The Independence Blue Cross Center for Health Care Innovation is collaborating with Drexel University on several research projects aimed at improving the delivery of healthcare.

The partnership is focusing on the following:

• Identifying Independence members at risk for hospitalization and re-hospitalization, as well as identifying members who would benefit from Independence’s chronic disease outreach programs;
• Applying machine learning techniques to unstructured data, such as notes from members’ interactions with doctors and other health professionals, to predict future health problems or customer service issues;
• Evaluating health interventions that can reduce the number of avoidable emergency department visits;
• Improving the detection of fraudulent claims, predicting when fraud is likely to occur and developing strategies to help members protect their medical identity.

“The future of healthcare is dependent upon finding new ways to use technology and information to predict illness and prevent health problems before they develop,” said Independence President and CEO Daniel J. Hilferty. “This exciting, new research initiative, with one of our region’s premier universities, will help us discover and expand ways to improve health outcomes, lower healthcare costs and enrich our members’ healthcare experience.”