BOSTON – Humedica, a clinical analytics company, has introduced a new predictive analytic model to identify patients at high-risk for a congestive heart failure (CHF) hospitalization. Humedica executives say it can help reduce hospital admissions among the sickest, most costly patients in the country.

Developed with clinical data pulled directly from the electronic medical record, the Humedica system is more accurate and more quickly than other predictive analytic tools that are based upon claims-based risk predictors, the company claims.

"We are leveraging the power of millions of patient experiences in our data warehouse, and are providing highly predictive capabilities that identify CHF patients who would likely end up hospitalized without prior medical intervention," said Paul Bleicher, MD, Humedica's chief medical officer. "Humedica is empowering clinicians to target specific groups of high-risk CHF patients and intervene before their condition worsens."

“Adopting predictive analytics capabilities into our practices are a critical part of our clinical arsenal and a key ingredient in our ability to thrive in an accountable care reimbursement model,” said Mary Jane Hall, chief nursing executive at the Community Physician Network in Indiana.

"Clinically-powered tools that help us target certain patients with appropriate interventions to avoid sub-optimal outcomes before they occur enable us to take a bold step into the future of healthcare." The Community Physician Network in Indiana, which is joined by other Humedica MinedShare users in accessing the newly launched CHF predictive model, is in the process of rolling-out the technology throughout its organization.
 
CHF is the most costly and most preventable cause of inpatient admissions in the United States, costing an estimated $35 billion a year. Heart failure affects nearly 5 million patients nationwide with 500,000 new cases diagnosed annually, Humedica executives cite. Despite well-known and highly effective interventions, 40 percent of all Medicare patients with CHF are readmitted within 90 days.

"Predictive analytics powered by clinically-rich data is the future of healthcare and we are very excited to be on the leading edge of this innovation," said Michael Weintraub, Humedica's president and CEO. "As healthcare providers move squarely into risk-based population health management, they need cutting edge systems that will help them improve patient care and lower cost. As one of the most costly and most preventable outcomes, CHF hospitalization is a great place to start."