GPEC Submits NSF Grant Proposal to Revolutionize Remote Health Care and Address Inequity

Published: 01/31/2023
Updated: 02/02/2023

Among GPEC’s partners is RPM-One, an Arizona-based technology startup that will play a key role in data interoperability, security, analytics and clinical decision support

The Greater Phoenix Economic Council (“GPEC”), a public-private partnership with more than 190 member organizations spanning local governments, multiple industry sectors and higher education institutions, selects RPM-One, Inc, (“RPM-One”) a venture-backed startup with a proprietary health care data analytics platform, as a key partner in a project submission targeting health inequity to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines grant.

The proposed Continuous Health Advancement through Research, Technology and Talent (CHARTT) regional innovation engine, anchored in Arizona, will revolutionize remote health care and monitoring solutions, thereby ushering in a new care standard, “Advanced Remote Health Care” (ARHC).

“With a commitment to working with Arizona Startups, it was important to find a scalable platform solution that would integrate health data from existing sensors,” said Kathleen Lee, Senior Vice President of Regional Initiatives for GPEC. “RPM-One stood out as the right partner, helping to advance digital health in Arizona and advance opportunities for companies to innovate and create quality jobs in the state.”

For more than 30 years, GPEC has played a significant role in leading diverse stakeholders around complex initiatives with a recognized ability to act quickly and responsively to opportunities and changes in the regional environment.

The NSF grant will appropriately seed and uniquely launch the CHARTT Engine in Arizona, bringing together the necessary research capacity and sources of capital, working along a continuum of research, technology deployment, the transition of legacy systems, clinical care adoption and workforce development.

As part of this visionary ten-year initiative, CHARTT will develop new education and training programs to produce and maintain a diverse workforce capable of sustaining the continued evolution of technologies. In parallel, CHARTT will identify, support and advance the commercialization of technologies and startup growth, thereby facilitating the expansion and growth of the regional innovation ecosystem in Arizona.

Additionally, CHARTT will implement strategies to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and access (DEIA) policies and practices such that economic benefits reach the widest range of community members and create broad-based prosperity and wealth in Arizona.

“GPEC has built strong partnerships within the health care industry, universities and greater Phoenix communities with a demonstrable effectiveness in convening complex, cross-sector collaborations,” said Lee. “These relationships and its economic development expertise will work to further advance CHARTT’s mission and translate innovations into products and services that generate economic opportunities.”

GPEC’s proposal comes at a time when health inequity reaches a level of not only regional but national concern. Underserved populations’ access to affordable, high-quality care is limited and results in an avoidable socioeconomic burden that spans society and affects every individual’s potential to achieve health and financial well-being.

Unnecessary spending attributable to health inequity is currently estimated at $320 billion annually and projected to surpass $1 trillion by 2040 leading to an estimated three-fold increase in the cost of care to the average American.

“The pandemic revealed and exacerbated vulnerabilities in our health care system, particularly in the ability to provide adequate care to medically underserved populations,” said Kevin Longoria, CEO of RPM-One. “Perhaps the silver lining, it acted as a forcing function to validate the clinical utility and socioeconomic potential of digital health care. Beyond medical devices and software applications, this project represents a systematic infrastructure to support widespread implementation across our entire health system.”

Advanced Remote Health Care will become the standard as access to quality care is universally available, regardless of socioeconomic status, geographic location, or existing health status. Availability and accessibility of advanced technology solutions designed to remotely monitor, diagnose and eventually treat complex health conditions lead to better health outcomes, reduce health inequity, lower cost of health care, relieve the professional burden and create new industries and quality jobs.

The NSF Regional Innovation Engines funding is appropriately timed to support cross-sector collaborations between Arizona universities, health care providers and community and tribal colleges to address critical care access gaps that negatively impact health and quality of life for economically disadvantaged populations in Arizona.

GPEC’s initiative curates a diverse group of stakeholders, directors and a board of governance from core partner organizations to collectively provide the scientific and technical expertise and institutional leadership to effectively manage the project and ensure its progress of agreed vision, mission and deliverables.

Partners include Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Yuma Regional Medical Center, Tohono O’odham Health Care, Arizona Western College, Maricopa Community Colleges, Tohono O’odham Community College, H2I Fund, Big Little Sensor Company and RPM-One.

“Solutions established in Arizona will be disseminated across the county through partnerships with universities, health care providers and entrepreneurs,” said Lee. “These partnerships are critical for adapting developments in Arizona to different contexts and meeting the needs of other markets.”

Selecting RPM-One as a key partner greatly aligns with the startup’s mission to develop technologies that address systemic disparities, which requires collaboration with stakeholders across various industries.

“I accepted the role as a contributing member of the CHARTT Governance Board to further align with diverse experts that will take the ARHC concept from ideation to the new standard for equitable health care,” Longoria said.