Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1235190
34 DATA ANALYTICS & INFORMATICS HBR: Relying on data will improve decision-making— 10 steps to foster a data-driven culture By Andrea Park I f done properly, collecting and utilizing patient data promises to streamline business operations and strategies and boost engage- ment, but very few organizations have unlocked the full potential of the data they have amassed. An article in the Harvard Business Review posits that "the biggest obsta- cles to creating data-based businesses aren't technical; they're cultural. It is simple enough to describe how to inject data into a decision-making process. It is far harder to make this normal, even automatic, for employ- ees — a shi in mindset that presents a daunting challenge." To overcome those challenges, the article offers 10 guidelines to ensure organizations are building a culture that allows for the most effective use of the vast amounts of data they are collecting. 1. Understand that a data-driven culture starts at the top levels of an organization. 2. Be careful in choosing what data, exactly, to collect. 3. Allow data scientists to work in close proximity to business operations. 4. Address data-access issues as quickly as possible. 5. Be prepared for a certain amount of uncertainty. 6. Pursue analytics projects that are simple and viable, rather than flashy and exciting. 7. Don't overwhelm analysts with unneeded additional training. 8. Use data and analytics to help employees, too. 9. Build consistency across the organization. 10. Ask teams to explain every analytical choice. n Tampa General introduces data analytics platform By Mackenzie Garrity T ampa (Fla.) General Hospital partnered with Agathos to provide more clinical feedback to physicians to improve their patient outcomes. The Agathos platform generates insights in patient outcomes so clinicians can improve the care they are giving. Since deploying the platform, Tampa Gener- al Hospital has reduced the use of unnecessary lab testing, improved communication between physicians and decreased discharge delays. Throughout the year, the hospital plans to develop different case studies for the data analytics platform. The Agathos platform was brought to Tampa General Hospi- tal by the Dreamit Ventures' healthcare program, which connects health systems with innovation. "It's critical for our physicians to have the tools to monitor and improve utilization and performance. This innovative platform generates outstanding depth and insights personalized for our providers," said Scott Arnold, executive vice president and CIO of Tampa General Hospital. "Similar to a baseball card where you see the player's performance statistics, Agathos shows our physicians their clinical statistics so they can make the best decisions in patient care, in an intuitive and visually pleasing platform," he added. n Most healthcare organizations lack data infrastructure needed for value-based care By Andrea Park T hough the majority of healthcare executives agree that a combination of analytics and technology is the most critical factor for success in value-based care, most organizations still lack the proper infrastructure to integrate patient data, according to a report from Innovaccer. In a survey of nearly 3,000 healthcare executives, the health- care data startup found wide variation in healthcare organi- zations' approaches to data integration. About 20 percent of respondents said they rely on their EHR vendor or a cloud-based solution to bring all patient-related data into one place, while about 30 percent said they do not have all patient-related data in one place. Just over 20 per- cent have constructed an in-house data warehouse or data mart for this purpose. Additionally, though population health management is a core component of a robust value-based care strategy, many healthcare organizations still have yet to implement a population health management platform. According to the report, only 53 percent of respondents have an appropriate platform in place; another 26 percent said they are planning to implement a population health program soon. n