When it comes to patient data, one thing is clear: The growing complexity of the healthcare industry continues to impact the quality of information. And for organizations working with this highly variable data, predicting the future can feel as reliable as shaking a Magic 8 Ball.
Luckily, IMO Health assembled a panel of experts who have a more reliable vision of what data quality challenges your organization might need to tackle this year. From leveraging your current tech stack for data normalization, to tactical approaches you can take to improve confidence in your data quality, this webinar will help you reduce the barriers to ensuring that your data is not only high quality, but also actionable.
Click below to watch the entire on-demand webinar, Beyond the Magic 8 Ball: How data quality will push healthcare forward in 2023.
For excerpts and clips from the discussion, continue reading below.
Beware ransomware
Amanda Heidemann, MD, FAAFP, and CMIO of KeyCare, Inc., stresses the importance of data availability for achieving data reliability in 2023. However, ransomware attacks against healthcare organizations are an increasing threat to data availability. There are significant patient safety risks if an organization cannot access data due to such attacks. Additionally, Heidemann highlights that hospitals and health systems should not only worry about their electronic health records (EHRs) but also about the other information systems they use – like interfaced payer systems; state healthcare information exchanges (HIEs); and immunization registries – all of which add to an organization’s overall vulnerability to ransomware attacks.
Leveraging your tech stack and empowering others to ask questions
A top-of-mind concern for many across the healthcare space is how to tackle data normalization when there seems to be an endless number of disparate sources of clinical data. Vice President of Clinical Systems at Sharp HealthCare, Dan Exley, MMI, FABC, ACHIP, says that healthcare organizations should leverage their tech stack investments to help normalize their data and improve data quality.
He recommends using basic descriptive analytics tools to profile data sets visually. Rather than spending time building complex dashboards, he suggests that organizations focus on building an understanding around the nature of the data with key leaders – a strategy that has improved data quality for other healthcare organizations. For example, suppose a CFO is empowered with the ability to explore and ask questions about their organization’s financial data. In that case, they will better understand the nature of the data, likely leading to more effective data governance and stewardship.
Evaluate your tech periodically
IMO Health’s Chief Strategy Officer, Dale Sanders, and Dr. Heidemann discuss the need for organizations to periodically evaluate their tech stacks and how they’re being used.
Heidemann emphasizes that with healthcare margins at all-time lows, getting the most value from what you already have is essential. She notes that EHRs and HIEs have expanded capabilities that can be used to manage and engage patients more efficiently. However, Sanders adds that hospitals and health systems must also address clinical terminology and reference data management in the data stack.
