Health Providers Partner to Create Big Data Analytics Platform

Fourteen leading healthcare providers are partnering to form Truveta, a new company that will leverage big data analytics for enhanced care insights.

Providers involved in the effort include AdventHealth, Advocate Aurora Health, Baptist Health of Northeast Florida, Bon Secours Mercy Health, CommonSpirit Health, Hawaii Pacific Health, Henry Ford Health System, Memorial Hermann Health System, Northwell Health, Novant Health, Providence health system, Sentara Healthcare, Tenet Health, and Trinity Health.

Together, these healthcare providers care for tens of millions of patients and operate thousands of care facilities across 40 states. The health providers will govern Truveta’s ethical pursuit of insights from a de-identified dataset.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how much the world needs to learn faster, so we can better serve our communities," said Terry Myerson, CEO of Truveta.

"Our vision is to save lives with data. We want to help researchers find cures faster, empower every clinician to be an expert, and help families make the most informed decisions on their care. We believe the Truveta platform can help improve health equity and advance personalized medicine. We are honored to be partnering with innovative and world-class health providers in this pursuit."

Healthcare organizations today have datasets that are growing at exponential rates, but many don’t have the tools in place to extract meaningful insights from this information. The thoughtful use of big data in healthcare could help providers learn faster, move quicker, and improve patient outcomes.

Truveta will aim to build a new big data analytics platform by structuring, analyzing, and de-identifying data from participating health providers, while carefully protecting privacy and security. The platform will use AI and machine learning to enable unprecedented insights and collaborative learning among organizations.

"For years we have seen the opportunity for diverse health providers to come together with a shared sense of purpose and use our collective data for the common good of humanity. With Truveta, we created a unique model that is led by the health providers yet supported by one of the most talented technical teams to focus on health," said Dr. Rod Hochman, President and CEO of Providence.

The new company will facilitate innovation in patient care through the creation of the Truveta data platform. The platform will deliver valuable insights from billions of critical data points with a single search, unlocking the power of de-identified data across all diagnoses, geographies, and demographics.

"We believe the cure for certain diseases could lie within the Truveta platform," said Michael Slubowski, CEO of Trinity Health. "For the first time in the history of health, we have enough data at scale to dramatically advance innovation in healthcare with collective commitment to partner on ethical innovation."

The current pandemic has demonstrated just how critical it is for the healthcare industry to move quickly in order to effectively serve patients. If an effort like Truveta had existed prior to the start of the pandemic, providers could have learned the best treatment paths from each other faster. Leaders hope that the formation of the company will pave the way for more collaborative care and education going forward.

"Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen displays of humanity and unity during our most trying moments. Together, we share a common mission to improve health equity and believe nobody should be left behind," said Michael Dowling, President and CEO of Northwell Health. "Truveta is a catalyst for innovation, energizing health providers to modernize how we look at data to benefit patients."

A Board of Governors will advise Truveta to ensure expertise is drawn from a variety of perspectives for strategic stewardship. Leaders from a diverse set of health providers will provide ongoing strategic, scientific, and operational advice on areas of expertise including ethics and health equity, data integrity, and clinical outcomes to make sure the company operates according to its mission.

"The future of healthcare is collaborative. We in healthcare exist side-by-side in our communities and we need to prioritize cooperation to truly make a difference—now more than we ever have," said Lloyd Dean, CEO of CommonSpirit Health.

"We have a unique opportunity today to rebuild the healthcare system in our country, so it is better, stronger, and more responsive to the needs of everyone – especially the vulnerable and underserved populations."

Truveta is inviting health providers, education, and research institutions anywhere in the world to join in creating and leveraging the Truveta platform to deliver the best care for patients.

"Our mission is to improve all people's lives through excellence in the science and art of healthcare," said Wright Lassiter III, President and CEO of Henry Ford Health System. "Truveta can uniquely provide the data and insights that will empower us to deliver equitable care with respect and compassion, which are the fundamental rights of those we serve."

Truveta is committed to maintaining privacy and security, and all data on the platform will be de-identified.

"We know health data is unlike other data. It is the very definition of personal," said Myerson.
"While we embark on our pursuit to generate knowledge and insights to improve patient care around the world, we must do so with the utmost caution to protect the privacy of patients."

Healthcare providers expect that the Truveta platform will help enhance care delivery and patient outcomes.

"We see such a valuable opportunity to save lives in partnership with the Truveta platform," said Alan Sanders, Vice President of Ethics, Trinity Health. "We believe it would be irresponsible to not join Truveta on this mission. It would be a tremendous data waste and withhold valuable contributions to the common good."