West Health

West Health
Founded	2009
Founders	Gary and Mary West
Type	Gary and Mary West Health Institute: 501(c)3 Medical Research Organization West Health Policy Center: 501(c)3 E05 (Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis West Health Investment Fund: LLC West Health Incubator
Focus	Lowering the cost of Healthcare
Location	San Diego, CA and Washington, DC, United States of America
Method	Independently funded by the Gary and Mary West Foundation and other donations from Gary and Mary West
Key people	Nick Valeriani, Chief Executive Dr. Joseph Smith, Chief Medical and Science Officer Shelley Lyford, Chief Operating Officer
Website	westhealth.org
Formerly called	West Wireless Health Institute (2009–2012)

West Health is an independent, non-partisan group of related organizations working to lower the cost of healthcare, solely funded by Gary and Mary West. West Health combines four entities with a mission of researching and developing technologies, policies and practices, to make high-quality healthcare more accessible at a lower cost in the U.S. West Health includes the Gary and Mary West Health Institute, the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center, the Gary and Mary West Health Investment Fund, and the West Health Incubator. The Institute and Policy Center are 510(C)3 non-profits, while any proceeds from the investment fund and incubator, both for-profit ventures, are committed to medical research and other charitable activities. Unveiled Aug. 15, 2012, the organization was founded on March 30, 2009 as the Gary and Mary West Wireless Health Institute.

West Health Institute

Created in 2009 with a $45 million grant from the Gary and Mary West Foundation, the Gary and Mary West Health Institute (WHI) is an independent, nonprofit medical research organization that works with healthcare providers and research institutions to improve care delivery. Early research from WHI became the Sense4Baby™ wireless maternal and fetal monitor for high-risk pregnancies, which was recently licensed to AirStrip. WHI also researched hospital wireless communication technology and interoperability software that was eventually licensed to the Center for Medical Interoperability, an independent, non-profit organization led by hospital and health system CEOs to drive interoperability of medical technology. The Center for Medical Interoperability is also funded by the Gary and Mary West Foundation. Operations of WHI are funded solely by the Gary and Mary West Foundation and personal contributions from the Wests.

West Health Policy Center

The Washington, D.C.-based Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center is a nonprofit, non-partisan resource in Washington, D.C. that provides policy information and proposals to improve healthcare in the U.S. Launched in January 2012, its is researching ways to address failures in care delivery and payment, failures in care coordination and overutilization. Current projects involve work on value-based insurance design (V-BID); healthcare transparency and Medicare reform.

Leadership

Nicholas J. Valeriani was named the Chief Executive^[1] of West Health in August 2012. Members of the Board of Directors are Gary West (Founder, Chairman); Nicholas J. Valeriani, MBA (Chief Executive); Charles Sederstrom; Dr. Michael Johns;^[2] and Mark McClellan.^[3]

Headquarters

West Health is headquartered in San Diego, California. In December 2009, it opened its 36,000-square-foot (3,300 m²) research facility, which contains a classroom for workshops and seminars; an IDEA Gallery to display cost-lowering health technologies under development; and clinical and engineering labs.

Milestones

2015

February 12 - APCD Council and West Health Policy Center launch APCD Manual to drive healthcare price transparency^[4]
Mark McClellan named to boards of WHI and West Health Policy Center

2014

December 12 – Research study on telecommunications-based care coordination with West Health Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and West Corporation announced
May 15 – West Health releases study showing healthcare price transparency could save $100 billion over ten years
May 8 - West Healh releases study showing potential benefits of value-based insurance design to high-deductible health plans
February 13 - West Health Policy Center launches study with Harvard and University of Michigan on insurance options for chronically-ill patients
February 6 – WHI and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) co-host HCI-DC 2014: Igniting an Interoperable Health Care System conference in Washington, D.C.

2013

December 12 – Institute announced research study on telecommunications-based care coordination with Vanderbilt University Medical Center and West Corporation
September 18 – The West Health Institute and Gary and Mary West Foundation create Center for Medical Interoperability to improve patient safety and lower costs of healthcare
March 20 - Dr. Joe Smith testifies at a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health about medical interoperability
March 20 - WHI releases study: “The Value of Medical Device Interoperability: Improving patient care with more than $30 billion in annual health care savings”
March 3 - Institute demonstrates research advances in medical device interoperability to lower the cost of healthcare

2012

December 3 - West Health Institute launches American Journal of Preventive Medicine Supplement focused on healthcare cost crisis at mHealth Summit
October 30 - West Health Institute licenses Kinect-based physical therapy technology to Reflexion Health
September 26 - West Health Institute unveils new Kinect-based physical therapy technology, launches research studies with Naval Medical Center in San Diego
September 18 - Sense4Baby, Inc. licenses Wireless Fetal Monitoring System in WHI's first technology transfer
August 15 - Nick Valeriani Named CEO of West Health Institute, West Wireless Health Institute changes name to West Health Institute, West Health Incubator unveiled as fourth entity in West Health
February 15 - Medical Grade Wireless Utility unveiled, hospital leaders champion IT solutions to lower health care costs
January 26 – West Wireless Health Institute hosts HCI-DC 2012 with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as cohost
January 23 - West Health Policy Center launched in Washington, D.C. targets $100B in common sense health care savings

2011

April 28 - WWHI hosts second Health Care Innovation Day (HCI-DC), cohosted with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

2010

November 8 – WWHI develops its first engineered prototype, Sense4Baby, a non-invasive wireless device designed to make fetal and maternal monitoring more readily available to expectant mothers.^[5]
October 12 – WWHI hosts inaugural Health Care Innovation Day (HCI-DC) with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as cohost
June 25 - Carlos Slim Health Institute and West Wireless Health Institute partner on Wireless Health Initiatives in U.S., Mexico and throughout Latin America

2009

December – WWHI moves to headquarters on San Diego's Torrey Pines Research Mesa.
July 23 – WWHI is acknowledged as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization by the Internal Revenue Service.
March 30 – West Wireless Health Institute is launched in San Diego, California with a $45 million grant from the Gary and Mary West Foundation.

References

↑ "Renamed West Health Institute Names CEO, Creates Health Tech Incubator". Xconomy. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
↑ "West Health Announces Appointment of Dr. Michael Johns To West Health Policy Center Board of Directors". West Health. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
↑ "Mark McClellan Appointed to West Health Institute and West Health Policy Center Boards of Directors". West Health. Retrieved 2015-02-04.
↑ "West Health Policy Center and APCD Council Launch New Guide to Create All-Payer Claims Databases and Accelerate Healthcare Price Transparency". West Health. 2015-02-12.
↑ "West Wireless Health unveils Sense4Baby prototype". MobiHealthNews. Retrieved 2011-01-03.

External links

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