RTI International Invests in Healthcare Technology Companies b.well Connected Health and BEKhealth

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Jan 13, 2025, 08:38 ET

The partnerships will be a cornerstone for initiatives to leverage technology and data to maximize impact on patient outcomes

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Jan. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Nonprofit research institute RTI International announced two new collaborations and equity investments with b.well Connected Health, a Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) enabled digital platform that unifies fragmented healthcare data and services into personalized digital experiences, and BEKhealth, an AI-powered chart abstraction and patient-matching platform that integrates electronic health records (EHR) data to optimize feasibility and rapidly identify clinically qualified participants for clinical research.

The new partnerships align with the RTI Health Solutions business unit's strategic initiative to leverage technology and data to maximize impact on patient outcomes. Additionally, these capabilities will enable all RTI's health businesses to further incorporate patient-level real-world data (RWD) into their research to provide clients with meaningful insights into changes, trends and causal relationships over time.

"Our strategic investments in b.well Connected Health and BEKhealth are another step in our exciting growth journey," said Senior Vice President Chris Simmons, head of RTI Health Solutions. "We're not just providing capital; we're building partnerships that will drive innovation and create value across the health sector in the U.S. and around the world."

Kelly Hollis, senior vice president, patient centered outcomes research at RTI Health Solutions, added, "These healthcare technology investments will enable RTI to efficiently identify the right patients and gather deeper insights through integrated evidence generation across multiple data sources. Through these partnerships, RTI will be able to connect real-time, real-world data with patient-provided insights to illuminate the full picture of the patient experience and patient journey with the goal of improving healthcare decision making."

Additional potential outcomes include the ability to build longitudinal data assets, accelerate study timelines, drive cost efficiencies in client engagements and deliver expanded and innovative new study designs.

"Our strategic partnership with RTI International introduces a new approach to research in the pharma and life sciences industry," said Kristen Valdes, founder and CEO of b.well Connected Health. "With recent regulations granting all Americans access to their medical data, we have an exciting pathway to expedite recruitment and broaden research populations, all directed by consumers. As the market leader in providing people with complete access to their health data, b.well is thrilled to partner with RTI to advance solutions that put consumers in control and simplify how they access and manage their health."

"We're excited to further leverage our AI-powered chart abstraction technology to support patient identification and matching technology to enhance patient recruitment and enrollment," said David Levin, CEO at BEKhealth. "RTI International is a fantastic research partner for us."

RTI Health Solutions provides consulting and research expertise to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostics and medical device companies. The institute's investments in b.well Connected Health and BEKhealth add to its development portfolio spanning domains including technology-enabled clinical and epidemiological, real-world research, including but not limited to precision medicine, healthcare analytics, patient engagement solutions, population health and diagnostic testing.

About RTI International
RTI International is an independent, nonprofit research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Clients rely on us to answer questions that demand an objective and multidisciplinary approach—one that integrates expertise across the social and laboratory sciences, engineering, and international development. We believe in the promise of science, and we are inspired every day to deliver on that promise for the good of people, communities, and businesses around the world. For more information, visit www.rti.org.

About RTI Health Solutions
As a business unit of RTI International, RTI Health Solutions (RTI-HS) provides consulting and research expertise to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostics, and medical device companies. Located across the US and Europe, our staff have led projects in approximately 80 countries. Our solutions include: