Transforming healthcare through secondary use of health data

Hundreds of billions of gigabytes of health information are now being collected. As more organizations implement health IT, more data will be produced and the potential for secondary use of data will grow. The data that could be mined from the US health system can be re-used to improve patient care, predict public health trends, reduce healthcare costs, and get drugs to market faster and safer.

In the summer of 2009, PwC invited IT and strategy leaders from leading payer, provider and pharmaceutical companies to share how they have been using secondary health data in a one-day roundtable. This report consolidates the conversations that took place, and includes findings from a national industry poll PwC conducted on secondary health data in the spring of 2009. Our report calls for public-private collaboration and a government role in creating incentives for the private sector to collect, share and use health data; to establish standards; and to redefine technical architecture to ensure interoperability. It offers specific recommendations for providers, payers, and pharmaceutical companies to consider in leveraging electronic health data.

Secondary Health Data Case Studies

• Aetna, a national diversified healthcare benefits company began a major project to take data from its multiple sources and create a comprehensive, personalized view of each member. Download Aetna's full case study: Integrated, member-focused healthcare.
• The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA), the nation’s largest voluntary health organization, works with hospitals across the country to align their treatment of cardiovascular disease and stroke patients with evidence-based guidelines. Download AHA/ASA's full case study: Evidence-based, quality improvement program.
• Geisinger Health System, a large integrated health system, created a company called MedMining, which de-identifies and licenses its data to promote healthcare research. Most major pharmaceutical companies and large biotech companies use MedMining’s data to support their research in a process that is faster and less expensive than traditional clinical trials. Download MedMining's full case study: Promoting healthcare research.
• Partners HealthCare, a nonprofit integrated healthcare system, discovered that data from its electronic health records (EHRs) can identify trends in drug usage and clinical events, and now conducts post-market surveillance of drugs in an efficient, expeditious and cost-effective way. Download Partners HealthCare's full case study: Post-market surveillance of drugs.
• WellPoint, the largest health benefits company in the country, piloted an integrated health record for members of a large healthcare network, and demonstrated that claims data can be used to create an integrated clinical record that supports the delivery of care. Download WellPoint's full case study: An integrated health record.