IMPACT Engine Advances Next-Gen EHRs, Biotech Manufacturing

The Indiana Musculoskeletal Health Partnership for the Advancement of Care and Treatment (IMPACT) — a finalist in the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines Program (NSF Engines) — is modernizing electronic health record technology, expanding biotechnology manufacturing and bolstering the workforce to prevent and treat musculoskeletal diseases.

“We have the opportunity to be number one in the world for this, because we have such significant assets and talent and intellectual capital already,” Melissa Kacena, principal investigator for the IMPACT Engine, told GovCIO Media & Research in an interview.

NSF launched its Engines program to fund use-inspired technology research and development through place-based innovation. Last month, NSF announced 15 finalists advancing to the next stage of the program’s second competition. With the help of the NSF award, IMPACT aims to develop the “world’s most robust EHR system” by including imaging records, Kacena explained.

Adding Imaging Capabilities to EHR Tech

Musculoskeletal diseases are among the most common causes of disability worldwide and require numerous imaging records — including MRIs, X-rays and CT scans — for diagnosis. However, current electronic health records (EHRs) lacklack the capability to store or integrate imaging data.

“If we can put [imaging data] in a database so everybody can access it, then everybody can improve their devices and help each other out,” said Kacena. “Getting the right group of people into the system to make it more robust, and so we can have a better impact overall.”

Expanding Rural Health Care Access

The IMPACT team is also focused on expanding health care access to rural communities in Indiana through innovative methods, like a mobile clinical research unit. Kacena said the “glorified RV” will have a clinical lab inside to diagnose and study patient lab work, like a traditional clinical lab. Some tests require patient tissue, blood or urine — all data points that help diagnose the patient.

“If you integrate [that data] with an electronic health record, you can predict who’s most likely to get osteoporosis we can improve [treatment and diagnosis],” said Kacena. “If we work together, we can actually have smart implants that can start detecting the infection before we see it in the circulation of the blood.”

Automating the Manufacturing Process

IMPACT is also working with partners to bolster American biotechnology manufacturing, leveraging automation to enhance operational efficiency in facilities that produce joint implants.

Chief Technology and Innovation Officer and Co-Principal Investigator Amrou Awaysheh said IMPACT’s work ensures the manufacturing process matches the pace of innovation. He highlighted that one in every three dollars is lost due to “process inefficiencies” in the healthcare industry.

“We’re bringing partners to the table to talk about how you make the process better. It’s not just product innovation, it’s also process innovation,” said Awaysheh.

IMPACT is encouraging partners to invest in AI and automation to ensure biotechnology manufacturers can meet the demand of orthopedics needed. Awaysheh highlighted that because today’s manufacturing “is not 1970s,” the current workforce needs new tools to get the job done.

“That’s this mindset shift that our industry partners are really engaged with that’s helping us move forward,” he added.

Educating the Workforce and Expanding Partnerships

IMPACT is also working to strengthen the workforce development ecosystem within Indiana. IMPACT Co-Principal Investigator and Chief Learning Officer Jill Fehrenbacher said Indiana has a robust manufacturing industry, but education institutions in rural America haven’t kept pace with industry’s growing need for a competent STEM workforce.

The state is building two new manufacturing facilities that will require roughly 2,800 trained workers. However, Fehrenbacher said the traditional community college approach to upskilling the workforce produced only 13 STEM graduates, underscoring the gap between education and industry needs. The IMPACT Engine aims to strengthen partnerships with universities and community colleges to better prepare students for the future workforce.

“It’s a win-win, because if [industry] gets students in, they get to train students in their ethos then those students are going to have loyalty to the company and want to continue their education and training with that company,” said Fehrenbacher.