In March, CEO Rupert attended this year’s Digital Health Rewired conference at the NEC in Birmingham, where he joined Hassan Chaudhury, commercial director at DATA-CAN, and ZhiQian Huang, AnalystX Process Mining Community Lead and Chief Impact Officer and Co-founder of Logan Tod & Co for a panel discussion titled “AnalystX Community: Building a vibrant NHS data analytics collaborative community”. The AnalystX community was created as a true collaborative with over 75 leading organisations and gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic. It now consists of over 15,000 data professionals coming from the private, public and third sector.

This was a great opportunity to share and discuss some exciting initiatives to bring sustainable transformation in data and analytics within the NHS.

A new paper that OBH has contributed to as part of the NHS England Multiple Long-Term Conditions (MLTC/Multimorbidity) Analytical Workstream, ‘Prevalence of Multiple Long-Term Conditions (Multimorbidity) in England: A Whole Population Study of over 60 million people’, has been published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 

Our study sought to determine the prevalence of multiple long-term conditions (MLTC) (defined as having two or more of 35 long-term conditions) at the whole English population level, stratifying by age, sex, socioeconomic status and ethnicity. The study uses the National ‘Bridges to Health’ Segmentation Dataset, which contains linked data for c.60 million individuals registered with a general practice in England and alive on 31st March 2020. 

We found that the overall prevalence of MLTC was 14.8% (8,878,231), varying from 0.9% (125,159) in those aged 0-19 years to 68.2% (1,905,979) in those aged 80 years and over. There were large numbers of combinations of conditions in each age group ranging from 5,936 in those 0-19 years to 205,534 in those aged 80 years and over. The prevalence of each condition in those with MLTC varied between age groups; in individuals aged 0-19 years, asthma, autism and epilepsy were dominant, while in individuals aged 20-49 years, depression and asthma were dominant and in individuals aged 50-59 years, hypertension and depression were dominant. In individuals aged 60-69 years, 70-79 years and 80+ years, cardiometabolic factors and osteoarthritis were dominant.

This study provides useful insight into the burden across the English population to assist health service delivery planning, however the heterogeneity of MLTC presents challenges for delivery optimisation.

Read more here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01410768231206033

Find out more about the underlying dataset used for this work, see here: https://outcomesbasedhealthcare.com/nhse-segmentation-dataset-reference-guide/

A new paper from a research partnership between Guy’s & St Thomas’​ Foundation, King’s College London and Outcomes Based Healthcare on ‘Identifying populations with chronic pain in primary care: developing an algorithm and logic rules applied to coded primary care diagnostic and medication data’ has been published in BMC Primary Care.

Estimates of chronic pain prevalence using coded primary care data have previously been lower than rates reported in community surveys. Our aim was to develop and test an algorithm combining medication codes with selected diagnostic codes to estimate chronic pain prevalence using coded primary care data. The resulting algorithm for chronic pain – based on four overarching criteria – was run on primary care data from 41 GP Practices in Lambeth (total population of 386,238 GP registered adults). The study found 16.6% (64,135) were identified as people with chronic pain. This definition demonstrated notably high rates in Black ethnicity females, and higher rates in the most deprived, and older population.

Our study demonstrates that it may be possible to establish more representative prevalence estimates using structured data than has been previously achieved. The use of logic rules therefore offers the potential to move systematic identification and population-based management of chronic pain into mainstream clinical practice at scale, and subsequently support improved management of symptom burden for people experiencing chronic pain.

Read the full article here: https://bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-023-02134-1

In partnership with All Together Better (ATB) Sunderland, Outcomes Based Healthcare have jointly published a case study which provides reflections on the progress of the ATB Sunderland ‘Outcomes’ programme, and shares learning from Sunderland’s Population Health Management journey to date.  

ATB Sunderland is an alliance of out of hospital providers and commissioning organisations, who partnered with OBH in 2019 to develop capabilities and draw on expertise in outcome measurement. Over the past four years ATB Sunderland and OBH, have developed a unique person-level linked longitudinal primary and secondary care segmentation dataset for the population, using the internationally recognised ‘Bridges to Health’ Segmentation Model to their population. This dataset now underpins one of the richest longitudinal records of whole population health outcomes data of its kind, measuring outcomes on a monthly basis from April 2013 to March 2022. 

