This Profiles in Healthcare features Arjun Arun, Senior Manager, Product & Analytics talking about the important role that data and analytics play in supporting the Curation Health mission and helping move value-based care forward while improving patient lives and provider experience.
Q: Describe your role at Curation Health.
A: I lead the analytics function. The overarching goal of value-based care is to replace the “one-size-fits-all” approach to patient care with something more holistic that takes into account the inherent variability between individual patients, providers and organizations.
The only way to customize solutions is to have insight into information at the health system, provider practice, individual provider and patient levels. This is where data and analytics come into the picture.
Our goals are to create analytics that move beyond “what is happening” to “why is this happening” and “how do we improve.”
It’s one thing to say “this member still has three outstanding HCCs” (the what), it’s a totally different ballgame to say “this member still has three outstanding HCCs, because they haven’t come into the PCPs office yet, which means it would make sense to engage them through a specific member outreach program” (what, why, and how).
Building these kinds of analytics is only partially a technology problem.
It’s also about staying arm-in-arm with our clients, talking to them often, and learning about their actual problems. Less pontificating, more listening.
Q: What measurable impact is Curation Health having on providers and payers?
A: Curation Health is truly provider-centric. It’s all about increasing the ratio of signal to noise. This means building solutions based on the realities of the provider workflow, which can include packed schedules, large patient panels, and high degrees of clinical variability between patients.
We see this in how providers engage with the information we’re putting in front of them (high address rates across physician champions and certain practices).
Q: Why are analytics and tech development critical to customer success and value-based care?
A: We only have to turn to other industries to see how technology development can be useful in healthcare and value-based care specifically.
If the retail industry can use customer segmentation analytics and targeted advertising campaigns to drive more sales, why can’t healthcare use patient segmentation analytics and targeted health-related campaigns to drive better diabetes measure outcomes?
Q: What are the best aspects of your job?
A: The culture – it’s a challenging and supportive environment that’s truly mission-driven. The challenge – healthcare in general and value-based care specifically are a challenging space to work in. The problems can be complex, and I experience a lot of personal growth stretching my skills to figure out how best to serve our clients and their missions. The people: it’s rare to find a group of such talented, kind individuals to work with. I consider myself very lucky!
Q: What made you join the Curation Health team?
A: I primarily joined Curation Health for the culture. Being a startup, there is inherently a lot of day-to-day variability in the organization, and culture is the one thing that stays consistent.
Q: How does the culture at Curation differ from other organizations you have worked for?
A: In the fast-paced corporate world, it’s hard to find companies that have good balance, are ambitious, yet grounded in reality, that can take big swings while still maintaining a supportive, focused, non-frenetic atmosphere. Companies that can keep the mission at the center of focus, while still maintaining solid financial performance. It is precisely this balance that separates Curation Health from the other organizations I’ve worked for.
It’s really easy to put a slogan on a wall stating “We’re supportive,” but what happens when it’s Friday evening and something goes wrong right before the weekend? Does the organization stay true to it’s values in that moment or not? At Curation Health I’m proud to say that we stay true to our values, rain or shine. This doesn’t come out of thin air, and the culture of Curation Health is a testament to great leadership and a lot of effort.
To join our dynamic team and culture or learn more about our open roles, visit our Careers page.
