UHC and AVIA announce Gauss Surgical, Inc. as the winner of the 2015 UHC Startup Challenge: Innovation Delivered. The Startup Challenge was a live competition held at the UHC Annual Conference 2015, “Advance,” on October 2, in Orlando, FL. Gauss Surgical, Inc. won the vote after presenting its FDA-approved, iPad-based platform with real-time monitoring of surgical blood loss.
“We applaud all of the contestants who shared their innovative ideas to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of health care”
Gauss Surgical Inc. was among 5 digital health start-up companies in the health care field that participated in the Startup Challenge. Each company was allotted 7 minutes to present a new innovative product or idea to more than 2,000 health care professionals attending the conference, who were able to vote for their favorite concept in real time, and to a panel consisting of 3 expert judge moderators.
“We applaud all of the contestants who shared their innovative ideas to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of health care,” said Barbara Anason, senior vice president, Academic Medical Centers Networks and Strategy. “Health care will continue to experience exponential change and face disruptive technologies. Gauss Surgical is one of the innovative solutions that will help our members continue to advance the delivery of care for patients and their families.”
“The caliber of companies presenting at this year’s challenge was extraordinary. It is a testament to how the value of emerging technologies has matured in just over the last couple years,” said Eric Jensen, chief operating officer of AVIA Health Innovation. “Providers are looking for innovative solutions that demonstrate clear value and Gauss Surgical articulated this exceptionally well.”
“We are honored to have been selected alongside such a distinguished group of start-up companies to present our solution to healthcare leaders,” said Siddarth Satish, founder of Gauss Surgical. “We have already been approached by several member institutions about leveraging our Triton System technology to accelerate their blood management efforts.”
UHC, which recently combined with VHA Inc. to form the largest member-owned health care company in the country, announced its collaboration with AVIA Health Innovation, healthcare’s only provider-led accelerator, in September to offer the Startup Challenge. UHC’s conference is held annually and is attended by members across the country.
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About UHC
Effective April 1, 2015, UHC, the alliance of the nation’s leading academic medical centers and VHA Inc., the national health care network of not-for-profit hospitals, combined into a single organization. The combined organization is the largest member-owned health care company in the country and is dedicated to leading health care innovation, creating knowledge and fostering collaboration to help our members thrive. The company serves more than 5,200 health system members and affiliates as well as 118,000 non-acute health care customers. Members range from independent, community-based health care organizations to large, integrated systems and academic medical centers, and it represents more than $50 billion in annual purchasing volume. Headquarters are in Irving, Texas, with locations in Chicago and other cities across the United States.
For more information, visit www.vha.com, and follow us on Twitter (@VHAInc).
About AVIA Health Innovation
AVIA is healthcare’s only provider-led accelerator. We believe that transformation requires innovation, and innovation starts with a focus on health systems’ challenges and opportunities. The AVIA Innovator Network includes forward-leaning provider organizations seeking to address pressing challenges that are ripe for innovation. AVIA drives a rigorous process to help our members evaluate, select, source, and deploy the best tech-enabled solutions that support transformation while optimizing financial value. This process reduces risk, accelerates action, creates financial opportunities, and clears the way for health systems to take on more opportunities. Learn more about AVIA at www.aviahealthinnovation.com, and follow us on Twitter (@HealthAVIA).
Contacts
For UHC
Donna Ledbetter, 972-830-6321
dledbett@vha.com
or
AVIA Health Innovation
Nicole Winokur, 312-999-9600
Director of Marketing
nwinokur@www.aviahealthinnovation.com
