L to R, Laura Zhang, Pradeep Shukla, Mila Melnik and Dr. Gnanagurudasan Prakasam, learn that their team was named the winner of the 2025 Sutter Health Innovation Challenge.
In healthcare, complexity is part of every day. But where others see obstacles, Sutter Health teams see opportunities – to simplify, improve and innovate. That mindset was on full display during Sutter’s second annual Innovation Challenge, where staff and clinicians across the system turned everyday frustrations into bold ideas to make care simpler, faster and better.
This year’s challenge sparked extraordinary engagement: nearly 150 teams submitted 277 ideas, each aimed at reimagining how care is delivered and experienced. With $600,000 in seed funding available for the winning team, the event inspired collaboration and creativity across Sutter’s entire system.
The winning idea – a one-stop shop where parents of kids with Type 1 diabetes can order medications and durable medical equipment, as well as access education – was chosen by Sutter’s executive team following a competitive ‘pitch fest’ held at Sutter’s newly renovated Innovation Center, earlier this week.
“The good news in diabetes care is that treatments keep advancing. The bad news is that, across healthcare as a whole, the supply chain and educational options aren’t advancing at the same rate,” said pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Gnanagurudasan Prakasam, physician leader for the winning team. “So, you’ve got parents with multiple prescriptions and device orders, going to different suppliers, experiencing delays and denials – all while missing the education they need.”
Dr. P, as many patients call him, and team imagine a better way. A digital interface that centralizes prescription and supply orders, minimizing paperwork and maximizing savings for patients and their families. In the same place, kids and parents can access diabetes education, personalized reminders and tools to map their learning journey.
Sutter Health CEO Warner Thomas
“Core to our purpose at Sutter Health is that we never stop looking for ways to make healthcare better for our patients and our communities. And it all starts with a mindset of curiosity,” said Warner Thomas, president and CEO of Sutter Health. “Our innovation challenge inspires teams across Sutter to work together to reimagine what’s possible and gives them the tools and opportunities to design practical solutions that improve people’s lives.”
In addition to seed funding, the ‘Mindful Tech’ team will receive development support from experts within Sutter’s innovation, digital health and information technology teams with the goal of making the new resources for families available through Sutter’s My Health Online patient portal.
Members of the Mindful Tech team will be assets here as well; each brings expertise that is essential for the work ahead.
“When I see patients in the clinic I want to talk about blood sugar management, but often the whole visit is spent solving supply problems. Having everything ordered through Sutter, coupled with on-demand education, will help solve our patients’ greatest challenges so they can focus on managing their chronic condition.” ~ Dr. Gnanagurudasan Prakasam, is a practicing pediatric endocrinologist with four decades of experience treating kids with Type 1 diabetes in the Sacramento area.
“Today families spend approximately 11 hours per month coordinating care for a child with Type 1 Diabetes. If we can put services together, make supplies and education seamless and available directly to patients, we are going to close gaps that families and our staff must manually fill today.” ~ Mila Melnik, co-lead of the Mindful Tech team, is the practice manager for the pediatric endocrine service in Sacramento and oversees a robust pediatric endocrine research program. She has over 22 years of experience coordinating care for families and helping keep kids safe.
“In the hospital, patients have support from nurses, social workers, case managers, pharmacists, health educators and physicians. But when parents go home with a newly diagnosed child they’re largely on their own. It’s not uncommon to have 14 or more prescriptions and supply orders, some of which need prior authorization before they can be filled, and the parents need to start testing blood sugar that day. Anything we can do in terms of transition of care to set them up for success will improve care and outcomes.” ~ Laura Zhang, clinical pharmacy director for Sutter’s Sacramento and Central Valley divisions.
“We have all the technology we need within Sutter to make this idea a reality, now we need to enable the tools for the right purposes and integrate them together. That’s a difficult task, but I’m confident that these enhancements will give clinicians more time to care for patients.” ~ Pradeep Shukla, director of business systems for Sutter Health.
Rounding out the ‘Mindful Tech’ team are Rachel Mckinney, president of Sutter Health’s Greater Sacramento Division who fills the executive sponsor role, and external advisors Eric Stone, Lauren Lyon, and Mike and Judy Gaulke.
2025 Winning team with executive sponsor, Rachel Mckinney, president of Sutter Health’s Greater Sacramento Division
Innovation Challenge advisory council
External advisors helped each of the six finalist teams prepare a business plan and polished presentation for judging.
Nominated by Sutter’s philanthropy team, these entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders volunteered considerable time to guide and mentor their assigned team, with several attending pitch day to cheer them on.
“Our frontline clinical and operational teams have brilliant ideas – the internal and external advisors help by broadening those ideas out to help make them more scalable or sustainable,” said Chris Waugh Sutter’s chief innovation officer. “Our Sutter innovation team works much the same way to catalyze ideas from within; using our expertise and our connections to digital health and AI start-ups here in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, we push the boundaries on what is possible.”
In addition to organizing the advisory council, Sutter’s philanthropy team contributed funds from generous donors and Sutter employees to the Challenge prize. “I’m so proud of the continued partnership between Sutter’s Innovation Center and philanthropy so we can bring these bright ideas to life,” said Raya Elias-Petros, Sutter’s chief philanthropy officer.
The ‘bright idea’ that won last year certainly came to life. In just one year Dr. Shawn Kile, chair of Sutter’s neuroscience service line and practicing neurologist with Sutter Medical Group, and his team have worked to implement a digital, self-administered test that can help screen older adults for early signs of cognitive impairment that may lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Nearly 400 Sutter patients have completed the screener to-date, as part of care they receive at the Ray Dolby Brain Health Center at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco and Novato and Sutter Neuroscience Institute Memory Clinic in Sacramento. Next month the screener will be piloted in primary care.
