Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, one of its two main campuses in Arizona, on February 8. (Photo by Jack Orleans/Cronkite News)
American, Arizona and Mayo Clinic flags flutter in the wind Feb. 8 at the clinic’s Scottsdale campus on Shea Boulevard. (Photo by Jack Orleans/Cronkite News)
Mayo Clinic Scottsdale patient drop-off sign on February 8. (Photo by Jack Orleans/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – The mother-to-be goes for her first ultrasound with a new doctor. During the exam, the doctor’s attention is drawn to an alert on her computer about the maternal mortality rate for black women, like her new patient, being 2.6 times higher than that of non-Hispanic white women in the United States. The doctor adjusts the care plan of his patient, making personalized clinical decisions.
With the integration of Truity, a comprehensive health equity software platform developed by TruLite Health, this hypothetical situation may soon become a reality for Mayo Clinic Arizona patients.
“If you’re not white, male, educated, live in an urban zip code, have some money, and are honest, your results are probably worse on some attributes, and that’s a disparity,” Dr. Alan Roga, co-founder and CEO of TruLite Health, He said. “How is this possible in the richest country in the world?”
The Truity software tool is designed to identify and correct the kinds of disparities Roga called, such as “institutionalized racism and bias in medicine” that researchers have pointed to as reasons behind disparate black maternal mortality rates.
TruLite Health, a Tempe-based software systems developer, set out to tackle the clinical bias that leads to health disparities. The company looked at healthcare tools, practitioners and research and found that the disparities are getting worse. To address clinical bias, Truity processes patient data and health equity knowledge to deliver clinical, social, and behavioral interventions to improve health care outcomes for diverse populations.
dr. Alan Roga, Co-Founder and CEO of TruLite Health:. “If you’re not white, male, educated, live in an urban zip code, have some money, and are heterosexual, your results are probably worse in some capacity, and that’s the difference.” (Photo courtesy of TruLite Health)
Truity can alert providers to known differences and suggest patient-specific interventions such as early screenings, medication dosage adjustments, and delivery of educational resources to patients through the portal. Patients are encouraged to ask questions and be proactive about their health care plan.
TruLite was founded in 2021 to address health disparities that have cost the U.S. health care system nearly $320 billion, according to Deloitte, an international auditing and consulting firm. Roga and the TruLite team found that disparate care exists around the world and is spreading, for reasons that go beyond socioeconomics, such as a lack of diversity in clinical trials. They set out to correct clinical bias by integrating Truity software into the daily workflows of healthcare systems’ electronic records systems.
A 2022 Deloitte study estimates that in less than 20 years, the costs of health disparities could reach $1 trillion. According to his actuarial team, reaching that cost is not sustainable and would further affect the availability, quality and access to care.
“This is a significant issue, not just a financial issue and an economic issue, it’s a moral issue that we have to face and address,” said Dr. Nathan Delafield, assistant chief of equity, inclusion and diversity in the department of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. , He said. “It’s an urgent public health problem that we need to address to improve health care outcomes, because at the end of the day, disparity leads to delayed diagnosis, poor communication, terrible patient care and patient experience.”
Health disparities are differences in burden of diseases, injuries, violence or opportunities experienced by socially vulnerable populations. These populations may differ by race, ethnicity, geographic location, disability status, education, income, or gender and are disproportionately affected by health care outcomes.
“We are seeking a better understanding of why these differences exist because our understanding of biology and science suggests that we are much more alike than we are different,” Delafield said. “So these differences are likely the result of other factors that contribute to poor health outcomes for some.”
On January 9, TruLite Health announced an agreement with Mayo Clinic Arizona to use and improve Truity software in clinical practice. According to Delafield, the hospital will focus on feedback, workflow improvements and evaluation of the platform’s features. He did not specify a date when Truity will be officially launched.
Truity is also working with the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta to develop virtual health equity training for patients, with the goal of improving self-advocacy.
Mayo Clinic’s Scottsdale campus in Arizona on February 8. (Photo by Jack Orleans/Cronkite News)
Health coaching helps patients identify goals, implement new routines and manage their care plans. Increased discussions about conditions, management strategies, community resources, and advocacy techniques can streamline appointments and conversations with medical professionals.
“Exercise has been shown to reduce diabetes, hemoglobin A1c measurement (a blood test that measures a patient’s average blood sugar level), has been shown to reduce blood pressure control, and has been shown to reduce readmissions,” Roga said. “What we’ve done is coach and now develop it into health equity coaching, with Morehouse, using their tools around cultural competency and humility.”
At the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Truity will intervene and provide clinicians with real-time education as well as feedback on how to reduce disparities and offer resources to patients. Previously, Mayo Clinic Arizona recognized disparities after the fact, through a review of patient outcomes, and now Mayo Clinic Arizona hopes to prevent problems before they affect patient care.
“Whether a patient is placed in a room and their medications are adjusted, or when a clinician examines them and prescribes a new medication, there will be insights into health equity based on the patient’s record of who they are, where they are, what diseases they have been diagnosed with, and provide information related to with health equity,” said Delafield.
Delafield sees the platform helping Mayo Clinic in Arizona address disproportionate levels of disease and access to care among Arizona’s large Native American and Hispanic populations, and alleviate health disparities for many other marginalized populations.
“I think a better understanding of the various disparities in health care will motivate us to ensure that we appropriately include diverse patients at all stages of clinical research and care, in a way that ensures that outcomes are better for all people, not regardless of their race, ethnicity affiliation, gender, age, etc.,” said Delafield.