Geisinger one of three finalists for Hearst Health Prize

DANVILLE, Pa. – Geisinger has been chosen as one of three finalists for the 2022 Hearst Health Prize for its innovative use of data science to manage chronic conditions, identify and treat at-risk patients and improve health outcomes.

The finalists were recognized during a ceremony Tuesday in Los Angeles by the UCLA Center for SMART Health, an interdisciplinary collaborative focused on the integrated transformation of healthcare through emergent data and technologies, and Hearst Health, a division of Hearst and a leader in care guidance. 

Geisinger was chosen as a finalist for its array of health data science solutions that identify at-risk patients across the health system’s largely rural population to provide them with appropriate clinical services. These include:

• ConnectedCare365, a virtual care delivery platform that uses remote patient monitoring, artificial intelligence and data analysis to connect patients with care management resources and prevent unnecessary hospital and emergency room visits
• A machine-learning algorithm that identifies patients at high risk of developing colorectal cancer to promote follow-up screening
• A model that uses natural language processing — a type of artificial intelligence allowing computers to understand human language — on radiology reports to identify cases of potentially deadly abdominal aortic aneurysm that might otherwise be missed

“We are honored to be recognized as a finalist for the 2022 Hearst Health Prize,” said David Vawdrey, Ph.D., chief data and informatics officer at Geisinger. “Providing high quality preventive care in rural, medically underserved populations is challenging. Through our Steele Institute for Health Innovation, Geisinger leverages data science to focus resources where they can yield the greatest benefits. We believe the effective application of data science can improve the health of populations, reduce health care costs and help eliminate inequality and injustice in our health care system.”

"We have taken a deliberate patient-centric approach, incorporating usable insights into workflows to make better health easier,” said Aalpen Patel, M.D., MBA, medical director of artificial intelligence at Geisinger. “These projects represent the efforts of diverse teams across the Steele Institute for Health Innovation and the Geisinger clinical enterprise, thinking differently and working in concert to drive success.”

About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the nonprofit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 126 care sites — including 10 hospital campuses — and Geisinger Health Plan, with more than half a million members in commercial and government plans. Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,700 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $15 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.