What was the impetus for the change from Meridian Analytics to Discern Health?
The company has trained its predictive healthcare models on a unique data set that came from modeling longevity risk in the life insurance space– it was longitudinal. That’s where Meridian came from – a play-off of longitudinal. But, we realized, by bringing in clinicians like Dr. Paulo Pinho to work alongside our data scientists, we were doing more than analyzing longitudinal data. We wanted the information and the models to impact real people – real patients – in a positive way.
Our North Star is that, yes, we work with data, but we use it to help drive an actionable outcome and to change the health span and trajectory of an individual person’s real life. It’s not necessarily just the longevity of someone’s life, but also improving the quality of their life. If we can help classify risk – discern what could become a problem – and help providers and care managers intervene, that’s success.
What are some unique elements of the name and logo that someone may not recognize at first glance?
As we stared at the word Discern – one thing that jumped out to us was the “i” and how it looks like a person, almost a Lego character. It is a nod to the fact that we may be a data technology company, but we need to stay focused on the person who will be impacted at the end – the patient, the provider who uses our models to improve care, and so on.
The letters in the logo also all have a forward curve to them – a reminder of progress and trying to anticipate what’s ahead, what’s around the curve.
What should a healthcare professional take away from the name Discern?
As a company, we’re not trying to replace the healthcare provider. Trained clinicians can understand the nuances of a patient’s history and navigate abstract things with emotional intelligence. Our products are not trying to replace outcomes for a provider. We’re trying to equip and help them discern and triage better, making the most of their time. We’re trying to help the actual decision maker discern more effectively and efficiently. It’s a partnership support mentality.
