College of Business Grad Takes First Place in State Contest on How to Reduce Hospital Readmissions

MEDIA CONTACT: Paul Owers, 561-221-4090, powers@fau.edu

A Florida Atlantic University College of Business graduate was part of a two-person team that won the top prize in a contest to address the $25 billion-a-year problem of hospital readmissions.

Cory Feldman and University of South Florida doctoral candidate James Wallace finished in first place and earned $15,000 in the Florida Blue Health Innovation Challenge.

Feldman and Wallace introduced Once, a software application that uses risk scoring to help patients improve their outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions. 

Feldman, who earned dual online master’s degrees in business administration and health administration from FAU in spring 2020, works as a practice manager at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he chairs the Patient and Family Advisory Council for Quality and Safety.

“I’ve seen a large number of patients who are nervous and find the hospital experience traumatizing,” Feldman said. “Of course, we want patients to have a good experience in the hospital, but we realize they would rather be in the comfort of their own homes. This software helps patients only have to come to the hospital one time.”  

Readmissions, defined as discharged patients who return to a hospital within 30 days for the same condition or another cause, increase the risk of infections.

In addition, Florida hospitals are losing revenue because they’re not allowed to bill for the readmissions, according to Feldman. In their presentation, he and Wallace outlined financial projections showing the software can save hospitals more than $270 million after five years. 

“On behalf of the faculty in the College of Business Health Administration program, I congratulate Cory and his colleague from USF on this achievement and for helping to develop a possible solution to the readmissions problem,” said Daniel Gropper, Ph.D., dean of the FAU College of Business. “We also thank Florida Blue for providing leadership in creating opportunities to develop innovative approaches to improve health care.”

Feldman said he learned of the Florida Blue competition when his FAU professor, Jennifer Attonito, Ph.D., an instructor of management systems, asked for submissions to the contest. He was selected as a finalist in June and paired with Wallace because their projects were similar, Feldman said.

The contest, a partnership of Florida Blue and the University of South Florida, normally is held each September in Orlando. It was held virtually this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Feldman said he and Wallace hope to commercialize their innovation through an incubator program or venture capital opportunity. 

“Bringing this to market would give patients and doctors another tool in the fight against preventable hospital readmissions,” Feldman said.