RWJBarnabas affiliate partners with data analytics firm to create Predictive Health Solutions

Photo: Geber86/Getty Images

An affiliate of RWJBarnabas Health's Children's Specialized Hospital and Pinnacle Solutions have partnered to create Predictive Health Solutions.

The Center for Discovery, Innovation and Development (CDID), an affiliate of RWJBarnabas Health's Children's Specialized Hospital, will initially use the software to tackle the problem of patient no-shows.

It will use electronic medical record data, including zip code and family demographics, along with other information – including weather, traffic, construction, demographics, clinic specialties and retention – to predict the likelihood of a patient showing up for their scheduled appointments. 

In the long-term, these prediction models will prompt proactive operational improvements, such as sending appointment reminders or an offer for a car service, to reduce no-show appointments. The technology will also give healthcare providers a tool for developing intelligent overbooking strategies for their patient appointments. 

Pinnacle Solutions uses data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, while CDID provides expertise in the healthcare industry and the operational infrastructure to build out the software.

Additional Predictive Health Solutions offerings are in active development with software available to hospitals and health systems across the country in early 2022.

WHY THIS MATTERS

No-show appointments are expensive to the provider in time and labor, and they may end up costing more when patients who haven't been seen show up in the ER with more serious conditions.

Losses due to no-shows are estimated to be as much as $150 billion annually in the United States, according to Donald L. Penix Jr., president and CEO of Pinnacle Solutions.

THE LARGER TREND

Children's Specialized Hospital, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, provides inpatient and outpatient care for children and young adults from birth to 21 years of age facing special healthcare challenges – from chronic illnesses and complex physical disabilities, such as brain and spinal cord injuries, to a full scope of developmental, behavioral and mental health concerns. 

The Center for Discovery, Innovation and Development focuses on innovative health improvements.

ON THE RECORD
 
"Through Predictive Health Solutions, we will create paths that lead to improved access to care and health outcomes," said Michael Dribbon, vice president of business development and chief innovation and research officer at Children's Specialized Hospital and CDID. "The objectives of Predictive Health Solutions align with the healthcare industry's overarching drive to a more holistic health model that addresses not only people's healthcare needs, but their overall well-being and the health of their communities."
 
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com