Google has been fine tuning its search engine to produce better, more targeted search results in what it refers to as a Knowledge Graph. Facebook has synthesized its users data to illustrate shared interests in social graphs. One company is applying those big data graph concepts to healthcare. Healthcare IT startup Lumiata, formerly known as MEDgle, developed a predictive analytics platform that synthesizes vast amounts of data to produce a “medical graph.” It’s aim is to help diagnose and treat patients more rapidly. Khosla Ventures has invested $4 million in the business as part of a Series A round to help commercialize the technology later this year.
The company has sourced data on symptoms, diagnoses, procedures and medications from textbooks, journals and institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health for its algorithms. Data is also sourced from de-identified patient records. Applications include helping nurse call centers hyperpersonalize patient triage and providing a reference tool for doctors to speed up diagnoses and treatment plans. It also has broader population health applications. The predictive analytics tools are available as application programming interfaces or APIs.
The investment gives Khosla Ventures a seat on Lumiata’s board. In a statement on its investment, Vinod Khosla said: “Lumiata’s medical graph helps providers ensure they’re giving the right care, at the right time, from the right person so they can deliver better value-based health to more patients.”
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In a phone interview, Lumiata CEO Ash Damle told MedCity News that 10 to 20 hospitals, health systems and payers are piloting the platform.
Damle said nurses are using the analytics tool before and during a patient visit to guide which lab tests to order or which procedures to recommend.
Since MEDgle’s launch last year, the company has more than doubled in size to 10 full-time staff. Among recent additions is Wil Yu, a former director with the Office of National Coordinator, who is heading up the company’s innovation strategy.
The platform also has applications for population health to assess specific patient groups and better understand their cause and treatment options.
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“We are talking about bringing predictive analytics to all aspects of healthcare,” Damle said. “We strongly believe there will be continuous movement to value-based care.”
