Presaj Inc., a Cedar Rapids-based health care risk assessment and mitigation company, has been awarded a $256,000 National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research grant to develop a system that identifies and reduces risk in high-impact surgical procedures and medical conditions. Presaj’s digital tool gives health care providers access to patient-specific risk data that quantifies procedural, patient and other risk factors, along with their interactions, for common medical and surgical procedures, the company said in a press release. The tool will enable physicians to “improve medical treatment and outcomes for patients, reduce errors and lower overall medical costs.” Medical errors, a subset of complications, represent the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. In addition to a collaboration with UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital, Presaj has enlisted experts from Duke University Medical Center and the University of Iowa College of Public Health, along with actuarial, machine learning and engineering consulting firms. With this support and NSF funding, Presaj will build and test its initial prototype later this year.