{"id":7890,"date":"2025-04-13T20:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7890"},"modified":"2025-04-13T20:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T20:30:00","slug":"tampa-va-leader-recognized-as-trailblazer-in-health-care-technology-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7890","title":{"rendered":"Tampa VA leader recognized as Trailblazer in Health Care Technology Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-04-13T20:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

James A. Haley Veterans\u2019 Hospital (JAHVH)<\/a> Chief of Innovation Dr. Indra Sandal was awarded the Federal Excellence in Healthcare Management Award as part of the 29th<\/sup> annual Joint Federal Sector Awards.<\/p>\n

Announced at the American College of Healthcare Executive (ACHE) 2025 Congress in Houston, TX, from March 23-28, the award highlights federal health care leaders who demonstrate exceptional leadership, mentorship, ethical standards, and a commitment to professional and community development in health care management.<\/p>\n

Excellence in VA Leadership and Innovation<\/h2>\n

In 2022, Dr. Sandal launched the VHA-Uber Health Connect Initiative (VUHC), delivering rideshare services as a transportation option for Veterans to increase their access to care. Since its launch, VUHC facilitated more than 450,000 rides for 50,000 Veterans across 101 VA Medical Centers, ultimately saving VA over $250 million.<\/p>\n

Dr. Sandal is also the founder of the Veterans Health Venture Studio, a series of programs powered by Microsoft artificial intelligence (AI) technology to develop cutting-edge health care solutions from concept to implementation within VA\u2019s health care system.<\/p>\n

The Veterans Health \u2013 MIT Hacking Medicine Hackathon<\/a>\u2014a collaborative effort among MIT Hacking Medicine, Microsoft and Veterans Health Administration\u2014brought together more than 300 innovators, scientists, doctors, nurses, engineers, researchers and health care futurists to solve problems using artificial intelligence tools.<\/p>\n

The event produced 17 teams with promising AI-driven solutions addressing key VA priorities, including faster access to care, suicide prevention and VA hiring processes. These teams then advanced to the Make-a-thon where they underwent a combination of innovation curriculum and participated in a two-day, in-person bootcamp. Eight of these teams will now develop functional prototypes with Microsoft experts during the 6-month Accelerator phase, which ends with an in-person showcase July 30-31 in Tampa, FL.<\/p>\n

AI Innovation in health care<\/h2>\n

At the ACHE 2025 Congress<\/a>, Dr. Sandal also led a Technology and Information Management session titled \u201cHarnessing AI in Healthcare: Veterans Health-MIT Hacking Medicine Powered by Public-Private Partnership,\u201d which explored how public-private collaborations like the Veterans Health-MIT Hacking Medicine Hackathon<\/a> is revolutionizing health care. Panelists included:<\/p>\n