Hospital-backed Truveta to build data platform on Microsoft's cloud

Truveta plans to build its data platform on Microsoft's cloud computing service, Azure, the companies announced Wednesday.

Truveta launched earlier this year as a for-profit data company founded by 14 health systems, including Altamonte Springs, Florida-based AdventHealth and Renton, Washington-based Providence. Since then, three more health systems—Baylor Scott & White Health, Columbia, Maryland-based MedStar Health and Arlington-based Texas Health Resources—have also joined.

Truveta's vision is to create a platform that houses de-identified health data from all 17 of its health system owners, including data from medical records, images and genomics. That data platform will run on Azure, where customers—like researchers and pharmaceutical companies—will be able to access aggregated data and use Azure's artificial-intelligence tools.

Patient data will be brought into the Truveta platform daily.

As part of the deal, Microsoft will invest an undisclosed amount into Truveta, the companies said.

Truveta's funding to date has come from its 17 health system owners, who in July invested $95 million as part of a Series A round to fund staff, cloud computing and other infrastructure to build the data platform. Health system executives who spoke with Modern Healthcare at the time said they hoped their investments would support research that would eventually fuel improvements at their own organizations.

That could include research into new therapies, quality, safety, equity and other aspects of care delivery.

Truveta officials have said the company will license the data platform for "ethical medical research," and that data will not be used to target ads to patients or physicians.

"Healthcare providers and researchers need better data and faster answers to address the most challenging issues in patient care—not just for this pandemic, but for all health conditions," said Terry Myerson, CEO of Truveta, in a news release Wednesday. Myerson previously worked as an executive at Microsoft, where he led the Windows operating system.

Truveta as part of the deal with Microsoft will also become a Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare partner, which means Truveta's data platform will be integrated into Microsoft's set of cloud services and products that it sells to healthcare organizations. That integration will help Truveta reach new customers, according to the news release.

Azure is Truveta's exclusive cloud provider under the deal. Microsoft has no rights to the Truveta data, the companies said.