Deloitte opens ConvergeHealth, an outcomes and analytics service for payers, providers and pharma

At this week’s HIMSS meeting, a gathering of tens of thousands of healthcare information-technology (HIT) advocates, Deloitte Consulting will take the wraps off the newly activated ConvergeHealth business unit. Deloitte says that it is investing $150-200 million in the unit, which already employs 200 data analysts and healthcare experts. Clients will include payers, health systems and healthcare suppliers, including most parts of the life sciences industry.

“The explosion of health data from electronic health-record (EHR) systems and similar sources creates opportunities that will be transformational for healthcare,” says Brett Davis, principal at Deloitte and GM of the business unit. Many different terms are used to characterize this trend: real world evidence; health outcomes; value-based healthcare; evidence-based medicine; and the like. What unites them is that most facets of the healthcare system require new levels of depth and analysis of the data that is pouring out of EHR systems, including accountable care organizations (ACOs), drug and device companies running clinical trials, and health plans looking to manage costs. The trend toward personalized medicine will call for “sub-stratifying” patient populations, says Davis, only adding to the information needs.

One of the data partners of ConvergeHealth on record is Intermountain Healthcare, a system based in Utah with which Deloitte has already developed two product offerings: PopulationHealth, for surveying patient populations, and OutcomesMiner, for assessing health outcomes. Other services being rolled out include Health System Intellect and Revenue Intellect, for analyzing health system performance, and data-warehouse interfaces. Clients will either have one-off projects with Deloitte consultants, or ongoing subscription services to generate longitudinal data. The business unit is headquartered in Newton, MA.