Newswise — March 6, 2025, Edison, NJ – Three concepts from Hackensack Meridian Health team members have been selected as winners for the Bear’s Den Changemaker Innovation Challenge: Readmission Reduction - and could have tremendous benefits to New Jersey patients in the very near future.
The three winners were picked from dozens of innovative concepts across the health network. A panel of evaluators, including CEO Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, HMH senior executives, HMH board members, and outside investors, heard all three finalist presentations - and ultimately decided all of the ideas deserved to win. The three concepts will be further developed and piloted at HMH locations to determine their effectiveness in reducing readmissions.
“This annual challenge is a terrific way to leverage our tremendous talent from among tens of thousands of team members,” said Garrett, the CEO. “When we all work together and find new intelligent ways of doing things, we all keep getting better.”
The Bear’s Den Innovation Program is a unique accelerator at Hackensack Meridian Health enlisting a panel of experts to evaluate inspirational health care ideas, inventions, and strategies from entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, health care partners, and HMH's own team members. The Bear's Den helps make great concepts a reality through strategic partnerships, funding, and other support, and its quarterly meetings are thought-provoking dialogues challenging the status quo to set better health care standards in New Jersey - and beyond.
“We love to see the ideas that come out of the Bear’s Den challenges, because they always identify and address pressing health challenges,” said Ihor Sawczuk, M.D., FACS, Hackensack Meridian Health’s president of Academics, Research and Innovation, founding chair of the Hackensack Meridian Health Research Institute, and also associate dean of Clinical Integration and professor and chair emeritus of Urology at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
The three winners are:
- New Protocol for Rapid Evaluation and EEG Testing of Patients with Seizures in the Emergency Department (REESE) – A point-of-care electroencephalogram (EEG) device that allows for quicker diagnosis and monitoring of neurological conditions, helping to discharge patients faster and prevent readmissions. This project is led by Arun Antony, M.D., a neurologist at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
- Reducing Readmissions Through a Patient-Friendly Discharge Handout – A colorful, personalized pamphlet to simplify follow-up and medication instructions for older patients, aimed at reducing confusion and preventing readmissions. Patricia Bonatakis, an acute-care physical therapist at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, presented the idea.
- After Visit Summary Translated Materials – A solution to provide medication instructions in multiple languages on discharge summaries, improving compliance and reducing errors for non-English speaking patients. This innovation was devised by Thais Wilson, patient care technician, and Samantha Huebner, RN, of Ocean University Medical Center.
These ideas will be implemented as either network-wide changes, or in pilot programs to test their effectiveness.
“These ideas were produced organically, from real-world clinical experience,” said Sandra Powell-Elliott, vice president and chief innovation and commercialization officer at Hackensack Meridian Health. “We think that will make all the difference as they are implemented in common-sense ways.”
Launched in 2017, the Bear’s Den features a panel of experts, including Hackensack Meridian Health CEO Garrett, leading physicians, key network executives, venture capitalists, patent attorneys, who gather regularly to vet proposals from entrepreneurs. The health network’s novel incubator has vetted many products and strategies to streamline care delivery, reduce infections, lower hospital readmissions and help patients partner in their care with physicians. The program has also invested in promising innovative companies.
ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH
Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. The network has 18 hospitals and more than 500 patient care locations, which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers, physician practice locations, and a fitness and wellness center. With more than 35,000 team members and 7,000 physicians, Hackensack Meridian Health is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy and committed to the health and well-being of communities throughout New Jersey.
The network’s notable distinctions include having the only #1 ranked adult and children's hospitals in New Jersey, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, 2023-24. Hackensack University Medical Center is nationally-ranked by U.S. News & World Report in six specialties. To learn more, visit .
ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE (HMHRI):
HMHRI leads and organizes a connected ecosystem bringing together clinicians, scientists, and educators to respond to the health problems of our time, in real-time. HMHRI is dedicated to accelerating discovery, innovation, and translation of scientific breakthroughs that address unmet clinical needs.
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