HCA has made a "strategic investment" in Nashville-based cognitive computing developer Digital Reasoning as it works to derive more clinical and financial value from unstructured EHR data, the company said Thursday.

Though terms of the investment were not disclosed, the company said HCA's Chief Medical Officer Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, has joined the Digital Reasoning board.

[See also: Apixio launches cognitive computing platform.]

The for-profit health network will work with Digital Reason to develop applications for its Synthesys cognitive computing platform, officials say, with a keen focus on mining data from electronic health records to drive improvements in quality and more cost-effective care.

"This investment is a clear signal that we plan to deliver an ecosystem of intelligent applications that leverage our trusted cognitive platform to drive better outcomes at reduced costs by fundamentally improving clinical workflows involving patient data," said Matthew Russell, chief technology officer for Digital Reasoning, in a statement.

As cognitive computing capabilities evolve, Digital Reasoning officials say the collaboration will help better apply analytics tools to EHRs and clinical data warehouses.

Having previously focused on the government and financial services markets, Digital Reasoning has now pivoted toward healthcare. The company's CEO Tim Estes says the partnership with HCA will help "guide the best application of our technology to healthcare."

Twitter: @mikemiliardHITN