First of its kind data test bed supports Colorado health innovation

Unlocking solutions to health care requires access to a key ingredient – data

Jeffrey Nathanson //June 23, 2017//

First of its kind data test bed supports Colorado health innovation

Unlocking solutions to health care requires access to a key ingredient – data

Jeffrey Nathanson //June 23, 2017//

Our broken U.S. healthcare system has accentuated hard facts. We have higher costs and worse health outcomes than most industrialized nations. We spend over $3.5 trillion annually, surpassing $10,000 per person in 2016, accounting for 17.8 percent of our National Gross Domestic Product (GDP). High health costs with poor return on investment-positive outcomes-are an unsustainable drag on our economy.

Key solutions appear to be innovation and entrepreneurship.

New, pervasive data-driven digital tools are generating original business solutions, creating enormous value and customer satisfaction while solving vexing challenges afflicting other economic sectors.  

Unlocking solutions for health’s most distressing problems requires access to a key ingredient – data. Privacy concerns, transparency issues and the sheer electronic plumbing to assure interoperability, have all stymied the ability for the health industry to openly share data.

This data is the key to unlock person-centric health care. We are learning of the convergence of the digital health innovations, the amazing strides in precision medicine, and rapid acceleration of machine intelligence ushering in a new age in health each day.

Having a secure, open data environment designed to help business builders create new solutions will accelerate this revolution, with the potential to boost the health-care industry. Evidenced-based results thanks to real-world validation of research can generate value. Predictive analytics is saving money by reducing in-person visits with more accessible telemedicine. Identifying hotspots for low health outcomes based on social determinants and high use for better service delivery are aiding care delivery. Successful health organizations are correlating environmental data, behavioral data and patient history for efficiently providing value-based care for population health management purposes.

To develop new health innovations lowering costs and improving outcomes, there is a need to access health data to pilot test new analytical software. A first-of-its-kind, cyber-secure data “test bed” for piloting new digital health innovations will be soon be available for participating entrepreneurs. The Colorado Office of eHealth and Innovation identified this test bed as one of the key requirements to enable innovation to improve the health of citizens of the State.

10.10.10, a Denver-based nonprofit venture generator, is focused on enhancing access to Colorado health data for entrepreneurs through this federation of resources. While initially available to 10.10.10 Health 2017 entrepreneurs, the goal is to provide improved access to other entrepreneurs in the Colorado health innovation ecosystem.