August 10, 2018
Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute and Georgia Institute of Technology to Establish Health Economics and Analytics Lab (HEAL)
The American College of Radiology’s Neiman Institute and the Georgia Institute of Technology announced a new five-year, $3 million research partnership to establish the Health Economics and Analytics Lab (HEAL) within Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. HEAL will focus on applying big data analytics and artificial intelligence to large-scale medical claims databases — with a focus on medical imaging — to better understand how evolving health care delivery and payment models affect patients and providers.
“The HEAL will provide needed research to inform the national medical imaging policy debate and develop new approaches for improving population health,” said Danny R. Hughes, executive director of the Neiman Institute and Georgia Tech professor of economics, who will lead the lab. “Drawing on Georgia Tech’s unparalleled strength in interdisciplinary research, the HEAL is uniquely positioned to exploit the vast stores of medical data now available to ensure we move toward a sustainable health care system.”
The center aligns well with Georgia Tech’s core research areas, said President G.P. “Bud” Peterson.
“At Georgia Tech, one of our fundamental missions is help solve society’s most challenging questions,” Peterson said. “Issues of population health, cost, and access to health care are certainly among the most complicated we face. I am certain Georgia Tech’s strong emphasis on data engineering and public policy will provide a firm foundation for Dr. Hughes and the HEAL team.”
The lab will support full-time post-doctorate researchers, graduate research assistants, and affiliated Georgia Tech faculty to produce both methodological and policy-oriented research. A secondary aim of HEAL is to provide training and mentorship to radiologists interested in performing research into health economics and health policy.
Jacqueline Royster, dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, said the center will bring new possibilities for research and collaboration to Georgia Tech and the Neiman Institute.
“We are excited by the opportunities HEAL will bring to both organizations,” she said. “This new lab will benefit from the enormous breadth of top-notch interdisciplinary expertise across Georgia Tech and in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, from economics, public, policy, and data analysis to artificial intelligence, engineering, and computer science.”
In addition to financial support, the Neiman Institute will provide HEAL researchers access to their extensive data resources, to include large-scale medical claims databases covering millions of U.S. residents.
“This partnership provides a tremendous opportunity to leverage the Neiman Institute’s policy expertise with the analytical capabilities of a world-class engineering institution to address the pressing problems of improving population health, increasing access to medical care, and reducing medical costs.” said Geraldine McGinty, Chair of the American College of Radiology’s Board of Chancellors.
To arrange an interview with a Neiman Institute spokesperson, contact Nichole Gay at (703) 648-1665 or ngay@neimanhpi.org.
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About the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute
The Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute is one of the nation’s leading medical imaging socioeconomic research organizations. The Neiman Institute studies the role and value of radiology and radiologists in evolving health care delivery and payment systems and the impact of medical imaging on the cost, quality, safety and efficiency of health care. Visit us at www.neimanhpi.org and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
About the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts is recognized nationally and internationally for teaching and research examining the human context of engineering, science, and technology. The College is comprised of six schools – Economics; History, Technology, and Society; The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs; Literature, Communication, and Culture; Modern Languages; Public Policy; and Georgia Tech’s Army, Air Force, and Navy ROTC units. It offers ten bachelor of science degrees, seven master’s degrees, and six doctoral degrees. Students are prepared for professional leadership in government, business, public policy, international affairs, law, medicine, technology, and new media. Founded in 1990, the College is named in honor of former Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. (1911 – 2003).
About the Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, is one of the nation’s leading research universities — a university that embraces change while continually creating the next. The next generation of leaders. The next breakthrough startup company. The next life-saving medical treatment. Georgia Tech provides a focused, technologically based education to more than 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Georgia Tech has many nationally recognized programs, all top-ranked by peers and publications alike, and is ranked in the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report. It offers degrees through the Colleges of Computing, Design, Engineering, Sciences, the Scheller College of Business, and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech has more than 100 centers focused on interdisciplinary research that consistently contribute vital research and innovation to American government, industry, and business.