Physicians at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute now have access to RWE (real-world evidence), thanks to a relationship with COTA — a leading provider of oncology real-world data and analytics.
The Miami Cancer Institute leadership team first engaged with COTA at Hackensack Meridian Hospital. They attended a presentation by COTA and liked their vision for extracting medical data from electronic medical records. COTA later spun off from Hackensack as a startup company.
Dr. Leonard Kalman, executive deputy medical director and chief medical officer at Miami Cancer Institute, collaborated with COTA to refine its analytic tool, RWA. Baptist Health licensed the intellectual property (IP) it contributed to this project to COTA in 2018. Later that year, Baptist Health invested in the company, and Kalman became a board member.
The power of real-world data
COTA works with Baptist Health to retrieve RWE from electronic medical records. “COTA is a highflier in the cancer data space,” said Mark Coticchia, corporate vice president for innovation at Baptist Health. "They are developing analytics tools and using data to deliver better cancer care.”
COTA’s data analytics technology allows the user to look at data from many levels, from a selected cohort of patients to data that enable administrators to analyze the cost-effectiveness of healthcare services. Researchers can access data to answer a specific research question.
Miami Cancer Institute recently used COTA's analysis of RWE to see if it was detecting cases of breast cancer gene mutations among all demographic groups. Based on the results, the institute changed its testing policy to test everyone diagnosed with the condition.
Breast, lung and gastrointestinal cancer specialists at the institute are adopting the new technology. Kalman is also working with COTA to develop technology to analyze the cost effectiveness of cancer treatments.
"We're honored to work with Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute,” said Dr. C.K. Wang, COTA’s chief medical officer. “By coupling clinical trial evidence with real-world evidence, Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute is offering holistic, evidence-based, precision care for all cancer patients.”
Collaboration is a strategy for the future
Baptist Health's leadership knows the organization needs innovation to remain a healthcare leader. When physicians and administrators pursue relationships with healthcare technology startups, innovation follows.
Kalman gives his experience as a collaborator an excellent review. "I recommend that others involve themselves with a startup that fits their practice," he said. Kalman enjoys serving on the company's board, participating in its development and decision-making. "There are brilliant people on the board, such as investors and physicians," he noted. "And you always get smarter by interacting with smart people."
Baptist Health’s focus on innovation could help attract some of the nation’s most innovative physicians. “When I recruit physicians, I always mention Baptist Health Innovations and that they’ll have the opportunity to work with companies,” Kalman said. “Baptist Health’s robust innovation [mindset] is a very attractive recruiting tool.”
"Dr. Kalman is getting a different type of experience than ever before," said Nila Bhakuni, assistant vice president for innovation at Baptist Health. "It gives him some insights and will help him provide better care. And he’s getting that different type of experience because of this collaborative innovation program.”
Collaboration model advances Baptist Health goals
A broad goal of Baptist Health's collaboration is to discover ways to deliver precision healthcare at a lower cost while positively impacting the organization's bottom line. This and future relationships will effectively advance healthcare at Baptist Health and ensure the organization's long-term financial sustainability.
“We embrace preventive medicine, and we are embracing technology to deliver better quality care,” Coticchia said. “Our relationship with COTA is an excellent example of how we're doing it.”
To learn more about Baptist Health Innovations, visit Innovation.BaptistHealth.net.
Baptist Health South Florida is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 12 hospitals, more than 27,000 employees, more than 4,000 physicians and more than 100 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties.