VA Heart of Texas Healthcare Network
2023 VHA Shark Tank Competition semifinalists
June 21, 2023
ARLINGTON, Texas – Diffusion of Excellence (Diffusion) is pleased to announce the 2023 VHA Shark Tank Competition semifinalists with three semifinalists selected from within the VA Heart of Texas Healthcare Network-Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 17.
This season, Diffusion received more than 350 applications from VHA staff across national program offices and all 18 Veteran Integrated Service Networks (VISNs)—a 24% increase from the 2022 competition. Over the past month, evaluators with expertise in VA’s health care priorities narrowed down the most jaw-some submissions to chews this year’s semifinalists.
Below is a table that captures the practice(s) from each VISN 17 semifinalist facility, the practice name, innovator name, and which of the VA Under Secretary for Health’s six healthcare priorities the project is aimed at addressing.
|
VISN 17 |
|||
|
Facility |
Practice Title |
Innovator Name |
Priority |
|
Central Texas Veteran Health Care System |
Personnel Management Portal
|
Ronnie Williams, et. al |
Hire faster and more competitively |
|
VA North Texas Health Care System |
PEN-ALERT: Penicillin Allergy Label Evaluation and Removal Team |
Reuben Arasaratnam, et. al |
Connect Veterans to the soonest and best care |
|
VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System |
Same Day Access (SDA) Tiers Communication
|
Jessica Grogan, et. al |
Connect Veterans to the soonest and best care |
Semifinalist practices will undergo a second round of evaluation by program office leaders and the Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) team. Diffusion will inform both semifinalists and their corresponding facility and VISN directors of finalist selections in August.
To stay hooked into the information or to view the full list of semifinalists, please visit the VHA Shark Tank Competition page on Diffusion Marketplace.
VA Heart of Texas Healthcare Network-VISN 17, encompasses most of the state of Texas - approximately 240,000 square miles - and has administrative offices in Arlington and San Antonio. VISN 17 oversees seven healthcare systems: VA North Texas, VA Central Texas, VA West Texas, VA Amarillo, VA El Paso, South Texas Veterans, and VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend, and provides care to more than 636,000 enrolled Veterans.
