SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today Primary.Health joined a large cohort of leading health care organizations that signed an industry pledge designed to ensure a systemic focus on collecting a uniform set of essential data to ensure the U.S. has a fuller picture of health disparities, which will ultimately inform necessary or improved health interventions.
“Data and technology have immense power to identify and help reverse societal structures that have had a measurable impact on inhibiting good health and quality of life. However, we must take a systemic approach to ensure we get a consistent, full view of how social injustices are impacting health,” said Andrew Kobylinski, CEO and co-founder of Primary.Health. “Primary.Health was born amid the pandemic, with a focus on deploying technology and data to support an equitable delivery of new tests and treatments by effectively prioritizing and reaching populations that face the highest health risks.”
A shortage of data hinders a more comprehensive understanding of the full scope of health disparities and social injustices in the U.S. Recognizing that fact, Primary.Health joined the Health Evolution Forum work group to support reaching a consensus on a consistent approach to collecting, stratifying and analyzing disparities data. Joining approximately 40 leading organizations signing the Health Equity Pledge, Primary.Health signed on to support efforts to collect data about race, ethnicity, language and sex (REaLS) and then share these learnings to develop best practices that are ultimately disseminated broadly across the industry.
“We need to harness the power of data and technology to tackle entrenched health inequities that impact quality and length of life,” said Kobylinski. “This unified commitment to identify common data sets and collect that data across all health systems, will allow us to begin the hard work of making real change and improvements in the quality of life for Americans who have been neglected for far too long.”
Primary.Health is a technology company that organizes, streamlines and automates COVID-19 testing and vaccination across the country. With its platform and capability, Primary.Health helps public health agencies, essential workforce employers and state governments adapt their testing programs to bring care to the population, ensure an equitable approach, and a focus on priority populations. Operating in sites across the country in a variety of public and private settings, Primary.Health is uniquely positioned to collect and analyze data and identify potential disparities among communities.
Organizations that have signed on to the Pledge to date:
Health plans: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, GuideWell & Florida Blue, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, SCAN Health Plan
Health care providers: AIRnyc, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Cityblock Health, Eleanor Health, Everside Health, Galileo, Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Hazel Health, John Muir Health, Link Primary Care, Marshfield Clinic Health System, Monogram Health, Nemours Children's Health System, Northwell Health, Oak Street Health, Rebalanced-Life Wellness Association, Spectrum Health, SUN Behavioral Health, Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, University of California Health, VillageMD
Other organizations and individuals: ARCHANGELS, Accountable Care Learning Collaborative, Bloom Standard | Newborn Foundation, Capital Rx, Change Healthcare, eMed, Health Level Seven, Inc., Mark Smith - Founding President & Former CEO of California Health Care Foundation, Newtopia, Primary.Health, Socially Determined
About Primary.Health
Primary.Health is the engine behind community testing and vaccination programs. Our platform enables government agencies, employers, researchers, labs, schools, healthcare facilities, and community-based organizations to organize, streamline, and automate efficient and consumer-friendly COVID-19 services. Primary launched in March of 2020 and powers COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites across the country.