ATB Sunderland and OBH also built a comprehensive Outcomes Framework which includes 27 outcomes, aligned to key strategic areas of Sunderland CCG’s transformation programme and scope of services. This includes a unique set of outcome measures called ‘HEALTHSPAN®’, which can show whether people are in good health, and for what portion of their lives. Population-level ‘HEALTHSPAN®’ developed by OBH over the last five years is an objective whole population outcome measure of the amount of time individuals spend in good health. This is used to indicate the success of health and care systems in helping keep people healthy for the greatest possible proportion of their lives. 

The outcomes data is visualised in OBH’s Outcomes Platform, an online tool accessible to ATB clinicians and those working in the ATB alliance. The Outcomes Platform is part of ATB’s growing Population Health Management (PHM) programme. Insights are used to understand the health and care needs of the local population and to proactively plan services for different groups of people within the population. 

To read the full report, click here

To read the executive summary, click here

OBH has been featured in the Department for International Trade (DIT) Digital Health Playbook ‘Beyond 100’.

The Digital Health Playbook showcases UK innovators in the fields of Data & Analytics, Systems & Transformation, Healthy Aging.OBH were selected based on our track-record of working collaboratively within Healthcare UK (DIT), our innovation in digital health, and our commitment to export and expand internationally.

Find out more and see the full Playbook here: https://bit.ly/3HnSAQw

In December, Rupert spoke at the third Community of Practice event for population health management leads across ICSs, organised by NHS England’s System Transformation Group.

The event began with updates from the group, followed by the keynote session focusing on enablers and outcomes of integrating health and social care at an international level. The afternoon sessions allowed delegates to participate in a variety of workshops, with topics including the measuring of health outcomes, the role of an integrated care record in supporting PHM, as well as segmentation and integration.

Speaking specifically on the measurement of health outcomes, Rupert discussed the particular segmentation requirements for outcome measurement. This included how OBH ‘segments’ populations using a version of the Bridges to Health model, built around the unique features of NHS health and care data. This evolved into an interesting discussion around child health and young adults, notably on how population segmentation requirements may fundamentally differ for this cohort.

In November, OBH started a new programme of work with King’s College London, on understanding multiple Long-Term Conditions in Lambeth and Southwark, funded by Guy’s and St Thomas’s Charity (GSTTc). The programme aims to explore and understand people who are at high risk of developing multiple long-term conditions, and delay their onset or prevent the development of multimorbidity.

OBH have been building models around defining, identifying and understanding people with long-term conditions as part of their work on the development of the Bridges to Health segmentation data model. They will be bringing this expertise to the programme, and expanding the evaluation and analysis to deep dive into multimorbidity. With both national and international approaches to defining a LTC and multiple-LTCs varying significantly, the initial stage of the project involves developing and collectively agreeing upon a definition. This is a crucial part of any work on multimorbidity as stated by the recent Academy of Medical Sciences report on multimorbidity. The long-term conditions that will be defined in scope of the programme will be included based on those conditions that impact people’s lives, that are highly prevalent, and that are most referenced by national and international sources.

We look forward to working with GSTT Charity and King’s College through the duration of this programme; with the ambitious vision of further understanding progression, and delaying or preventing the onset of multimorbidity.

This December saw the official launch of the OBH Clinical Associates Network!

CEO Rupert spoke to a full house as he welcomed everyone to the event, beginning with a brief overview of our work on value, outcomes and population segmentation across the NHS over the last 5 years. This was followed by presentations from our two guest speakers. Ivan Beckley (UCL Medical student, MSc Data science) firstly discussed his incredible journey so far as a medical student, including his experience as an intern at OBH, as well as his thoughts on AI and it’s role within the future of the NHS. Toby Colgate-Stone (Consultant Orthopaedic Trauma Surgeon and OBH Clinical Associate) then followed, providing a fascinating talk around his work at King’s College Foundation Trust, discussing ways in which he has seen and experienced the implementation of value on the front-line.

It was fantastic to see so many people interested in being part of the value-based community in the UK. We look forward to hosting our next Clinical Associates Network event soon!

If you are a clinician/medical student interested in joining the OBH Clinical Associates Network, visit the page on our website to find out more.

