SBIR Phase I: Software for Developing Consumer-Driven Healthcare Solutions

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is that it prepares hospitals for consumer-driven healthcare. In 2015 44% of US consumers will be enrolled in high deductible insurance plans8. Increasingly consumers will be deciding where to go for care. This software provides hospitals with fast, easy access to actionable insight on how to improve patient experiences. The result is loyal patients and families that repeatedly return to the hospital for care. This means a strong customer base and financial security for the hospital. The software is also expected to have a positive impact on healthcare costs. It provides hospitals with a ?patient feedback loop? that makes it easier for hospitals to seek patient input on new ways to deliver care e.g. early morning video classes for working, chronically ill patients. This easy access to patient feedback also helps hospitals anticipate patient problems and prevent costly trips to the emergency department or hospital. This proposed project addresses an emerging healthcare problem?how to improve financial results while improving the patient experience. Hospitals today rely on generic surveys mandated by the federal government to monitor patient satisfaction. Few providers have access to feedback that allows them to identify and fix problems that matter to their patients. This project solves the problem by developing software that is able to quickly and efficiently analyze patient stories about recent hospital experiences. This tool not only identifies problems that need fixing from the patient?s perspective, it also highlights opportunities, e.g. how to streamline hospital discharges. There currently is no software available for analyzing patient conversations and stories. This research will develop a dictionary of words and phrases that patients commonly use when describing their hospital experiences. It will evaluate alternative methods for extracting insight from patient stories to determine which approach delivers the most accurate results. This type of software is also able to ?learn?, i.e. new words or phrases can be added to the system so the software actually becomes smarter over time. Finally, the software will summarize and report patient feedback so hospitals know what issues are most important?from the patient?s perspective.