Northwestern, and the region's only specialty eye hospital, Phillips Eye Institute, are all located in the middle of one of the most diverse, but health-challenged, neighborhoods in Minnesota.

Bringing together residents, researchers, policy makers, community leaders, government, local non-profit organizations and others, the Backyard Project will forge new models for improving residents' health status and understanding how medical, social, educational and economic factors are interdependent and impact health in "backyard" neighborhoods across Minnesota and the nation.

The Heart of New Ulm

The Heart of New Ulm initiative is an innovative and visionary effort to eliminate heart attacks in the community of New Ulm, Minnesota.

Today, about 90 percent New Ulm residents are patients at New Ulm Area Medical Center and have an electronic medical record. This record gives Allina a groundbreaking opportunity to identify health risks, track the health of the population and to provide early interventions to improve health and reduce heart disease.

Allina will join with the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, local government, businesses and residents to create this innovative, focused approach to heart health.

Allina Patient Safety Center

Allina will create the "next-level" of patient safety efforts by a health system, improving the quality of care and reducing the cost of error.

The patient safety center will be a source of knowledge and information to create cultures of safety across Allina. The center will be designed to change systems and cultures. Through the center, Allina will develop the leadership skills that build a stronger culture of quality and safety.

Next steps

A steering committee has been established and the Allina Board of Directors has appointed an oversight committee.

The Center will finalize operational plans, a detailed business plan and governance model by September 2008. That work will include identifying the qualities it seeks in a leader.

Planning teams will be convened for each of the inaugural projects and charged with finalizing the workplans. Project staff for each project will be identified and assigned to each project.