Bowie, Md.-based Inovalon and the Center for Health Information and Decision Systems at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business in College Park, Md., have announced two collaborative research projects aimed at exploring how digital solutions can be more effectively deployed to address outcomes such as patient safety, quality and efficiency.
The first project will focus on using advanced analytics to parse big data in an effort to better understand and reduce "churning," or the involuntary movement of covered members from one health plan or coverage system to another.
The second will examine Medicare Advantage plan performance. The two partners will work to identify which MA insurance plans are most likely to improve in the CMS star rating systems, how patients benefit from higher rated plans and how members respond, with an ultimate goal of upping efficiency and closing gaps in care.
"These two important studies will have significant impact and provide great value for the healthcare industry," Ritu Agarwal, MD, senior associate dean for faculty and research and co-director of CHIDS at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, said in a statement. "With the support of the Inovalon advanced analytics research team, we can gain meaningful insights into commercial ACA and Medicare Advantage trends that can, in turn, be used to help health plans manage these large and growing populations more effectively and efficiently to ultimately improve healthcare quality and lives of millions of patients across the country."