The implications in the field of health care are staggering, but it is stories shared by study participants that really drive home what this new knowledge means for people like you and me – including personalized care and new diagnoses.
Analytics Develop Health Plan
So what role does SAS play in this pioneering work? Researchers, doctors and data scientists from Renown IHI are using SAS analytics to develop a health determinants platform that researchers will use to analyze population health risks from patient variables such as gender, age, and personal or family health history. Researchers also will use the platform to model public health risks ranging from disease and illness to the effects of environmental factors such as air quality.
“We are working to understand how environmental factors can help predict who may be at risk, allow for quicker diagnoses, and encourage the development of more precise treatments,” explained Jim Metcalf, chief data scientist at the Healthy Nevada Project. “The modern statistical and machine learning methods, along with the intuitive data visualizations, have been critical elements of our success to date.”
To hear Metcalf talk about the project firsthand, listen to his recent interview with Bloomberg Radio; queue the ~6:57 mark, where Metcalf talks about the pilot phase results. The news created a lot of buzz, earning coverage in several of the country’s top healthcare publications, including HealthITAnalytics, Healthcare Informatics, Healthcare IT News and Becker’s Hospital Review.
With this research, we get closer to putting human beings – individuals such as ourselves, our loved ones – at the center of the healthcare universe. Studies like the NIH’s All of Us initiative and Renown IHI’s Healthy Nevada Project are an important first step in a coming healthcare revolution. The insights we reveal will help doctors shift their focus from after-diagnosis treatment and care to better prevention and earlier diagnoses and even targeted therapies once a person has fallen sick.
We at SAS are very proud of being a partner in transforming health care through data science – and in securing a better future for every individual on earth, one at a time. Stay tuned as more results of the Healthy Nevada Project come in. We will be sure to feature them on SAS blogs.
This article has been republished with permission from SAS.