Base Camp Health, a health care analytics company based in Chattanooga, has launched a digital application to assist employers, health systems, schools, and other organizations as the economy begins to re-open in the Volunteer State and across the country.
The application, Ascend, allows organizations to manage and monitor the return of employees, students, and volunteers by streamlining individual assessments, communication workflows, contact tracing, and population reporting. Ascend uses best practices from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the most up-to-date science, to provide a data-driven approach to protect the safety of individuals and the broader community, while helping organizations get back to peak condition, said officials. Users complete a brief survey from a computer or smartphone and a machine-learning engine recommends the best course of action for that day based on federal, state, and organization-specific guidelines. Decision makers can view aggregated information on the risk of their population and who is eligible to be onsite. The tool is more than a symptom checker. It provides organizations with the digital tools needed to make proactive decisions and keep their people and their mission protected from invisible threats.
“At Base Camp Health, our core business is using data and analytics to identify and support vulnerable populations, and we are all vulnerable in this situation,” said Base Camp Health CEO Leigh McCormack, a data scientist with over a decade of experience developing and applying analytical solutions to complex health care problems. “As communities begin to bring individuals back to their places of work, learning, and worship, it is important for employers and institutions to properly mitigate risks. Ascend is a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform that enhances the safety of employees and students, limits liability risks for employers and institutions, and encourages individuals to play a part in their health and the health of those around them. We are excited about the launch of Ascend and look forward to working with companies and organizations in the Chattanooga area, throughout Tennessee, and across the country as we continue to combat the spread of COVID-19 and move toward a new normal.”
Base Camp Health also announced an addition to its senior leadership team with the hiring of Dr. Andrew Bland, who will serve as chief health informatics officer. Dr. Bland recently returned from New York City, where he volunteered as a nephrology attending physician at NYU-Brooklyn and treated COVID-19 patients with kidney issues. He is triple board certified in internal medicine, pediatrics, and nephrology and holds a masters of business administration from the University of Massachusetts and a masters of data science and predictive analytics from Northwestern University. Dr. Bland was recently recognized by Becker’s HealthCare as one of the 100 Chief Medical Officers to know for 2020.
“Dr. Bland’s recent experience treating patients with COVID-19 will be extremely helpful as we deploy Ascend,” said Ms. McCormack. “He comes to Base Camp Health with experience in the research, development, and deployment of digital health care solutions, and his clinical perspective will be invaluable to our clients.”
“I am excited to join the Base Camp Health team,” said Dr. Bland. “My training and real-world experience augments the already experienced team. We are bringing forth relevant, timely, and actionable applications to the market quickly using the latest advances in analytics and clinical science.”
Chattanooga Christian School plans to use Ascend to protect the safety of its students and teachers as they return to campus.
“In uncertain times, we are looking for expert partners to link arms with to provide the safest possible environment for our students and employees,” said Chad Dirkse, president of Chattanooga Christian School. “Base Camp Health climbed to the top of the list with their experienced leadership and Ascend platform. They give us the confidence that the health data we needed to collect and communication structures we needed with our families and local health agency would be done in compliance with the fluid guidance we must follow and with the highest level of data security and accurate, precise communication.”