Healthcare

Healthcare Pains

Healthcare is becoming more data driven than ever before.  Competition around the delivery of care, increased pressure on reimbursements, increasing costs of care delivery, creating the right incentive models for behavior changes and attracting, aligning and retaining Physicians, have all placed a spotlight on having trusted information which is timely and within the right context.  Patients are searching for quality metrics about their healthcare services, medical information and pricing information online. Organizations which can provide this information and demonstrate improvement will be at an advantage as the patient (consumer) plays a larger role in making their own healthcare related decisions.

Understanding your Challenges

The Healthcare industry is facing unprecedented pressure to harness the power of the data being captured, to improve continuity of care.  Adherence to best practices for managing chronic conditions, improved care coordination, population management, enhanced accountability, changing reimbursement models…all are driving the need for data which is timely and trusted.  By having standardized care based on leading practices as well as actionable information, patients, hospitals and physicians will all benefit.

Having “enough” data is not the problem…making sense of it is the challenge.  Spreadsheets, hidden or disparate databases and herculean manual efforts to assemble the needed information, often mask the challenge and the actual costs.  This is true not only in terms of dollars but also as it relates to the impact on quality, patient safety and outcomes.

With a proliferation of spreadsheets and isolated data bases, can you answer questions such as?

• The greatest efficiencies come from sharing data across financial, operational and clinical departments.  Is your organization successfully doing this today?  Is it based on a “single version of the truth”?
• Are you able to perform ad hoc analysis…pulling from multiple sources of patient data?
• How many diabetes patients total?  How many based on AF4Q?  NCQA?  How many meet the definition of under control?
• Do you have a clear view of whether your services lines and/or procedures are efficient or profitable?
• Do you have the ability to perform post treatment analysis?
• Do you have the ability to view clinical data on a daily basis and to be able to identify the “who” and the “what” by demographics (trends)?  How might this affect patient flow if you could?
• Does your organization email spreadsheets and standalone documents potentially creating issues around accuracy and privacy?
• Do you receive or have access to information when you need it?  Is it presented in a way that allows you to immediately recognize measures/areas that need attention/improvement?