By Andrea Park, Becker’s Hospital Review | June, 6, 2019

LifeBridge Health and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, both based in Baltimore, named Socially Determined, a Washington, D.C.-based data analytics startup, the winner of their inaugural pitch competition this week, according to the Baltimore Business Journal.

Socially Determined competed against five other finalists for the innovation challenge’s $50,000 prize, meant to aid in research and product development. The startup’s platform analyzes 130 federal and local datasets and additional community-level data to map the impact of social determinants of health across communities, and partners with health systems and insurers to identify people and groups in need of social or health interventions.

With the funding and recognition from the challenge, Socially Determined will work alongside LifeBridge, a nonprofit health system, CareFirst, the largest health insurer in Maryland, and the Baltimore City Health Department to improve the quality of care delivered to the city’s residents.