Improving population health and cost-effectiveness in healthcare are among the challenges that a new $3 million research initiative seeks to address. The new five-year research partnership between the American College of Radiology’s Neiman Institute and the Georgia Institute of Technology will establish the Health Economics and Analytics Lab (HEAL) to leverage big data and analytics for a more efficient and sustainable healthcare system.
HEAL, to be set up within Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, will focus on applying big data analytics and artificial intelligence to large-scale medical claims databases — with a focus on medical imaging — to better understand how evolving healthcare delivery and payment models affect patients and providers.
“The HEAL will provide needed research to inform the national medical imaging policy debate and develop new approaches for improving population health,” said Danny R. Hughes, executive director of the Neiman Institute and Georgia Tech professor of economics, who will lead the lab. “Drawing on Georgia Tech’s unparalleled strength in interdisciplinary research, the HEAL is uniquely positioned to exploit the vast stores of medical data now available to ensure we move toward a sustainable healthcare system.”
The centre aligns well with Georgia Tech’s core research areas, said President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. Georgia Tech and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts offer top-notch interdisciplinary expertise – from economics to public policy, from data analysis to artificial intelligence, engineering, and computer science.
“At Georgia Tech, one of our fundamental missions is help solve society’s most challenging questions,” Peterson said. “Issues of population health, cost, and access to healthcare are certainly among the most complicated we face. I am certain Georgia Tech’s strong emphasis on data engineering and public policy will provide a firm foundation for Dr. Hughes and the HEAL team.”
The lab will support full-time post-doctorate researchers, graduate research assistants, and affiliated Georgia Tech faculty to produce both methodological and policy-oriented research. In addition, HEAL will provide training and mentorship to radiologists interested in performing research into health economics and health policy.
“This partnership provides a tremendous opportunity to leverage the Neiman Institute’s policy expertise with the analytical capabilities of a world-class engineering institution to address the pressing problems of improving population health, increasing access to medical care, and reducing medical costs.” said Geraldine McGinty, Chair of the American College of Radiology’s Board of Chancellors.
Image Credit: Anne Whiting, American College of Radiology
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Healthcare, population health, HEAL
Improving population health and cost-effectiveness in healthcare are among the challenges that a new $3 million research initiative seeks to address. The new five-year research partnership between the American College of Radiology’s Neiman Institute and t
