Ralph H. Johnson Innovation Week: collaborating for innovative solutions nationwide

This special week highlighted how a spirit of collaboration and growth is a requirement in today’s VA.

The VA at a national level prioritizes cultivating environments that let innovation flourish, an essential component for propelling health care to higher concepts and better outcomes. Through programs like the VA Innovation Ecosystem, they empower frontline VA employees to leverage the collective power of external partners from academia, industry, the non-profit community, and other government agencies to facilitate mission-driven health care innovation through the identification and scaling of innovative solutions.

Here at the Ralph H. Johnson VA HCS this can look like several programs, some of these include the Spark-Seed-Spread initiative and the 3D Innovation Center. 

According to the VA Innovation Ecosystem website, the Spark-Seed-Spread Innovation Investment Program seeks to identify and accelerate employee-inspired innovations that improve health experiences for Veterans, families, caregivers, and employees. This program invests in both employees themselves and their innovative solutions through iNET’s Accelerator Program, which is the immersive learning and professional development component that comes along with the Spark-Seed-Spread investment. This program was established after it was shown VA employees had ideas that could truly provide Veterans with better results but were limited by things like funding or staffing. 

The Ralph H. Johnson VA HCS bears the benefits of employees driven innovation like the ones highlighted in the Spark-Seed-Spread with its 3D Innovation Center, a program established by Nicole Beitenman, a VA biomedical engineer, and developed from the ground up to better meet Veteran’s specific needs. 

“We have established a clinic that is jointly staffed by our 3D Innovation Center Biomedical Engineers as well as Occupational Therapists to evaluate patients with challenges that have been unable to find a resolve by traditional medical devices,” Beitenman said. “We call this type of work Assistive Technology. We work with the OT’s to understand the patient’s unique situation and designs a custom device to offer the patient a solution that they’d be unable to buy anywhere else. We then build the device by utilizing the equipment within our innovation center; 3D printers, Computer Numerical Control machining, laser cutting and molding. Once we have a prototype made, the therapist approves it or suggests edits. After a final device is developed, it is provided to the patient for their feedback as well. Prototypes can sometimes be completed within a day and we continue to edit until the patient is satisfied and we’ve come up with a final resolution to meet their specific needs.”

The 3D Innovation Center’s capabilities also extend into the operating room, beyond just therapeutic assistance. 

“Our team also works with surgeons for complex surgical cases,” said Beitenman. “Our team can take digital files from medical imaging, such as CT scans or MRIs, and separate out the anatomy of interest to develop a 3D image set. Traditionally, CT and MRI imaging is only in 2D, so by being able to build a 3D image, we can then 3D print the anatomy to the accurate scaling of the patient’s body. Surgeons can use this 3D print to better plan out the approach of the surgery as well as train residents and educate the patient and their family on what is going on within their body. Being able to hold an anatomical structure prior to being surgery provides better outcomes and better healing for patients.”

Specialists have found that by having this technology readily available in facility, they can offer patients customized devices or solutions for their specific needs that they are unable to get over the counter or in the private sector. 

Beitenman said an example of this was when they had an Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis patient that was quickly losing dexterity in his hands, they were able to design a sleeve with oversized features to essentially make their life easier in doing day-to-day tasks. As a result, they now stock this device in the VA dental department, in the ALS clinic, and in the prosthetics department and many other facilities have reached out for the design.

In November 2023, the Ralph H. Johnson 3D Innovation Center began a partnership with the VA Central Dental Lab based in Texas. Throughout the country, if a VA facility does not have a dental lab, they can send their lab work through the CDL for support. The CDL had so many orders they often had difficulty with timelines and had to rely on outsourcing the cases being sent to them – increasing turnaround times for patients. According to Beitenman, they were able to step up and offer 3D printing services to them to offset their workout and reduce the amount needing to be sent to third parties. In the first year, their team completed 3500 cases for them resulting in quicker returns for Veterans.

With being a part of the largest integrated health care system in the nation, the Ralph H. Johnson VA HCS and its innovation experts must collaborate and grow in all areas to meet the always evolving needs of modern Veterans. Through this mindset they have touched Veterans across the country, not just those within their normal area of responsibility. 

“Our 3D Innovation Center is going on its 5th year of operation,” Beitenman said. “Every project we’ve completed has helped us gain more knowledge of what has or hasn’t worked and has prepared us better for each patient we work with. When you listen to the people using your product, especially those with complex and unique needs, you don’t just get better outcomes – you get innovation with purpose. It’s the difference between a product that works and a product that works for them specifically. We keep our Veterans needs and preferences at the center of everything that we do.”