Diffusion marketplace

The challenge

Across the VA's 152 medical centers, healthcare providers were developing innovative practices that improved patient outcomes and saved lives. But there was no systematic way to share these innovations — what worked at one facility often stayed siloed there, even when it could benefit veterans elsewhere.

The VA needed a platform that could capture these innovations, make them discoverable, and help facilities adopt practices that were proven to work.

Our approach

We worked with VA Innovators Network to build the Diffusion Marketplace from the ground up. Starting with user research across multiple VA facilities, we designed a platform that makes it easy for innovators to share their practices and for adopters to find and implement them.

The platform includes detailed documentation, implementation guides, and success metrics for each innovation. We built features that facilitate connections between facilities, enabling peer-to-peer learning and support during adoption.

The impact

The Diffusion Marketplace has become the central hub for VA innovation sharing. Hundreds of proven practices are now documented and available for any facility to adopt. Innovations that once took years to spread across the system now reach multiple facilities within months.

More importantly, veterans are receiving better care as facilities adopt proven practices from their peers. From reducing wait times to improving clinical outcomes, the innovations shared through the marketplace are making a real difference in veterans' lives.