Over the next couple of months, we will be highlighting our HDC Affiliates, who they are and how they are helping to liberate health data to improve health and health care and drive innovation. Our first highlighted affiliate is the Center for Business and Information Technologies (CBIT) at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Check out their HDC Affiliate page.
The Health Data Consortium is strengthened by regional affiliates working to promote the ideals of open data in health around the country. Find out more about our affiliate program. If you are interested in becoming an HDC Affiliate, please get in touch!
1) Tell us about your organization and your interest in health data.
Center for Business and Information Technology (CBIT) is a research center of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. CBIT supports the development of knowledge economies in Louisiana and throughout the US through applied research, advanced technology development, and knowledge transfer to the marketplace. In cooperation with private sector, academic, and government partners, the Center conducts basic and advanced research aimed at establishing scientific foundations and frameworks for next-generation information technologies.
CBIT’s signature event is Cajun CodeFest. Cajun CodeFest, through its two and a half day “code-a-thon,” spawned a healthcare revolution in the heart of Louisiana by bringing together groups interested in the creation of software-based healthcare solutions. Lafayette was recognized as a US Ignite community and became a “Living Lab for Health Innovation” because of its advanced fiberoptic network and commitment to lead technology innovation in the state.
Living Lab is a collaborative ecosystem that supports the creation of a real-world test bed for next generation healthcare technologies, policies, and procedures in order to have a coordinated strategy for validating and recommending technologies. Living Lab leverages existing and new initiatives at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, partnerships with Lafayette General Medical Center, community of Acadiana, and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, in addition to infrastructure assets such as LUS Fiber as well as entrepreneurial support services available within the community. CBIT and its Living Lab partners already have projects in the works regarding aging, emergency medicine, childhood obesity and workplace health.
Big data and healthcare are also major focus areas for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Center of Excellence at UL Lafayette, the Center for Visual and Decision Informatics (CVDI), an Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) program in partnership with Drexel University. Launched on February 6, 2012, CVDI is the only NSF center in the US with focus on visual and decision informatics, and the first NSF Center of Excellence ever in the State of Louisiana. It is the nation’s only NSF Center with a “Big Data” focus and one of only 15 NSF Computer Information and Engineering (CISE) centers that exist across the U.S. CVDI has as its mission to develop visual and decision support tools and techniques to address the needs of businesses in industries such as healthcare, oil and gas, publishing, defense, finance, and manufacturing.
2) Why did you join Health Data Consortium as an Affiliate?
HDC creates a valuable network of organizations similar to CBIT/CVDI, each seeking to solve health care issues and working with a range of local challenges. By being able to access this network, and in conjunction with the support of US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) and corporate sponsors/members, CBIT/CVDI benefits by having access to extraordinary resources. As an affiliate, we are proud that we can work to foster the availability and use of health data to drive innovations that improve health care, drive innovations, and create wealth generation/economic development opportunities.
3) What insights did you get from attending this year’s Health Datapalooza?
In four short years, the health data democratization movement and the resulting innovations have gained significant traction. The conversation has moved from a select few policymakers and industry members to a broad and more generalized audience; those stakeholders who did not participate in the past are now coming to the table to join the conversation.
The HDC affiliates, via their relationships, partnerships, products and services offered, have enabled measurable and meaningful improvements in human health by exploiting the vast potential of health care data and all of its derivative uses. An example of this is Cajun CodeFest. We received a de-identified Medicaid dataset that was used in the creation of new applications that can track symptoms, manage medications (when to take/potential interactions/caregiver notification), and monitor exercise vigorousness levels. The creation of these applications, using liberated health care data, resulted in the creation of new products as well as new companies.
4) What would you like to see for the health data movement in a year from now? 5 years? 20 years?
We are at the beginning of a movement for data liberation that has the potential to monumentally change the landscape of health services delivery and policy development. Health care data liberation combined with the tools coming from the big data movement is similar in nature to the economic and societal shifts seen after the implementation of such technologies as the automobile and internet. In order for the movement to be maximized the following must happen:
- The public and private sectors must be engaged to create data availability, standards, and infrastructure. At the moment the landscape is wide open, experiencing a “land grab” within the health data/big data space. There are various people, companies and government agencies (federal, state and local) that are all working within the healthcare data/big data space. Those first to market (e.g. first to grab their “land”) set themselves up for potential and significant rewards. Unfortunately, this creates significant noise within the space and begs the question, “Who really is the expert?” HDC can play a role in clarifying the role of the “experts.”
- Investment and entrepreneurial activity must be encouraged. This will result in innovation, economic opportunity, wealth generation, and most importantly, better health care outcomes.
- Define and advocate for key health care data related priorities with immediate and significant potential to have positive impacts. Considering the current legal and legislative environment, access to reliable health data datasets has become an extremely valuable commodity.