Establishment of a health care data analytics center spearheaded through a partnership of the College of Health Professions and the National Institute for Research and Digital Transformation (NIRDT) took a major step forward with a $100,000 donation from UnitedHealthcare Community Plan for Kansas.
The Kansas Center for Advancement of Healthcare (KCAH) will be a collaborative center comprised of major universities, hospitals, and other clinical research, education and health care delivery organizations in Kansas. The mission of the KCAH is to provide a systematic and state-wide approach to health data management and analytics for research and innovation from patient treatment to population-level disease prevention.
“The development of the NIRDT provides the unique technical capacity in Kansas for a center like KCAH. It wouldn’t be viable financially or technically anywhere else,” said Greg Hand, dean of the College of Health Professions. “Creation of the KCAH aligns with the Kansas Board of Regents’ Building a Future 2021 priorities and Governor Kelly’s Kansas Competitiveness Project as outlined in the Kansas Framework for Growth 2021.”
The gift from UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kansas was made after the insurance giant’s leadership met in Wichita with leadership from the WSU’s College of Health Professions and the Division of Industry and Defense Programs.
“We at UnitedHealthcare value public private partnerships and would like to continue to assist in the development of statewide capabilities though projects like this,” said Kevin Sparks, chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kansas.
