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Health Catalyst Launches COVID-19 Patient Data Repository to Speed Vaccine Development

August 18, 2020
Sadiqa Mahmood, DDS, MPH

General Manager & Senior Vice President, Life Sciences Business

Article Summary


由于缺乏以人口为基础的历史信息来指导COVID-19的研究,制药公司正在努力理解这种不断变化的病毒,他们不知疲倦地工作,在不到一年的时间内开发出疫苗。Research teams can access near real-time COVID-19 patient data with Touchstone®for COVID-19 National Data Sets and Registry from over 80 million patients across the United States and three national data sources: John Hopkins University, The New York Times, and The COVID Tracking Project.

该登记处提供最新、全面的数据,包括结果分析和临床试验分析,以便研究团队在疫苗开发过程的每个阶段都能了解最新情况。

TheWorld Economic Forumsuggests the standard vaccination development process is10 years. But, given the immense impact and transmissibility of COVID-19, pharmaceutical companies are working to accelerate the process and release a vaccine in less than one year. While theFood and Drug Administration(FDA) has rigorous safety and efficacy standards that pharmaceutical companies must meet before releasing a vaccine for public use, COVID-19 has forced a change in the rules in order to expedite the process.

With a shorter-than-normal time frame, research teams are under pressure to understand the novel coronavirus outbreak anddevelop a vaccinewith little existing data or research. Pharmaceutical companies and health systems alike need the latest population-based research to keep up with the ever-changing nature of the virus as they develop a vaccine and care for patients.

In the past, pharmaceutical companies have relied on claims data as the main data source to develop effective treatments and medication. However, the static nature of claims data only gives a snapshot of a patient, failing to provide the continuing information that helps research and care teams keep up with the latest virus information.

The virus has also caused major setbacks for clinical trials, now making patients wait even longer to receive experimental treatment for other diseases. Hospitals have braced for an onslaught of critically ill patients, and researchers have had to shelve clinical trials for other illnesses, all in response to COVID-19. Agencies and clinical-trial funders have shown remarkable flexibility throughout the pandemic; however, research teams need access to near real-timedataand insights from the frontlines to assess the long-term effects of COVID-19 on clinical trials and get back on track as soon as possible.

To overcome the lack of data and information about COVID-19, health systems are constantly tracking and recording new data about the virus. Now the primary source of information—de-identified COVID-19 patient data from health systems across the country—is an imperative to creating a vaccine and getting life back to normal.

A Comprehensive National Data Set and Registry

即使没有COVID-19患者的历史数据,制药公司仍然可以利用全面的数据进行疫苗开发和临床试验过程。The Touchstone® for COVID-19 National Data Sets and Registry allows pharmaceutical companies to access de-identified patient data from more than 80 million patients across the United States (Figure 1), as well as three national data sources (Johns Hopkins University,The New York Times, andThe COVID Tracking Project). Now, pharmaceutical companies can tap into a breadth of data to conduct population-based research.

COVID-19 National Registry infographic
Figure 1. States with COVID-19 patient data in Touchstone representing 21 health systems.

Partnering with Health Catalyst bridges gaps in health data with an ecosystem that spans hospitals, academic medical centers (AMCs), and research institutions across the United States. With unparalleled access to large sums of clinical data, coupled with support and expertise from Health Catalyst leaders to develop real-world insights and evidence, pharmaceutical companies can rely on added bench strength and up-to-date information from a comprehensive COVID-19 registry.

The Touchstone COVID-19 National Data Set and Registry goes beyond data, enabling research in unique ways:

  • Providing access to a network of healthcare organizations (hospitals, AMCs, and research institutions) resources, including patients (for clinical trial recruitment and testing), providers, and researchers.
  • Fostering collaboration with health experts about standard-of-care practices to understand how to change and improve clinical care.
  • Discovering deeper insights and connections that go beyond the data (e.g., understanding firsthand how data translates to frontline clinical practice).
  • Testing and implementing new tools (e.g., a prediction tool) at the point of care to identify opportunities to improve clinical care.

Insights and Research: The Bedrock for Pharmaceutical Progress and Developments

由于关于COVID-19的知识在不断发展,因此在全国范围内开展以人口为基础的研究至关重要。最有效的基于人群的研究包括最新的即时护理数据,开发团队可以利用这些数据来引导研发。

Reliable, actionable insights—rather than static, outdated data—allows pharmaceutical organizations to maximize resources in clinical trials, shift direction as the virus changes, and avoid wasting precious resources.

The COVID-19 patient data and population-based research also benefits pharmaceutical companies primarily focused on clinical trials. For example, patients who contract the virus while participating in unrelated clinical trials could steer the outcomes of that trial to misleading endpoints. In this way, reliable, accurate insights can help clinical trials stay on track in geographic areas that are recovering from COVID-19 and progress to the planning phase of the COVID-19 framework (Prepare, Prevent, Recover, Plan).

Getting Research and Development Back on Track with COVID-19 Patient Data

COVID-19 also impacts the recruitment process for clinical trials. For example, a lack of understanding about the virus makes it difficult to recruit patients to test new medications that might react negatively with the virus. With access to a wealth of continuing point-of-care data sets across multiple populations, pharmaceutical companies will more quickly understand the virus as it evolves and take this information into account for existing and future clinical trials.

Additionally, COVID-19 research will reveal insights that open the door to future collaboration between health systems and pharmaceutical companies. As COVID-19 research and insights reveal clinical practice trends, research teams can use this information to connect with health systems after the pandemic to review trends and opportunities to improve care or develop new treatments.

Three Critical Components for Pharmaceutical Companies During COVID-19: Insights, Expertise, and Research

COVID-19 presents seemingly endless unknowns to pharmaceutical companies, health systems, providers, and patients. These uncertainties can complicate an already complex environment and stall research efforts.

The Touchstone for COVID-19: National Data Sets and Registry offers near real-time patient data withoutcomes analysisand clinical trials analysis, so research teams can stay up to date with, and adapt to, the virus. This comprehensive, population-based research data benefits pharmaceutical companies—both research-focused and clinical trial-focused—by providing de-identified patient data from more than 80 million patients throughout the United States, integrated with three national data sources.

该注册使制药研究团队能够专注于COVID-19疫苗的研发和开展临床试验。由于可以24小时不间断地获取最新和完整的数据集,制药公司准备通过数据知情的研究来对抗冠状病毒,并为未来的医疗保健未知做好准备。

Published Research:

Additional Reading

Would you like to learn more about this topic? Here are some articles we suggest:

  1. Using COVID-19 Value Sets for Patient Identification
  2. A Sustainable Healthcare Emergency Management Framework: COVID-19 and Beyond
  3. Extended Real-World Data: The Life Science Industry’s Number One Asset (Executive Report)
  4. Bridging the Data and Trust Gaps: Why Health Catalyst Entered the Life Sciences Market
  5. Data-Driven Precision Medicine: A Must-Have for the Next-Generation of Personalized Care

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Healthcare Trends During COVID-19: Top Five Areas to Watch

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