First-ever Data Competition Aimed at Reducing Indiana’s Infant Mortality Rate 

KSM Consulting is proud to support the Indiana chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH), Indiana Management Performance Hub (MPH), and the Regenstrief Institute in hosting a public competition intended to uncover new ways to improve health outcomes for Indiana mothers and infants.  

The infant mortality rate is the number of babies who die in the first year of life, per 1,000 live births. Indiana has one of the highest mortality rates in the United States. According to 2017 data, the infant mortality rate in Indiana is 7.3, compared to the national rate of 5.8. 

In support of Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb’s OB Navigator program, competitors in the Healthy Mom + Baby Datapalooza are challenged to create a data analysis or visualization solution using de-identified datasets on maternal health and infant mortality. By convening students, researchers, policymakers, health care professionals, and entrepreneurs from across the state, the competition is expected to propel the exploration and analysis of Indiana’s data to deliver powerful insights and innovative support for the OB Navigator program.  

The open competition culminates October 5 at Parkview Education Center in Fort Wayne, where the top ten finalists will present their solutions before a panel of judges. More than $3,000 will be awarded as cash prizes for first and second-place finishers in student and professional team categories. Participation is open to the public and interested parties  can learn more and register to attend here. The datasets were released on September 3rd and are found here.  

”Having spent time in Allen County, conducting community engagement events, I know firsthand the passion and preparedness the healthcare system has for saving Indiana babies,” Indiana Health Commissioner Kris Box, MD, FACOG. “The unique insight gained from the Healthy Mom + Baby Datapalooza will benefit the OB Navigator program and I look forward to the event.” 

KSMC is a strategic and technical data partner of MPH and has supported a number of the complex initiatives that MPH has tackled over the years such as infant mortality, the opioid epidemic, developing the crash risk map, and developing the State’s Indiana Data Hub and the 25 de-identified Medicaid datasets that were released on it.   

To learn more about the Healthy Mom + Baby Datapalooza, visit http://indiana.himsschapter.org. 

To join the competition or attend the Healthy Mom + Baby Datapalooza, register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/healthy-mom-baby-datapalooza-registration-68188807559?