The 2026 Shark Tank Competition showcased innovative solutions to address operational, educational, and equity challenges in hospital medicine. The session featured a pitch-style forum where presenters shared novel ideas and received real-time feedback from expert “sharks” in hospital medicine, systems design, and healthcare innovation.
Devin Horton, MD, the 2025 Shark Tank winner, provided an update on his project, which aimed to address the mismatch in healthcare delivery between overcrowded academic centers and struggling rural hospitals. His project focused on building partnerships between academic hospitalist groups and rural community hospitals to redistribute patient care and strengthen rural healthcare infrastructure.
Dr. Horton’s project highlighted the importance of anticipating parallel system changes and rebuilding trust in communities where hospitals have faced closures or acquisitions. This experience showed that academic-rural partnerships will likely be essential in addressing capacity constraints and maintaining access to care.
The first formal pitch was delivered by Ruchi Doshi, MD, from Duke University, who introduced “Transfer Center Tycoon,” an interactive educational platform designed to train residents in managing transfer center calls. The platform simulates real-world transfer scenarios, allowing learners to gather clinical information and make triage decisions.
Survey data presented showed that a significant proportion of residents lack confidence in handling transfer calls, and approximately two-thirds reported that the game provided valuable exposure to scenarios they would otherwise rarely encounter. The platform is customizable, allowing institutions to tailor scenarios based on local workflows and clinical priorities.
Feedback from the sharks focused on defining the target market, establishing measurable outcomes, and addressing potential bias in scenario design. The discussion highlighted a broader challenge in medical education innovation: demonstrating that simulation-based learning translates into improved clinical outcomes.
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A group from Levine Children’s Hospital presented a solution to address the “tech equity gap” in pediatric hospital-at-home programs.
Feedback from the sharks centered on clarifying target populations, defining eligibility criteria, and generating evidence to support safety, acceptability, and outcomes.
Across all presentations, common themes emerged: the importance of defining measurable outcomes, anticipating implementation barriers, and engaging stakeholders early. Innovative solutions in hospital medicine must demonstrate real-world impact, improving patient outcomes, operational efficiency, or trainee education, to achieve adoption and sustainability.
Partnerships, such as academic-rural collaborations or healthcare-industry alliances, are essential for scaling solutions, particularly in addressing capacity constraints and technology gaps. Emerging tools like simulation-based education and AI-driven workflows show great promise but require rigorous validation, attention to bias, and thoughtful integration into existing systems.
Healthcare innovation will play a critical role in addressing the complex challenges faced by hospital medicine. By supporting and developing these innovative solutions, we can improve patient care, enhance operational efficiency, and promote health equity, as seen in initiatives like hospital patient care.
It is clear that innovation will drive progress in hospital medicine.
