The pace of healthcare improvement and innovation is frustratingly slow, at a time when improvement needs are increasingly urgent. Among other approaches, there recently has been renewed interest in greater application of industrial and systems engineering (ISyE), as used to improve efficiency, quality, and outcomes in other complex industries. While some health systems, funding organizations, and national academies are increasingly exploring ISyE, it remains largely unclear how to most effectively apply, expand, and sustain healthcare systems engineering for maximal impact nationally, at scale and near immediately. As one approach, this presentation will summarize the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) $8 million demonstration project led by Northeastern University to develop a system of scalable healthcare systems engineering regional extension centers across the U.S. that significantly improves the triple aim of better health, better care, and lower costs. We will provide an overview of the project's motivation, operations, example projects, results-to-date, and criteria for additional health systems to participate.

Dr. James Benneyan is the director and principle investigator of the Healthcare Systems Engineering Institute at Northeastern University, including undergraduate through doctoral programs and three centers funded by the National Science Foundation, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and Veterans Health Administration. Prior to Northeastern, Jim was senior systems engineer at Harvard Community Health Plan, an industrial engineer at IBM, and senior scientist in an academic consulting company. He also serves or has served as a faculty and fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, technical advisor to CMS's Innovation center, vice president of the Institute for Industrial Engineers, and on numerous editorial and advisory boards. Benneyan has received 12 research, teaching, and service awards; is a fellow of the Society for Health Systems, Institute of Industrial Engineers, and Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society; and has been principal investigator or co-director of seven research centers and laboratories totaling over $32 million in funding.