Innovation and Advanced Technology at KP
Naomi Fried, Ph.D.
KPIT's Innovation and Advanced Technology (IAT) Group identifies and assesses new and emerging technologies that may be adopted by Kaiser Permanente (KP) in the delivery of care 3 to 5 years from today, supporting KP's goals of quality, affordability and service.
By understanding important technology trends, KP can better plan and prepare its infrastructure to support paradigm shifts in the delivery of care and leverage new technologies for the benefit of both KP and its members.
The IAT Group also serves as a nexus for discussion of technology innovation by connecting people and communities that share this common interest.
Currently the IAT Group is focusing on technologies in the following 6 areas:
- Remote Monitoring/Telemedicine ('home as the hub of care')
- Improving Workflow, including mobility and flexibility in the delivery of care
- Time Savings and Communications technologies
- Data Mining and Analytics
- Chronic condition management and prevention (diabetes, CHF, etc.)
- New Forms of Care, such as personalized medicine and genomics
Part of the IAT team is based at the Sidney R. Garfield Health Care Innovation Center in San Leandro . The Garfield Center (GC) is a simulated care delivery environment for testing new ideas and designs. As the people of KP, our members, and the communities we serve come together to evaluate new technologies, products, clinical care processes, and facility designs at the GC, the common vision and ultimate goal is to improve the delivery of medical care.
The GC is a collaborative environment where designers, architects, and technologists work together to evaluate and test everything new in biomedical equipment, IT technology, workflow, and facility design. The IAT Group utilizes the testing environments at the GC to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of emerging technologies.
The IAT team's primary responsibility is to assess new technology -- a process that involves identification, collection and analysis of data from multiple sources; synthesis of information; and the dissemination of findings and recommendations through written reports and other communications. IAT brings particular value to this process by adding the KP perspective to our analysis, whether we are looking at competitors in an industry or implementation issues in older facilities. Beyond identifying technologies that people may not be aware of, IAT's technology assessments deliver a systematic, thorough evaluation of available information, place technology in a larger context, and provide an important reference point for end users and potential purchasers within the organization who need to make the best technology purchasing decisions possible.
The IAT group is currently looking for an innovative nurse to join the team. If you are interested in evaluating how innovative technology can help solve some of the nursing challenges at Kaiser, please consider applying for this position. More information can be found on the KP job website: www.kaiserpermanentejobs.org and the job code number is: 56856.