The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched a new center located in Silicon Valley to foster collaboration with technology companies to develop innovative healthcare solutions. The National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation (NCCHI), a pilot established within the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, will focus on artificial intelligence, clinical decision support and workflow efficiencies as initial priorities. Currently, the VA Palo Alto Health Care System is looking to bring into clinical use an AI system developed by vendor DeepMind that forecasts the presence of acute kidney injury in patients early enough so clinicians can intervene to prevent deterioration. "The NCCHI is an important part of our strategy to be leaders in healthcare innovation and quality," said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie in a written statement. "The center is particularly exciting because it is uniquely designed as a catalyst to combine strengths from non-healthcare fields."