“I’m an English major,” said Deru. “I’m not a clinician, and I don’t have any computer programming skills, but I know how to ask questions, and I know how to look at data and tell a story by looking at that data.”
Data – there’s an abundance available, but it is not always easily accessible to those who want to analyze it in a meaningful way. And once accessed, deciphering the data has proven overwhelming due to regulations, data structure, limited staff and technical resources.
With the goal of accelerating the future of healthcare delivery, leaders at Intermountain Healthcare turned to MDClone. Over the past few years, Intermountain has enabled access to a variety of different users across the health system, empowering those without IT skills or programming knowledge to fully and freely explore healthcare data, independently.
Dr. Lindell Weaver, Physician and Medical Director Hyperbaric Medicine and Kayla Deru, Medical Writer, from Intermountain Healthcare recently utilized MDClone’s data-driven tools for Hyperbaric Medicine and Diabetic Care.
Dr. Lindell Weaver recalls when he first learned of MDClone. “As soon as I heard the MDClone presentation, I reached out to Kayla Deru and told her that I couldn’t believe what I just heard,” he said. “We need to jump on this!”
What is the MDClone ADAMS Platform?
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A powerful, self-service data analytics environment
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A fundamentally different approach to data exploration
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A fast, non-linear iterative process
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MDClone’s synthetic data capabilities allows clinicians to explore independent of IRB process, access data instantly and maintain patient privacy
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It empowers clinicians to quickly organize and access information, explore ideas, and find insights that power research, drive better patient outcomes and create impactful healthcare innovation
Dr. Weaver partnered with Deru to research two illnesses frequently treated by hyperbaric medicine at Intermountain Healthcare – carbon monoxide poisoning and diabetic foot wounds.
“I’m an English major,” said Deru. “I’m not a clinician, and I don’t have any computer programming skills, but I know how to ask questions, and I know how to look at data and tell a story by looking at that data.”
Deru’s findings using MDClone’s self-service data platform were both informative and profound for both long-term health outcomes of carbon monoxide poisoning and diabetic foot wounds.
USE CASE #1:
Long-term health outcomes of carbon monoxide poisoning
Research Needs:
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Many clinicians discount long-term problems after CO poisoning
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There was ongoing evidence for long-term brain and heart problems in these patients
“We were able to simply open up a web browser and access the data,” said Deru. “The advantage of MDClone is you can see the results quickly, and then you can troubleshoot quickly.”
Data Analyzed:
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3,910 CO-poisoned patients (56% male, mean age 39)
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Control group (similar age/gender characteristics) of emergency department visits for influenza or gastroenteritis
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Rates of conditions before and after the event were compared to calculate risk for adverse outcomes
Findings:
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Twice as many carbon monoxide patients passed away compared to control group
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Carbon monoxide patients had a 15% greater probability of hospitalization
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For all conditions queried (Diabetes Mellitus, Coronary Artery Disease, Peripheral Artery Disease, Myocardial Infarction, Ischemic Stroke, DVT/PE, Parkinson’s, Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Headache, Depression, Anxiety, PTSD), risk greater in carbon monoxide group for all except Parkinson’s Disease
Conclusion:
Patients with CO poisoning were more likely to experience adverse health outcomes.
“What really leaps out is myocardial infarction after carbon monoxide poisoning compared to the control groups,” said Dr. Weaver. “This is actually pretty provocative that persons with carbon monoxide poisoning have an increased risk for all sorts of disorders.”
It’s a discovery Dr. Weaver says he couldn’t have made in his lifetime using traditional processes.
“To look at 3,900 patients across Intermountain Healthcare – I don’t have the years left in me to accomplish that without MDClone. I don’t think we could have done it,” said Dr. Weaver.
How it changes care:
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Prompts careful follow-up and management of chronic disease in these patients
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May increase the need to emphasize the prevention of carbon monoxide poisoning
Use Case #2:
Diabetic Foot Wounds
Research Needs:
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To understand why some patients developed diabetic foot wounds sooner than others and if there were early clinical signs
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Diabetic foot wounds are a common disorder treated by Hyperbaric Medicine at Intermountain Healthcare
“We were looking for ‘who’ is going to get a diabetic foot wound and what are the signs that a patient is more likely to develop them,” said Deru. “We also wanted to know if there is a period of time after a diabetes diagnosis where you do develop a diabetic foot wound.”
Data Analyzed:
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58% male patients, 89% white with a mean age of 65
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Meantime to ulcer from diabetes diagnosis: 5.7 years
Findings:
A retrospective analysis of 273,593 insulin-dependent diabetic patients at Intermountain also discovered that 8% of insulin dependent diabetics develop diabetic foot ulcers.
Patients with diabetic foot wounds:
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Were 83% hyperbastensive and 76% had renal dysfunction
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Suffered from depression (46%) and/or anxiety (37%)
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18% had documented peripheral vascular disease prior to wound
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43% had neuropathy before wound (in lower limbs)
“We found a correlation of increasing risk of decline in blood pressure management and kidney function and diabetic foot wounds – that as your kidney function gets worse and if you have hypertension your risk increases for foot wounds,” said Dr. Weaver.
How it changes care:
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Increased patient education and services
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Better care process models and limb salvage strategies
“The care of diabetes is quite complex,” said Dr. Weaver. “Every encounter with a patient is an opportunity to remind the patient about good foot care and to manage lipids, glucose, blood pressure and overall health.”
conclusion
Both Deru and Dr. Weaver continue to pursue additional projects for Intermountain Healthcare using the MDClone ADAMS platform as they now have the unique ability to quickly access large datasets and gain insights that are driving improvements to quality and patient care.
Since 2018, when Intermountain was first introduced to MDClone and the ADAMS Platform, the organization has uncovered over $50M in potential savings across the health system, with over 200 use cases (being conducted by clinicians) underway. The exponential growth of users has resulted in an abundance of self-service exploration, discovery, and action that is driving better care pathways for Intermountain’s patients.
The MDClone ADAMS Platform has been a huge asset to the work of Dr. Weaver and Kayla Deru as they continue to dig into Intermountain’s healthcare data in order to uncover insights at incredible speeds.
“It is so great to be able to help so many people thanks to the MDClone ADAMS platform,” concluded Kayla.
For more details, listen to a recent webinar featuring Dr Weaver and Kayla Deru here.
