Truveta: Building a Living Medical Portrait of America

Truveta's Progress in Medical Data Collection

Truveta is focused on the regular collection of privacy-protected medical data from across the United States. This data is intended to be accessible for analysis by researchers. The company has demonstrated significant product development and recently announced a new funding round of $100 million, bringing its total capital to approximately $200 million.

Platform Availability and Partnerships

While the financial investment is notable, the expansion of Truveta’s partnerships within the medical community is equally important. Crucially, the startup has begun to make its platform available to external users.

Data Aggregation and the Truveta Product

Truveta collaborates with roughly 20 healthcare providers. It aggregates routinely de-identified data from patients across 42 states into a comprehensive dataset.

This data fuels a software service designed to allow researchers and other users to query the information. A recent demonstration of the Truveta product was well-received by those familiar with data visualization.

Target Users and Functionality

The primary target audience for Truveta’s product isn’t technology journalists. Instead, it’s geared towards professionals working in public health.

The platform enables researchers to define specific population parameters, including inclusion and exclusion criteria. Users are then provided access to a Jupyter Notebook environment where they can construct dynamic dashboards with data that is updated on a daily basis.

Market Reach

According to CEO Terry Myerson, a former Microsoft executive, Truveta currently has access to data representing 16% of all clinical care delivered in the United States.

COVID-19 Insights

The company shared initial findings related to COVID-19, derived from its platform. Analysis indicates that adverse events following full COVID-19 vaccination occur in less than 1% of individuals.

Interestingly, patients who received the Moderna vaccine experienced 40% more adverse events than those vaccinated with Pfizer. This statistic may prompt consideration of mixed-vaccine booster strategies.

Long-Term Potential and Systemic Impact

In our assessment, Truveta’s long-term potential is more compelling than its current findings. The company’s move to open access to external parties is a positive step.

Its ability to ingest and share large volumes of data in a privacy-preserving manner is a significant achievement. The U.S. healthcare system is often characterized by high costs, data silos, outdated infrastructure, and inefficiencies. Truveta offers the possibility of increased transparency and clarity.

Business Model Considerations

A key question moving forward is how Truveta will transition from a promising project into a sustainable business. The company has explicitly stated its opposition to advertising, clarifying that its service is intended for “ethical medical research” and not for targeted marketing to patients or physicians.

However, it remains to be seen whether research institutions possess sufficient funding to support the project’s financial viability. One potential revenue stream could involve selling access to the service back to the healthcare providers who contribute data.

Profitability and Financial Status

Truveta’s stated commitment to paying taxes indicates an intention to pursue profitability. This will continue to drive scrutiny of its business model.

With the recent $100 million capital infusion, the company is well-positioned financially for the foreseeable future.

Scaling and Future Outlook

Truveta has successfully expanded its partner network and technological infrastructure to reach a point of market readiness. The next phase will involve assessing demand and evaluating the speed at which both positive health outcomes and business results can be achieved.