We are excited to announce that we our hosting our first ever Clinical Associates Network event! A great opportunity to network with like-minded individuals and learn more about value-based payments, outcomes measurement and HEALTHSPAN.

There will be a brief presentation on value-based healthcare and outcomes, as well as an overview of OBH’s current work (including HealthSpan) with the NHS. Guests will then hear from two current members of the network, Dr Toby Colgate-Stone (Consultant Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgeon at King’s College Hospital) and Ivan Beckley (UCL Medical student and former OBH intern) and hear their thoughts on current value and outcomes work in the UK and the future of the NHS.

If you’re already a member or a clinician/medical student interested in our work at OBH, register here and join us on Tuesday 4th December from 5-8pm at the King’s Fund!

The OBH Clinical Associates Network is formed of clinicians and medical students who are dedicated to growing the value-based community in the UK and globally.

Our very own Senior Health Outcomes Analyst Ellie has been selected for the Value-Based Healthcare Delivery course at Harvard Business School in Boston!

The one-week intensive seminar will include a variety of faculty topic lectures, panel discussions and case studies highlighting real-life examples of how organisations and health systems can implement value-based delivery models. Ellie will join Rupert, Juliana and Nasrin, and a large number of our Clinical Associates in having completed this course.

We are all delighted for Ellie and hope she enjoys this fantastic opportunity!

In October we published our ‘Outcomes Library’; a longlist of outcome measures grouped by population segment.

With 122 outcomes, the extensive list allows health systems to select, vote and prioritise outcomes to develop locally configured Outcomes Frameworks. OBH’s Outcomes Platform provides the numbers for each outcome on the framework on a monthly, and near real-time basis.

Each outcome measure has been fully developed and validated either by OBH or from an existing national source, for use at local level. The library contains Clinical Social Outcome Measures, using existing linked, local data from administrative and clinical systems across multiple care settings, now including HEALTHSPAN too!

Download the Outcomes Library here.

An exciting few days for CEO Rupert at the UK Health Show on the ‘Commissioning for the Future’ stage!

Taking part in two panel discussions, he discussed the importance of collaboration with STPs to enable local health system transformation as well as the incentivising of prevention vs payment by results. Featuring a range of people from legal, clinical and more corporate backgrounds, both panels covered various themes including cancer, mental health and long-term conditions. There was also a specific focus on the challenges and opportunities of system integration and transformation.

With a notable emphasis on the role of technology in optimising healthcare delivery throughout the event, this year’s edition of the UK Health Show was the largest to date. This provided a fantastic opportunity for clinicians and healthcare professionals amongst others to help their organisations play a part in shaping the NHS into a sustainable healthcare system for years to come!

A productive, inspiring week for our CEO Rupert at the World Economic Forum in China, showcasing innovation and collaboration in Digital Health on an international scale!

With enlightening sessions on the Future of Healthcare and Machine Learning, as well as discussion with Secretary of State Matt Hancock, the event firmly reinforced the power of some of the UK’s leading HealthTech SMEs in the use of technology to improve prevention and empowerment.

A fantastic step in ensuring better health outcomes and sustainable costs of care, emphasising the importance of prevention and ensuring people never become ‘patients’ in the first place. Through systematic measurement, understanding and improvement of HEALTHY LIFESPAN and HEALTHSPAN, sustainable life costs of care can become a reality and allow health systems to reduce the lifetime burden of ill health.

Great news for OBH and the sustainability of our healthcare system for generations to come!

Speaking at the Bevan Brittan Digital Health Forum, cofounder and COO Juliana discussed the latest on protecting innovations, specifically the importance of safeguarding intellectual property within a start-up.

She shared OBH’s experience and learnings from the last 5 years, showcasing our evolution from “reactive” to “strategic” when it comes to managing intellectual property.

Bevan Brittan’s Digital Health Forum in September formed part of a series of conferences whereby industry regulators, consumers and providers discuss the emergence of ideas and themes within the health tech space amongst industry leaders.

Our CEO Rupert is joining the Secretary of Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, with his HealthTech delegation to the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of New Champions in China this week!

The World Economic Forum is an international organisation for public-private cooperation, engaging the leading political and business leaders.

Rupert is looking forward to joining Matt Hancock and the other leaders in the delegation, and seeing what the week has to hold!