Custom Innovation Summits
Partner with the AHA to host an interactive workshop that helps your organization develop insights and solutions to reduce disparities in health outcomes.
What is a Custom Innovation Summit?
Custom Innovation Summits are interactive workshops that combine expert insights with peer learning and structured problem-solving through human-centered design principles. These summits are tailored to an organization’s unique priorities and focused on addressing the specific needs of the communities and patients they serve.
Participants engage in collaborative discussions designed to:
- Identify barriers in reducing disparities and improving care delivery
- Share promising practices and lessons learned from peers
- Explore practical strategies that can be implemented within their organizations
- Develop ideas and solutions tailored to their local context
Custom Innovation Summits can be hosted as standalone events or integrated into conferences or leadership convenings.
Benefits of Hosting a Summit
Organizations that host a Custom Innovation Summit benefit from a structured, collaborative experience designed to generate practical insights and actionable ideas. Working in partnership with the AHA, host organizations receive:
Each summit is designed in collaboration with the host organization to reflect regional or local priorities, strategic initiatives and the specific challenges facing participating hospitals and health systems.
AHA facilitators guide discussions and activities throughout the summit, helping participants surface insights, exchange experiences and explore practical approaches to advancing health outcomes and reducing disparities.
Participants engage with peers from across hospitals, health systems and/or community organizations to share lessons learned, discuss implementation challenges and identify promising practices.
The summit format prioritizes engagement through small-group conversations and guided exercises that encourage participants to reflect on their own organizational experiences and generate practical solutions.
Using human-centered design principles, participants work together to explore ideas, identify opportunities for improvement and develop strategies that can be adapted within their own organizations.
Following the summit, the AHA team develops a brief summary document highlighting key themes, ideas and solutions identified during the discussions. This resource can help participants and host organizations reflect on the conversation and inform future action.
Core Program Focus Areas
Summits feature an interactive discussion with health care leaders sharing insights on promising practices and strategies to enhance care delivery. AHA staff facilitates conversations in small groups from a choice of topics below:
Person-centered Care
Implementing strategies to enhance patient care such as language access and health literacy.
Collection and Use of Data to Drive Action
Using quantitative and qualitative data to inform, design, and evaluate improvement strategies.
Community Collaboration for Solutions
Fostering healthy communities by investing in strong hospital-community partnerships.
Customizable to Your Priorities
Innovation Summits can also be customized around a specific topic to directly address an organization’s unique priorities. The AHA Has hosted specialty summits on the following topics:
- Rural Health
- Maternal and Child Health
- Behavioral Health
- Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
- Disability and Accessibility
By hosting an Innovation Summit, participants may earn up to 3 ACHE Qualifying Education Hours toward initial certification or recertification of the Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) designation.
