BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI), a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech), welcome the Lahey Innovation Hub at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (the Mass League) to the state’s Digital Health Sandbox Network. The Digital Health Sandbox Network is a group of cutting-edge research and development facilities that help digital health companies develop, test and validate products to accelerate commercialization.
Together, the Lahey Innovation Hub and the Mass League will broaden the range of testing environments, patient communities and clinical expertise available to digital health companies developing new product solutions across the Commonwealth.
"The Digital Health Sandbox Network is an example of a state-supported economic engine that keeps Massachusetts at the forefront of health care innovation," said Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley. "By connecting startups with world-class institutions like the Lahey Innovation Hub and the Mass League, we're enabling companies to grow, scale and create new jobs in the health care industry."
“The Lahey Innovation Hub and the Mass League will provide digital health startups across Massachusetts with the resources, data and clinical expertise needed to scale,” said Massachusetts eHealth Institute Director Keely Benson. “Lahey’s research infrastructure and clinical education will give companies access to world-class resources while the Mass League’s deep roots in primary care and its diverse patient network will open new doors to communities that stand to benefit from technology advances. Together, they make our Sandbox Network even stronger.”
The Lahey Innovation Hub will provide direct access to a major academic center and its research infrastructure. Startups will be able to:
- Engage with The Lahey Institute for Healthcare Delivery Science, an initiative with UMass Chan Medical School that reduces health disparities through shared research data.
- Join Lahey’s Simulation Center, which provides training and education for health care professionals.
- Access Lahey’s laboratory and diagnostic services.
The Mass League will serve as a centralized resource by:
- Matching startups with one of 50 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to support high-impact pilots.
- Enabling startups to test with electronic health record systems and user feedback from frontline staff, clinicians and executives.
- Providing startups with access to aggregated data from 26 health centers to support product development.
“Joining the Mass Digital Health Sandbox Program marks an important step forward for Lahey Hospital & Medical Center and our Innovation Hub as we work to transform health care,” said Lahey Hospital & Medical Center President Dr. Susan Moffatt-Bruce, M.D., Ph.D. “This partnership advances our commitment to digital health solutions that improve patient care, strengthen operations, support our workforce and promote a more sustainable health care system. Through collaboration, we can accelerate the responsible development and adoption of technologies that address real-world health care challenges.”
“This partnership builds on the legacy and mission of our movement. As the largest safety net and primary care provider network in the state, community health centers are poised to play an important role in shaping health tech solutions that equitably meet the needs of vulnerable populations,” said Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers President and CEO Michael Curry Esq. “This is a unique opportunity to collaborate with innovators whose work can help us improve care delivery, and most importantly, overcome the digital divide to strengthen the health of our communities.”
The new additions to the Digital Health Sandbox bring the total network to 11 members. Digital health companies interested in working with the Sandbox Network can learn more at mehi.masstech.org/digital-health-sandbox-program.
About the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI)
The mission of the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) is to promote innovation, technology and competitiveness in the health information technology space to improve the safety, quality and efficiency of health care across the Commonwealth. MeHI spearheads the Massachusetts Digital Health Initiative, or Mass Digital Health, a comprehensive public-private partnership working to establish Massachusetts as a leading ecosystem for digital health innovation, driving economic impact and improving health care costs and quality. Learn more about the initiative at massdigitalhealth.org.
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