Tag: Partnership

San Diego, Calif. | September 10, 2019 | 8:00 a.m. PT — LunaPBC^™, founder of LunaDNA^™, the first community-owned genomic and health data platform — now enables members to access their electronic health records (EHRs) in the LunaDNA platform via Medfusion’s Patient Data Application Program Interfaces (APIs). This integration expands individual’s opportunities to easily and securely share their health data to advance scientific discovery using their own medical history.

EHRs are rich with health information, including family history of chronic disease, recent diagnoses and illnesses, as well as laboratory results. This information is valuable to researchers and the medical community to support scientific advances, but it is often not easily accessible outside of the patient’s health system. A lack of interoperability between health systems means these systems rarely communicate with one another, leaving patients with partial or even no access to a comprehensive record of their health. Consequently, 32 percent of individuals have experienced gaps in the exchange of their health information when they visit their provider.

LunaDNA’s addition of EHR integration allows its members to easily capture, review, and privately share their de-identified medical histories in LunaDNA. This capability enriches the database with standardized medical data and enables new discoveries by not-for-profits, academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies. Prior to these groups gaining access to the database for research, they are vetted by an ethics review board to comply with LunaPBC’s public benefit charter. LunaDNA members are always in control of their data on LunaDNA and can delete any portion or their complete EHR record at any time. In addition to EHR data, LunaDNA accepts data from DNA tests and real-world data from member surveys.

“Access to LunaDNA members’ medical journeys that are integrated with shared DNA information, allows the database to directly impact future research discoveries that accelerate an era of personalized health. Ensuring that each member is in full control of the use of their data creates a privacy framework that is centered on the individual,” said Scott Kahn, Chief Information Officer, LunaPBC. “Our work with Medfusion activates individuals as research partners and holds the promise of making discoveries inclusive and transparent.”

Medfusion features the broadest network of Health Data APIs—reaching 83 percent of the U.S. market with patients served by more than 700,000 providers. It allows for data retrieval across more than 40 different EHRs, enabling LunaDNA users to gather records from a broad range of providers, specialties and locations. The breadth and depth of the Medfusion network gives LunaDNA a powerful advantage in terms of data availability and patient experience.

“We immediately identified with LunaPBC’s mission of empowering patients with their own health data and being able to do more with that data,” said Ryan Magnes, executive vice president of growth and innovation, Medfusion. “The power of LunaDNA comes from putting the patient in the center — and using technology to connect and share their data for their own benefit, and for the benefit of others. The breadth of Medfusion’s network will enable users to get the most complete view of their health record.”

In addition to breaking down silos to advance medical research, individuals who submit their data are eligible for shares in LunaDNA. LunaDNA was granted precedent setting qualification from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as the only company able to grant members ownership shares in exchange for their data. The monetary value of a LunaDNA share is expressed through dividends consistent with an individual’s ownership percentage. Holders of shares are able to increase their holdings by contributing more data, and the database becomes more valuable over time as research advances and medical discoveries are accelerated.

“There is a massive amount of data that would be invaluable to researchers if they were able to access it in a standardized format,” said Sharon Terry, President and Chief Executive Officer, Genetic Alliance. “In a world where medical records are increasingly complicated, it’s wonderful to see companies like Medfusion and LunaPBC working together to make it easier for both patients and researchers to access this information.”

About Luna

Luna’s suite of tools and services connects communities with researchers to accelerate health discoveries. With participation from more than 180 countries and communities advancing causes including disease-specific, public health, environmental, and emerging interests, Luna empowers these collectives to gather a wide range of data—health records, lived experience, disease history, genomics, and more—for research.

Luna gives academia and industry everything they need from engagement with study participants to data analysis across multiple modalities using a common data model. The platform is compliant with clinical regulatory requirements and international consumer data privacy laws.

By providing privacy-protected individuals a way to continually engage, Luna transforms the traditional patient-disconnected database into a dynamic, longitudinal discovery environment where researchers, industry, and community leaders can leverage a range of tools to surface insights and trends, study disease natural history and biomarkers, and enroll in clinical studies and trials.