UIC Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design

What UIC Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design does

The Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design (IHDD) is a research and design institute within the University of Illinois Chicago's Office of Population Health Sciences, part of UI Health's academic health enterprise. It applies human-centered design methodology to healthcare delivery challenges, combining expertise in design, education, and care delivery science to help healthcare, research, and social service systems better serve their populations. Its work focuses on understanding the day-to-day experiences of people living with medical conditions and developing evidence-based design solutions grounded in real-world care contexts.

IHDD does not sell commercial software products; instead it operates as a service-based organization delivering two principal offerings: Healthcare Delivery Design Services (interdisciplinary design, education, and care delivery science expertise applied to client problems) and Featured Work (case studies and project showcases demonstrating client outcomes). The underlying technology is the institute's proprietary human-centered design methodology applied to healthcare delivery, rather than a software platform or technical product.

The institute's business model is professional services revenue through sponsored research projects, grants, and negotiated consulting engagements with healthcare and public sector clients. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; engagements are project-based and contract-negotiated. Customer segments include healthcare systems and providers (primary), public sector and government health agencies (primary), and research/academic institutions (secondary). Named partners include UI Health, Chicago Department of Public Health, National Institutes of Health, U.S. and Illinois Departments of Veterans Affairs, and Global Initiative for Asthma. The institute is governed by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and operates as a public state entity with no external equity funding.

Name

UIC Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design

Legal name

Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design, University of Illinois Chicago

Website

https://healthcaredeliverydesign.vcha.uic.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design (IHDD) is a University of Illinois Chicago research institute that applies human-centered design methodology to healthcare delivery challenges. It serves healthcare systems, government health agencies, and research institutions through sponsored research and consulting engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Research and Consulting Services: As a university-affiliated research institute, IHDD generates revenue through sponsored research projects, grants, and consulting engagements with healthcare and public sector clients. Revenue supports the institute's mission to enable healthcare, research and social service systems to better serve all people.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design (IHDD) applies human-centered design methodology to healthcare delivery challenges, partnering with healthcare systems, public health agencies, and research institutions. It delivers consulting and design services that combine design thinking, education, and care delivery science to help healthcare, research, and social service systems better serve people in real-world care contexts.

Product overview

The Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design (IHDD) operates as a service-based organization within the University of Illinois Chicago's Office of Population Health Sciences. Rather than a software product platform, IHDD offers consulting and design services in healthcare delivery, composed of two main components: the core Services offering (providing design, education, and care delivery science expertise) and Featured Work (case studies showcasing client outcomes). The organization serves healthcare, research, and social service systems across the public sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Healthcare Delivery Design Services An interdisciplinary consulting and design service that applies human-centered design methodology to understand and solve healthcare delivery challenges for hospitals, health systems, government health agencies, and academic research institutions.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in public health initiatives. CDPH collaborates with IHDD on design projects addressing community health challenges and public health program delivery improvements.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research funding partner supporting IHDD's research initiatives. NIH partnership provides grant funding and research credibility for healthcare delivery design studies.
• U.S. Department of Veterans AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal partner for veteran healthcare service design. Collaboration focuses on improving care delivery for veterans through human-centered design approaches.
• Illinois Department of Veterans AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level partner for Illinois veteran healthcare initiatives. Works with IHDD on design projects targeting veteran-specific healthcare needs in Illinois.
• Global Initiative for AsthmaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational nonprofit partner focused on asthma care. Collaboration likely involves respiratory care delivery design and patient education program development.
• UI HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIC's academic health enterprise is the primary affiliated healthcare system. IHDD operates within the Office of Population Health Sciences, providing access to clinical environments for research and implementation of design solutions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• IDEO: Pioneering human-centered design firm with a substantial healthcare practice applying design thinking to patient experience, care delivery, and digital health. Closest direct methodology peer to IHDD, though operating at global commercial scale rather than as an academic institute.
• frog (Capgemini Invent): Global design and strategy firm with deep healthcare practice applying human-centered design to care delivery transformation. Comparable methodology to IHDD, though delivered as commercial consulting at enterprise scale.
• Mayo Clinic Platform / Center for Innovation: Academic medical center's internal innovation function applying design thinking and care delivery science to improve outcomes at Mayo. Operates under the same academic-institute model as IHDD but anchored within one of the largest U.S. health systems.
• The Center for Health Design: Nonprofit research organization advancing evidence-based healthcare design across facilities, workflows, and patient experience. Highly comparable mission to IHDD and similar research-driven, non-commercial posture.
• Kaiser Permanente Garfield Innovation Center: Innovation function within an integrated health system that applies human-centered design and prototyping to improve care delivery for Kaiser members. Operates inside a delivery organization rather than a university, but pursues an analogous design-driven transformation agenda.

Broad incumbents

• Accenture Health: Global consulting firm's healthcare practice providing digital transformation, experience design, and operational improvement services to health systems and government agencies. Overlaps with IHDD's service design work but with vastly larger commercial scale.
• McKinsey Health Institute: Global consultancy's health practice supporting health systems and public agencies on strategy, operations, and care delivery redesign. Comparable client base at the federal and large-system level, though delivered as commercial advisory rather than academic research.
• Deloitte Health Innovation: Major consulting firm's healthcare practice delivering strategy, digital, and design-led transformation to provider, payer, and government clients. Overlaps with IHDD in human-centered design for healthcare delivery, but as part of a much broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• NXT Health: Healthcare-focused design firm specializing in patient experience, care environment, and service design. Comparable human-centered design orientation but smaller commercial scale than IHDD's federal project portfolio.

Regional players

• Northwestern University Center for Health Studies: Chicago-area academic institution conducting interdisciplinary research on healthcare delivery, population health, and health equity. Similar Midwest academic positioning to UIC and a natural regional comparison for design and delivery science work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UIC Institute for Healthcare Delivery Design