Mercy Technology Services, St. Louis-based Mercy's IT consulting subsidiary, unveiled on Aug. 14 a real-world evidence network that will pool clinical data from health systems across the country.
Developed in partnership with SAP, the database will be used for advanced analytics, allowing providers to extract more comprehensive insights that can lead to improvements in patient care. Initially, these insights will focus on orthopedic, cardiology and oncology evidence.
The nationwide database is built upon Mercy's existing real-world evidence network, which analyzes millions of the health system's patient records and was first created to monitor the effects of medical devices.
Besides the providers who supply de-identified patient information to the new network, outside parties such as healthcare regulatory bodies and drug and device makers who subscribe to the network will also have access to curated datasets that address specific queries, rather than to the entire database. They will also be able to contact affiliated clinicians who can help put those datasets in context.
"It's a clinical research model where everyone wins," said Curtis Dudley, MTS' vice president of data analytics. "Mercy built our RWE platform to make sure we're providing the best possible care, but with an urgent need for data-driven change across healthcare, it just makes sense to scale our efforts, share unique capabilities and come together as empowered providers to create better care for patients everywhere."
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