Innovations in Health Care 2024

by Madeleine Maccar and Peter Proko | Feb 4, 2025

Our final issue of the year is always when we take a deeper look at some of the ways our area’s hospitals and other health care professionals are continually leveling up their capabilities, technologies and visions for the future. This year, we’re proud to showcase the range of ways those providers are doing their part to make sure everyone in their care gets the world-class treatment they deserve, whether it’s through strategic partnerships, brand-new facilities, cutting-edge technology or simply extending a hand to help someone feel less alone.

Samaritan
An improved quality of life

Last year, Samaritan served more than 11,000 patients, clients and their families, providing care to address the physical, emotional and social needs of individuals facing serious illness and aging.

Most recently, Samaritan launched the Social Isolation, Loneliness & Connection Collaborative, bringing together the National Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness, the National Foundation to End Social Isolation and Loneliness, a group of 40-some nonprofits and several major health systems in the area.

Additionally, Samaritan’s Social Connections program has made a significant impact by providing support for people who are suffering with challenges of social isolation and loneliness. One facet of those services is Samaritan’s Friendly Caller Program, which matches volunteers—who are background screened and trained—with patients who have similar interests and life experiences, resulting in weekly phone calls and meaningful moments of connection.

Samaritan’s Robotic Companion Pet Program provides robotic pets to patients and caregivers who are experiencing loneliness and social isolation, but who can no longer care for a real pet. The program is particularly beneficial for dementia patients, providing emotional connection and a sense of purpose.

Inspira Health

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- A Show of Strength

With the state ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, South Jersey is proving there’s more ways than one to put up a fight.

- Health Care Innovat.: The Next Big Thing

South Jersey health care providers and partners share their latest innovations.
Over the years, South Jersey has become a prime place for business.

- Who’s Who in Health Care

These professionals are on the forefront of medicine and innovation.

Enhanced patient care with modern tech solutions

Inspira Health integrates AI and digital health solutions to enhance patient care and operational efficiency, improving experiences for patients and employees from intake through discharge. Partnering with innovative tech companies improves efficiency, helps offset workforce challenges and provides patients with the frictionless experience they deserve.

These AI-driven tools can significantly expedite diagnosis and care while improving patient outcomes. This not only fosters a healthier community but also aligns with a mission of delivering superior health care services.

Some notable advancements include: KATE AI for triage and sepsis detection, technology providing 24/7 real-time clinical guidance for emergency nurses that has increased sepsis recognition rates from 31% to 78%; partnering with Viz.AI for stroke management, which resulted in fewer unnecessary patient transfers in managing stroke patients; AziraAI for lung nodule detection, a technology Inspira was an early adopter of and has led to early diagnosis and treatment; and the digital worker program where software robots review thousands of primary care patient charts per month, identifying those eligible for chronic care management and looking for indicators of diabetes and/or hypertension.

Jefferson Health – New Jersey
An expansion of services

The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center has unveiled new suites for both medical and radiation oncology services. The advanced Radiation Oncology Suite is the first in South Jersey to offer the Ethos 2.0 therapy system for adaptive, personalized radiotherapy. Patients will benefit from cutting-edge treatment that increases accuracy and precision, enhances comfort and minimizes side effects.

“Our comprehensive cancer services address the whole needs of the patient, including oncology navigation, nutrition and social work. We also offer access to cancer clinical trials, so patients receive the most advanced care, close to home,” says Dr. Tamara LaCouture, chief of cancer services at Jefferson Cherry Hill and Jefferson Washington Township Hospitals.

Cooper University Health Care
Targeting Tumors

This past August, when MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper’s surgical oncologists used histotripsy—an innovative noninvasive technology using sound waves to destroy cancerous liver tumors—to treat a patient, they not only became the 19th cancer center nationwide to do so, but also the first in New Jersey/Philadelphia region.

“This technology is very different from current standard treatments like surgery, offering many potential benefits,” said Dr. Young Ki Hong, MD Anderson’s division head of surgical oncology and director of cellular therapy. “Histotripsy doesn't require incisions, has minimal side effects and involves a short recovery time. Studies show it has a 95% success rate in destroying tumors without harming surrounding tissues.”

Virtua Health
A virtual-care partnership

Working in partnership with care.ai, select Virtua hospital units are now equipped with two-way cameras allowing patients to engage with a specially trained remote staff member, making Virtua the first health system in Greater Philadelphia to commit to transforming every inpatient room into a “smart” room with virtual care capabilities. By the end of 2025, more than 1,000 of Virtua’s inpatient beds across five hospitals will be connected to care.ai technology.

“We are excited to be among the first to embrace this emerging care delivery model. In time, this technology will be the standard for the industry,” said John Matsinger, DO, executive vice president and COO for Virtua Health.

Deborah Heart and Lung Center
Novel therapy for heart failure

In September, Deborah Heart and Lung Center announced its successful implantation of the Barostim device, an innovative therapy that uses the brain’s power to treat heart failure symptoms.

Despite advancements in heart failure medications and technologies, some patients continue to experience symptoms that impact their daily life. Barostim is a novel device designed to help patients with heart failure who may not be receiving adequate symptom relief from their medications alone and are not eligible for a pacemaker.

“Studies show that Barostim patients had three times greater improvement in quality of life scores than patients on medications alone,” said Dr. Gregory Domer, division director, vascular surgery.

AtlantiCare
Neuroscience partnership

AtlantiCare has entered a clinical partnership with Global Neurosciences Institute (GNI) to take its nationally recognized, comprehensive neurosciences services to the next level. This will include providing an extensive array of treatments and therapies, from a complete range of neurosurgical services supporting AtlantiCare’s Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center designation combined with innovative functional neurosurgical procedures to neurology services treating diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and more.

“According to GNI’s Dr. Erol Veznedaroglu, “We are committed to eliminating barriers between narrowly focused medical specialties to enable holistic, collaborative, patient-centered care and are excited to work with AtlantiCare to make that vision a reality.”

Penn Medicine
New radiation therapy

The concept of “fractionation” has long been dogma in radiation oncology, where a total dose of radiation is delivered in a series of treatments. But an experimental new form of radiation being pioneered by Penn Medicine researchers upends that approach.

FLASH therapy blasts tumors with an ultra-high dose of radiation in less than a second. And instead of spacing out the total dose, FLASH could be delivered in just one to five treatments. “Our research suggests that by delivering an entire dose of radiation in a few ultra-fast treatments, we may be able to kill the tumor while sparing healthy tissue,” said Constantinos Koumenis, Ph.D., professor of radiation oncology.

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Published (and copyrighted) in South Jersey Biz, Volume 14, Issue 12 (December 2024).

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Author: Madeleine Maccar and Peter Proko

Innovations in Health Care 2024

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