Mining Big Data to Revolutionize Health Care
Winter 2019
Advanced analytics aims to improve patient
care and reduce medical costs in a big way.
Consider how the tech geniuses of
Silicon Valley have changed the
world, revolutionizing personal
communications and entertainment
consumption in ways we couldn't
even imagine 20 years ago. Now
get ready for similar disruptions in
our massive, unwieldy health care
system.
Simply put, advanced data
analytics will change the face of
health care as we know it. More
accurate diagnosis, more efficient
treatments, even custom drugs for
each patient's unique needs.
Massive amounts of data will be
mined to improve patient outcomes
and lower costs of coverage.
It might seem like a utopian fantasy,
but in many ways it's already
becoming reality, said Dr. Kenneth
Yale, advisor and instructor for the
Division of Continuing Education's
forthcoming Health Care Analytics
specialized studies program.
“Simple data analytics has been
around for decades in health care,
to predict and plan for the future,
factors like how many patients a
hospital can expect on a seasonal
basis,” he said. “But that's all
changed now. Predictive analytics
uses algorithms, Artificial Intelligence
and Machine Learning to analyze
the massive amount of digitized
data now available. And it's
revolutionizing every aspect of
health care.”
Sounds like blue-sky stuff, but health
care analytics is actually pretty
straightforward. To better understand
it, look no further than Netflix,
said Yale, senior vice president and
chief clinical officer for Delta Dental
of California.
It's a highly simplified example, but
the principles are similar to how the
streaming service predicts which
programs you might want to watch.
“Think of how Netflix uses Machine
Learning and AI to develop
algorithms based on data gathered
from your viewing choices,” he said.
“Health care data analytics does
the same based on medical history
and many other factors, a massive
amount of data, to determine, for
example, which medical centers,
doctors and insurance providers are
best suited for a patient's needs.”
And it's starting to revolutionize
diagnosis — a trend that promises
to be far more efficient than
traditional methods.
“Analytics can actually diagnose
and treat a person better and faster
than a physician,” said Yale, a
noted expert in the field with more
than 20 years experience. “Statistics
show that doctors misdiagnose
patients around 45% of the time.
If you can't diagnose, you can't
effectively treat a patient.”
When Yale was working at Aetna,
the company employed advanced
data analytics to predict with 80%
accuracy which clients were going
to develop metabolic syndrome, a
condition that can lead to diabetes
and coronary disease. Many of the
clients used that data as incentive
to lose weight and lower blood
pressure, helping to stave off the
disease.
“Because of the analytics, many
of our clients adopted a healthier
lifestyle, with the added benefit of
lower insurance premiums and fewer
doctor and hospital visits,” Yale
added.
The future of health care
DCE's Health Care Analytics program
will explore this fast-evolving field with
courses taught by industry experts.
The curriculum will provide healthcare
practitioners as well as career
changers with insight into current
foundational practices along with
emerging advancements in analytics.
“The specialized studies program
begins with an introduction to health
care informatics — reviewing terminology,
issues related to privacy and
security, as well as how to use data
as an asset,” Yale said. “Then it goes
into a very deep dive of predictive
analytics, current trends and precision
medicine. We designed it to be
leading-edge all the way.”
Students learn the basics of
collecting data from a wide variety of
sources and systems like electronic
medical records (EMRs), genomics,
clinical trials, insurance claims and
even retail purchases. Then the focus
shifts to using analytics to determine
the most effective outcomes with
this trove of data, a skill set very
much in demand.
Consider that health care analyticsrelated
positions in the U.S. are
expected to grow more than 24%
by 2020, covering a wide and varied
range of career possibilities. Currently
there are 25,000 open positions in
the U.S. alone — not just among
health care organizations and
insurance providers, but also a
booming array of start-ups.
“There's so much innovation going
on in Silicon Valley,” Yale said. “We're
already seeing some exciting new
advances, and we're on the verge
of even more dramatic innovations
like custom treatment plans for the
individual, new types of drugs used
in innovative ways, and more.”
Apps are being developed to
digitize and personalize diabetes and
cancer treatment. There's even a
Bluetooth enabled app for treating
asthma. “Within three to five years,
we'll see massive disruptions through
advanced analytics,” Yale predicts.
“What Amazon is planning to do to
revolutionize health care is going to
be hugely disruptive.”
Yale credits the Affordable Care Act
with sparking innovation by giving
the health care industry a much-needed
digital makeover.
“Obamacare gets a lot of credit,” he
said. “It mandated that individuals
get insured and that every hospital
keep detailed EMRs for each patient,
creating much more available
data on each person. That makes
for more accurate diagnosis, which
not only improves treatment and
outcomes, it also makes the system
more cost-efficient for patients,
health care providers and insurers.
Now we just need skilled individuals
to figure out what to do with it.”
Filling this demand is a motivational
force behind the creation of the
Health Care Analytics program, as
is Yale's involvement in developing
and teaching the curriculum. Finding
time to educate the next generation
of data-savvy professionals was an
easy decision for Yale, who has also
taught courses at Stanford and UC
San Diego.
But it was a predictive analytics class
he taught at UCI three years ago
that really opened his eyes and
inspired him to get further involved
with the university.
“When I taught that course at UCI, I
made a marvelous observation,” he
said. “I was so impressed by the high
quality of students we attracted.
They were so ambitious and intelligent,
it was energizing. But I'll admit
to a bit of a selfish motivation. I saw
the opportunity to create a UCI
pipeline of sorts — to teach, train
and identify top talent for placement
in the industry.”
And new talent is essential in order
to continue the evolution of this
exciting and essential field, he
added. “Data analytics is one of
the hottest tech sectors today. And
the sky's the limit for those who
want to take this journey.”
Those interested in pursuing this
opportunity are invited to explore
the first course, Health Care
Analytics, which begins January
14th.
Learn more at
ce.uci.edu/healthcareanalytics