Emory Healthcare will be the first development partnership for Vital, whose artificial intelligence technology for hospital emergency rooms can predict admissions, lower lengths of stay and optimize patient flow for improved cost efficiency.

WHY IT MATTERS
Vital was launched in 2017 by Mint.com founder Aaron Patzer and his brother-in-law, Emory Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Dr. Justin Schrager.

Its aim is to help hospital EDs triage patients.In working with existing EHRs such as Emory's Cerner system, its natural language processing technology enables providers to coordinate care and prioritize patients faster and more reliably.

The new strategic collaboration, which is the first partnership out of the Emory's Innovation Hub, will see Emory become the lead research partner in developing and implementing Vital’s software, starting with deployments at four Emory EDs: Emory University Hospital, Emory Johns Creek Hospital, Emory University Hospital Midtown, and Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital.

The goal of this pilot, officials say is to reduce wait times and overall length of stay for patients, while increasing patient satisfaction.

THE LARGER TREND
Emory, the biggest health system in Georgia, launched its Innovation Hub in 2018 as an effort to nurture new technology businesses and raise a venture fund for developing early-stage, consumer-centric health technologies and care models.

ON THE RECORD
"The combination of a top-tier academic healthcare system and a top-notch software team is something that happens too rarely in healthcare," said Dr. Scott Boden, vice president of business innovation for Emory Healthcare. "With the launch of our Innovation Hub last year, we hope this is one of many opportunities to not only be the first to take advantage of a new technology, but to aid in its development. This is exactly the kind of collaboration that should exist between promising startups and cutting-edge health systems."

"We are impressed with the commitment Emory leadership has made towards technological innovation and tackling truly challenging problems in emergency medicine," said Aaron Patzer. "Working closely with top emergency physicians and nurses is essential to producing software that meets the needs of clinicians."