Optum Labs announces addition of seven new charter partners to improve quality of patient care

Optum Labs, the collaborative research and innovation center founded by Optum and Mayo Clinic, today announced the addition of seven new charter partners committed to improving the quality and value of patient care. The announcement follows the recent addition of AARP as Founding Consumer Advocate Organization of the collaborative.

These new partners, which represent a broad cross-section of health care stakeholders, are:

• American Medical Group Association, Alexandria, Va.
• Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Mass.
• Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pa.
• Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE), New York, N.Y.
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, N.Y.
• Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Mass.
• University of Minnesota School of Nursing, Minneapolis, Minn.

"As the founding medical partner of Optum Labs, Mayo Clinic is excited to welcome the fresh insights and perspectives that new partners will bring to this collaboration," said John Noseworthy, M.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic. "In addition to having access to large sources of clinical and claims information, all partners will now benefit from the unique viewpoints that others bring as we work to transform health care in the U.S. and truly meet the needs of patients in this country."

"These additional charter partners will help Optum Labs accelerate the pace of innovation, paving the way for exciting new research initiatives that can be directly translated to improvements in patient care," said Paul Bleicher, M.D., Ph.D., CEO of Optum Labs.

Optum Labs brings together a community of health care stakeholders dedicated to improving patient care by sharing information assets, technologies, knowledge, tools and scientific expertise. Research is linked to the clinical environment through prototyping and testing in Optum and partners' care settings, with a goal of achieving knowledge that improves health care delivery and patient outcomes.

Optum Labs participants will have access to information resources, proprietary analytical tools and scientific expertise to help drive the discovery of new applications, testing of new care pathways and other opportunities to drive innovation in wellness and care delivery.

More than 20 major research initiatives are currently underway at Optum Labs, including studies that compare results from randomized clinical trials to analyses of observational data; the effectiveness of various medical devices; research into geographic variation in care patterns; and the most effective approaches to consumer engagement and treatment. Results from Optum Labs research will be shared through publications in scientific journals and presentations at professional meetings. Several projects are slated for publication in mid-2014.