Duke University Health System gets smarter for its patients

The instinct to innovate has long been a part of Duke University Health System’s organizational DNA. Ahead of the curve in the healthcare industry, Duke recognized the need for a new level of patient engagement for healthcare transformation initiatives to achieve their full potential. What makes such engagement possible is a deep personalization capability enabled by powerful healthcare analytics. It’s part of Duke’s strategy of becoming a continuously learning healthcare provider—and a reason Duke’s quality ratings consistently rank in the 100th percentile nationally. By drilling down into its millions of clinical records, Duke was able to develop a predictive model for identifying highrisk scenarios, and use those insights to improve training, which ultimately improves patient safety. As the need for healthcare transformation becomes more apparent, some of the more prominent themes that have begun to emerge are an increased focus on prevention and results, the need for safer practices and a more active role for the consumer in making healthcare choices. Steady growth in the number of healthcare transformation initiatives— involving both large and small providers—reflects an increased focus on these imperatives by many healthcare providers.