HealthTech Data Infrastructure Trends
The future of healthcare is deeply connected to the pace and effectiveness of groundbreaking new technologies like wearable devices, artificial intelligence, and robotic surgery that are redefining clinical outcomes.
For the innovators behind this new tech, data is key. In tandem with these advances, data analytics can help detect disease, facilitate the transition to value-based care models, improve physician performance, even predict possible outbreaks. Timely, relevant, actionable data is the fuel that powers HealthTech and enables learning and improvement.
But challenges abound and companies often run up against data roadblocks that can slow the pace of innovation or prevent clinicians from maximizing effectiveness. Chariot Solutions has a long and rich history in developing software and data solutions for the HealthTech sector. Over the last year, four clear data-related trends have emerged that companies must address:
1. Overcoming Device Limitations
The explosion in wearable devices has helped usher in a new age of remote monitoring and improved care, enabling providers to access and assess data from outside a clinical setting to make more informed care decisions. But these devices also require precise inputs and safeguards to ensure they can relay the right data in a timely manner.
RTM Vital Signs is a medical device company that has developed a groundbreaking acoustic respiratory monitoring system. It has the potential to head off serious medical complications by detecting and signaling early signs of respiratory distress. But to work properly, this wearable sensor requires precise placement and reliable data transmission to the cloud for analysis. Patient movement or poor setup can impact data quality and even connectivity.
To combat these challenges, the Chariot team refined the device for improved adhesion, stability, and cloud connectivity, then developed enhanced provider training to ensure best practices in setup. By upgrading RTM’s cloud-based infrastructure and pipeline, we were also able to create a more scalable, secure infrastructure that facilitates real-time streaming and analysis of the acoustic data from the device. Finally, by creating a continuous testing regime, we help RTM better access user feedback and real-world data for adjustments.
2. Accurate, Quality On-Time Data Ingestion
That same explosion in wearables has also contributed to a rapid increase in the volume of data produced. But it’s only one part of a growing web of varied data sources that together can overwhelm companies and providers.
HealthTech platform Blackfynn manages data inflows from multiple active clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease research. Like many others in the industry, Blackfynn relies on traditional data capture methods for trials. These systems are often cumbersome, prone to error, and lack real-time accessibility, resulting in less effective data analysis and poor compliance.
We partnered with Blackfynn to build out an upgraded, centralized repository that emphasizes scale and flexibility, making data collection, access, and analysis from multiple trial inputs faster and more efficient. We also put rigorous audit logging and digital signatures in place to ensure data integrity, traceability, and FDA compliance.
The result is a platform with streamlined data capture capabilities, a compliance-first posture, and powerful data analysis features – all to improve the efficiency and accuracy of clinical trial data to better understand and manage Parkinson’s disease.
3. Improved Data Integration and Analysis
Getting your data into your repository is only the first step. For most companies, that data must then be combined with other third-party data to maximize its value.
In the case of RTM, they had to integrate the data gathered from their newly upgraded device with acoustic data from patient records and other clinical information for a more comprehensive analysis. The complexity of healthcare data systems and interoperability issues made this a significant challenge.
How did Chariot Address this?
4. Regulatory Compliance Is Paramount
Like traditional healthcare providers, HealthTech companies must also adhere to stringent HIPAA regulations for patient data protections. Ensuring compliance while prioritizing data-driven innovation requires robust security measures and privacy-preserving analytics.
A large data analytics provider recently approached Chariot because of challenges with their de-identification process. Their existing command-line based de-identification application, while effective, was difficult for many non-technical users to navigate, hindering its broader adoption and potentially impacting HIPAA compliance efforts. The company also needed a more versatile web-based solution for de-identification and matching, but faced evolving requirements and a tight timeline.
Our team built out both a web-based proof of concept and a user-friendly desktop interface that simplifies the entire process and makes it more accessible to non-technical users at client and partner sites. Modernizing their system enabled rapid prototyping, flexibility and scalability, and delivered on an improved user experience — all with superior compliance standards.
Future-Proof Data Infrastructure
As more HealthTech companies look to capitalize on their data to improve patient outcomes and their own bottom lines, data infrastructure becomes a critical consideration. Internal teams and business leads will be tasked with balancing innovation and compliance even as trends evolve and new challenges emerge in the year ahead. To achieve this, our team recommends keeping five key tenets in mind:
- Prioritize Data Quality and Connectivity: Invest in robust data acquisition and transmission mechanisms to ensure reliable and accurate data.
- Leverage Cloud Infrastructure: Cloud platforms offer scalability, security, and powerful analytics tools for HealthTech solutions.
- Collaborate with Experts: Partner with experienced technology providers to accelerate development and navigate complex data challenges.
- Comply with Regulations: Implement stringent security measures and privacy-preserving analytics to protect patient data and maintain compliance.
- Focus on User Experience: Design intuitive and user-friendly interfaces for healthcare providers to facilitate adoption and effective use of HealthTech solutions.
Reach out if you have questions about your data performance or need a proven partner to help assess your current data infrastructure.