Healthcare Federated Analytics Platform

Challenge

A large healthcare system needed to enable cross-institution research while maintaining strict HIPAA compliance and data privacy. Each hospital had its own data systems, making it impossible to conduct federated research across the network.

Solution

We built a privacy-preserving federated analytics platform that enables research across multiple healthcare institutions without centralizing sensitive patient data.

Key Components

• Federated Query Engine: Starburst with privacy-preserving query capabilities
• Data Mesh Architecture: Each hospital maintains data sovereignty
• Privacy Controls: Advanced data masking and differential privacy
• Research Portal: Self-serve analytics platform for researchers

Privacy & Security Features

• Data Never Leaves Source: Queries execute at the data source
• Differential Privacy: Statistical noise added to protect individual records
• Audit Trails: Complete lineage tracking for compliance
• Access Controls: Role-based permissions with data minimization

Results

• Zero data breaches during 2-year implementation
• 50+ research studies enabled across 12 hospitals
• 90% reduction in data preparation time for researchers
• 100% HIPAA compliance with automated privacy controls

Technology Stack

• Query Engine: Starburst Enterprise with privacy extensions
• Storage: Encrypted data lakes at each institution
• Privacy: Custom differential privacy implementation
• Governance: OPA-based policy engine with HIPAA controls
• Analytics: Jupyter notebooks with federated query capabilities

Business Impact

The federated platform enabled:

• Cross-institution research without compromising patient privacy
• Faster drug discovery through federated clinical trials
• Improved patient outcomes through shared analytics
• Regulatory compliance with minimal overhead