Something Big is
Happening at Health Datapalooza
Posted by Lisa Simpson on April 15, 2016
As the new hosts of the annual Health
Datapalooza, AcademyHealth will welcome the ‘geekerati’ and
‘glitterati’ of the health data liberation movement to D.C. from May 8-11.
Although this is the event’s 7th year, it’s our first as host and I couldn’t be
more excited!
Health Datapalooza is more than a conference, it’s a homecoming
of sorts for the people and organizations who led the charge to open up health
data for innovation in the open market and public good; almost immediately it
became a must-attend learning event and networking opportunity for those
navigating the real world implications of using data to improve health and
health care. But if you’re reading this, you probably know that already. What
you’re wondering, is “why AcademyHealth?” and, more importantly, “what’s
happening this year?”
Let’s start with the first, to provide some context for the
second.
AcademyHealth is a national nonprofit, membership organization
working with the producers and users of evidence to improve health and the
performance of the health system. In addition to our flagship focus on
research, we’re the home of the EDM Forum, the Concordium Conference, and many other programs
focused on leveraging data and analytics for health system improvements.
AcademyHealth has long been a champion for data liberation and a catalyst for
its use in decision making and quality improvement.
Transitioning from participants to hosts of the Health
Datapalooza, we’ve built on our experience and the expertise of so many
contributors and luminaries to shape an agenda that engages all data liberation
champions — patients, advocates, technology entrepreneurs, researchers,
delivery system reformers, and policy makers — in focused discussions about how
we turn data into useful intelligence and evidence. In short, hosting the
Health Datapalooza reflects our commitment to ensuring that data and evidence continue
to be at the heart of health care and health policy decision-making – and that
the researchers, consumers, providers, and other leaders who rely on this
evidence base know how to evaluate and use it.
What’s Happening This Year
We’ll continue to celebrate progress on the data access front.
However, the focus of the conference has naturally progressed to include a
stronger emphasis on working through practical challenges; in short, we have
shifted from merely imagining the future to the hard work of creating the
future of improved health and care that we envision and sorely need –a future
where consumers and patients are essential and active participants at every
step of the way.
A Focus on Value Creation
The 2016 themes and tracks were developed with a focus on
creating value through data. Track leaders have worked hard to construct an
agenda that speaks to a clear set of value propositions.
- What tools do consumers actually
want and need in order to effectively use data? How can we speed the pace of
research and innovation using patient-provided data, and do so in a way
that mitigates privacy concerns?
- How are data
being used internationally to drive value? What can we learn from others
countries about creating businesses, supporting research, and expanding
technology development opportunities?
- In our evolving
health data economy of payment and delivery system reforms and
technological advancements, how will life sciences adjust to opportunities
and challenges of growing data stores, and disparate data sources?
- As changing
populations and dynamic payment models make it more difficult to predict
and achieve individual outcomes, how can health care payers use publicly
available data to effectively manage and assess risks and align providers
and incentivize care delivery while remaining financially viable?
- Data ingestion,
translation and visualization are top priorities for many organizations,
yet effective data integration in care delivery is fraught with
challenges. How can health care providers and entrepreneurs work together
to improve business models for success?
Patients Included
For the first time, Health Datapalooza is a Patients Included accredited
event. This means that Health Datapalooza is committed to incorporating the
experiences of patients as experts while ensuring they are neither excluded nor
exploited. We are following these five Patients Included charter clauses in
planning and executing the 2016 Health Datapalooza (see http://healthdatapalooza.org/patients-included/ for
more detail):
- Patients or
caregivers with experience relevant to the conference have actively
participated in the design and planning of the event.
- Patients or
caregivers will participate in the event’s delivery, and appear in its
physical audience.
- Travel and
accommodation expenses for patients or caregivers participating in the
advertised program were paid in full, in advance.
- The disability
requirements of participants are accommodated.
- Access for virtual participants is
available.
- Continuing
Education
To continue to engage and add value for the broad community of
health care leaders within the community of health data champions, Health
Datapalooza will offer continuing education credits, including
- AHIMA: Approved for up to 58.0
AHIMA credits.
- Accounting
Professionals: Approved for up to 24.15 NASBE CPE credits.
- Chief
Information Officers: Approved for up to 13.50 CHIME Certified Healthcare
CIO (CHCIO) CPE credits.
- Health IT
Certification: Approval for 24.15 Health IT Certification CPE credits.
- Physicians:
Approved for a maximum of 22.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
- Pending: Health
Datapalooza is currently pending approval to offer ACHE.
Prizes, challenges, awards and breaking news
The Health Datapalooza has always been the place for new data
releases, development challenges and recognition of the best of the best in the
drive to turn data into meaningful tools – and this year is no different. Come
for sessions that challenge your assumptions and offer insights that drive
value, and stick around for the big news. As Susannah Fox said in her video
message, “Big things are guaranteed to happen.”
Learn more and register at HealthDatapalooza.org.
This blog is cross-posted on the IDEA Lab blog.