https://alissoftware.com/blogs/data-governance-the-key-piece-of-the-puzzle-for-healthcare-industry/
Instituting a culture of value measurement in healthcare, like other industries, involves developing a shared understanding of how value is defined so it can be measured, managed, monitored and analyzed. It is very much important that a chain of trust is created from the source to the final user of the data so that both the producers and the consumers of the data are confident of the data being appropriately used. Healthcare firms need to have a robust ‘Data Governance’ system in place to ensure that the data is trusted and used for its purpose.
In healthcare, Data Governance is essential for managing the data lifecycle – from the moment a patient’s information is collected until they are discharged. The lifecycle includes activities like tests, treatment, research, payment and more.
Having solid organization-wide data governance policies and practices helps healthcare companies achieve more accurate data across the organization which leads to:
- Improved patient experience (quality and satisfaction)
- Improved health of populations
- Reduced per capita cost of healthcare
Many healthcare providers understand the importance of data governance, but struggle to:
- Protect data from threats of incorrect access and use
- Share data across the organization
- Acquire and develop the right tools, skillset and resources to manage data
Let’s have a look at how data governance can address the key pain points of the healthcare industry.
Helps patients, healthcare providers and employees
Data governance helps in linking patients with the healthcare providers and services that ultimately aids individuals to achieve and maintain good health. It provides a way for hospitals to better understand the services that may be covered under insurances. Data Governance also helps manage and monitor electronic medical records (EMR).
Helps enhance HIPAA protections
Another challenge healthcare providers face is linking healthcare data while complying with HIPAA. Data governance also helps in strengthening HIPAA protections. With a robust data governance system in place, hospitals can prevent unauthorized access to the private health information of patients. Data governance helps define personal health information and to form policies to safeguard health data and keep it private.
Improves health information exchange process
As patients visit several hospitals seeking services, they leave numerous bits of their health data with the healthcare providers; yet, no one organization can access all of the data at one time. Data governance, in a way, propels this application-centric data system to change to a patient-centric data system by streamlining the Health Information Exchange (HIE) process.
How to take the first step in the healthcare data analytics journey?
The first and foremost step to harness the power of healthcare information to boost patient care, improve the standard of services and better meet government regulations is having a healthy data governance system in place. In this highly competitive world, every healthcare organization needs Data analytics to draw insights and stay ahead of their competitors by implementing those insights. ALIS helps healthcare organization to establish an organization-wide framework for governing data throughout its lifecycle.
In this data-driven world, data has become the most important asset of the healthcare sector and will continue to be. From heartbeat measures and surgical records to immunization histories, insurance claims, patient demographics and payment receipts, every activity of the healthcare ecosystem depends on endless streams of data. Without timely, accurate, clean, and complete data, healthcare firms will not be able to move beyond record keeping and develop the analytics competencies that will help them survive in the emerging world of value-based healthcare.
