Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital is partnering with Israeli digital health company FeelBetter to determine whether the use of data and technology can improve medication management for older Americans.
The pilot project will evaluate if FeelBetter's software-as-a-service platform can predict which senior citizens on several medications for chronic health conditions are most likely to become ill or hospitalized. The study will analyze prescription and clinical data from patients treated at the hospital from July 2016 through December 2019, FeelBetter stated in a June 29 news release.
"There is an opportunity to identify which patients are at risk of adverse events related to medication regimens and to develop solutions which help clinical teams take action in advance," Lisa Rotenstein, MD, medical director of population health at Brigham and Women's Hospital and principal investigator of the study, said in the FeelBetter news release. "It's important to explore how technology could be used to improve clinical outcomes."
About a third of Americans in their 60s and 70s use five or more prescription drugs, a 2019 CDC report found. Substandard medication management results in an estimated 275,000 deaths and $528 billion in avoidable spending in the U.S. annually, according to a 2018 study led by researchers at the University of California at San Diego.
"The study with Brigham and Women's Hospital will enable us to further validate our solution's ability to personalize medication regimens and improve patient journeys, while supporting efforts to transition to value-based care," stated Adva Tzuk Onn, MD, chief medical officer for FeelBetter.