#234: Innovating with Data in Healthcare: Part Two

In Part 2 of the Leaders of Analytics podcast that was recorded last year with host, Jonas Christensen, Felipe discusses Honeysuckle Health and what he has done at this exciting, innovative company. 

Felipe found the perfect home for his ambitions and interest in data at Honeysuckle Health. He was one of the first to join the company a few years ago, and right from the start, data, analytics and AI have been the driving force behind the business.

What’s more, all of that data and analytics are being used in a way that furthers patient outcomes. Felipe had previously had years of experience in the financial services sector, and while the advanced use of data there was an interesting challenge, he wanted to do something that would result in more positive outcomes for people. As coincidence would have it, Honeysuckle Health was looking for a data specialist at the exact time Felipe was looking for his next role. The rest, as they say, is history.

After describing the background and goals of Honeysuckle Health, Felipe then spends the rest of the podcast discussing the way Honeysuckle Health gathers data and gets the support of professionals in the health industry. He also talks about the ethical implications and the challenges of undertaking data methods that are standardised in other sectors. This includes addressing how to engage in experimentation with data in healthcare when the stakes are so high.

Tune in to the full and in-depth podcast, and get some great insights into the role that data will play in healthcare, now and into the future!

Thank you to our sponsor, Talent Insights Group!

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“A lot of the data that's required today to not only provide personalised recommendations, but also to do it in a responsible and ethical way, is not available. So, we're having to capture a lot of it.”

—  Felipe Flores, Chief Data Analytics & Technology Officer, Honeysuckle Health, & Founder & Host, Data Futurology

WHAT WE DISCUSSED

2:40 Felipe explains his role at Honeysuckle Health and what his day-to-day role looks like. 

9:39 Felipe breaks down how Honeysuckle Health leverages data to improve healthcare outcomes and better engage the health industry. 

15:07 Jonas asks Felipe where Honeysuckle Health gets its data from, and how the team interacts with the frontline professionals around data.

23:34 Jonas asks Felipe to describe the structures of Honeysuckle Health, and the financial, technological and IP “firepower” that sits behind it.

28:05 Felipe is asked to think ahead and describe where we’re going to be using data to improve health care and society.

35:14 Felipe discusses experimentation in health care – experimentation is essential in determining what works and doesn’t work, but the stakes are entirely different to, say, advertising.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• “Before working in Honeysuckle Health, I'd been in banking and finance for about five years. I found the challenges super interesting, and the applications for AI were almost endless. I think banking and finance are a little ahead of other sectors in embracing this too. But the whole time that I was there, I felt like we were using this amazing technology to sell people money. I was enjoying the technical side, but over time, I wanted to move into something different, something that ideally was more purpose-driven.”

• “One of the beautiful things about working in data science is that you can move across industries quite freely.”

• “Our mission is to help people live healthier lives, the way that we're doing that is through data science. We’re taking the playbook of the big tech companies in the US and what they did to advertising, and applying it to healthcare, for good outcomes. What I mean by that is that we take key aspects of personalisation, and the ability for data to help us find people at the right time, and offer them a message that will motivate them to actions like developing better habits or preventively seeking treatments.”

• “A lot of the data that's required today to not only provide personalised recommendations, but also to do it in a responsible and ethical way, is not available. So, we're having to capture a lot of it.”

• “Everyone wants different things and to be able to get them to willingly participate in any data project, you have to understand what they care about and what they value deeply. You need to know what their world is like.”

• “What I love about the power of patient reported outcomes, is that if you have a family member that gets a condition where they need serious treatment, you can work with everyone to help them get the best possible care. You’d be able to know the types of outcomes that other people have received from the practitioners that your family member is about to see. Traditionally, all that is tracked is mortality rate. But there's other more personal metrics that can and should be captured, which are more focused on the comfort and lifestyle of the patient.”

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