This special section marks the launch of the annual Startups to Watch list, a collection of startups New Mexico Inno will keep an eye on in the next 12 months.
The list of 10 honorees includes businesses in various sectors — sustainable energy, health care and mobile communications, to name a few. Our Startups to Watch are trying to use data to identify the “social determinants of health” and deploy space-mining technology.
Like New Mexico’s broader startup ecosystem, one industry or vertical isn’t responsible for the majority of the startups we are watching. Generally, each company has raised funding and is in the process of developing or commercializing technology.
Startups to Watch honorees were selected by New Mexico Inno reporter Collin Krabbe, who, when considering each honoree, looked at how the businesses performed in 2021, as well as what they have planned in 2022.
In the coming days, you will have a chance to read about each startup online and see the work they are doing to grow their businesses in New Mexico and beyond. All 10 companies were also highlighted in the Feb. 4 print edition of Albuquerque Business First.
Next up, Graphite Health.
Graphite Health
There’s that piece of mail — or email — that arrives after a doctor’s appointment or a blood test that shows the levels of inefficacies in the health care system.
“This is not a bill,” it says.
Most of those receiving that non-bill simply say, “This is not efficient health care.”
Graphite Health CEO Dr. Ries Robinson agrees.
“Why do we have an industry as important as health care operating with ‘70s technology,” Robinson asked during an interview with Albuquerque Business First.
Launched in 2021 as an outgrowth of the Presbyterian Health Services innovation hub, Graphite Health wants to bring health care in line with other facets of everyday life where digital convenience makes things … efficient.
“There is no common language upon which you can communicate your health care needs,” Robinson said. “Graphite is really focused on saying at some point an entity has to redevelop and address this fundamental problem and create a common language.”
Robison's vision for what that interoperability could look like includes the integration of three core areas: electronic medical records, the delivery of health care and timely access to what Robinson calls social determinants of health.
What that integration will look like is fluid, but imagine being told you need to attend physical therapy twice a week, but your doctor also knows you only have access to a car between certain hours on certain days. Or imagine knowing how much a particular health care procedure costs, upfront.
Graphite’s board of directors includes Robinson, Presbyterian Healthcare Services president and CEO Dale Maxwell, Intermountain Healthcare chief strategy officer Dan Lijenquist and SSM Health “lead futurist” Carter Dredge.
Most recently, Graphite Health announced Kaiser Permanente would join as an organizing member. The addition adds a health care system that was founded in 1945 and serves some 12.5 million members across eight states and Washington, D.C.
Kaiser Permanente is the fourth organizing member, joining Presbyterian Healthcare Services, SSM Health of Missouri and Intermountain Healthcare of Utah.
Robinson said Kaiser joining the fold will help Graphite continue one of its primary goals for 2022.
“We want to continue to expand the membership of Graphite. It isn’t solved by having four systems [join together],” he said, later estimating that having a rate of engagement of between 20% and 30% could lead to an adoption of data standards.
This year also marks the start of creating Graphite Health’s common language for member organizations and a standard for data interoperability.
Robinson cautions, though, that the creation of a data standard isn’t the thing that will create value for members.
“The value occurs when you use that information and build tools that create actionable value,” he said.
Finally, Graphite Health expects to expand its staff “significantly,” hiring engineers, programmers and others who can begin to realize a vision for what health care can be.
