Several years ago the key theme in conversations among medical organization executives was how much to invest in health information technology. Today, healthcare leaders are asking why the investment failed to transform their practice into a lean, efficient, patient-centric ecosystem. Aligning analytics strategy with healthcare organizations is instrumental to answering that question. Bridging the Gap Between Practice Culture and EHR Capabilities There are many strong technology solutions offering data management tools and presentation aids that enable analytics. However, investing heavily in staff training, data storage and impressive dashboards will not help physicians develop self-pay patient policies or gain a deeper understanding of their …show more content…
Data influences performance and performance impacts data. Many healthcare providers have admitted they do not really understand what “analytics” is, let alone how to nurture it or manage the responsive nature. Organizational proficiency plays a vital role in developing responsive data. Small to mid-size practices may benefit from examining recruiting, onboarding and training policies to ensure staff members have the skills and resources necessary to successful fulfill their duties. Along the same vein, establishing a data governance policy that clearly outlines report generation protocol and distribution should demonstrate strategic alignment with organizational goals and objectives, and keep IT teams from being overwhelmed with voluminous requests for reports. Timing Organizational Change Change does not happen instantly. Introducing new reports into traditional workflow patterns can be stressful and may initially hinder productivity and performance. Recognizing that trust in data must be earned, leaders who develop a strong, well-developed process for profiling clinical, operational and business challenges can expect better results when new reports are rolled out. Profiling issues may include consulting with experts to validate findings, rolling out a trial test before implementing change and communicating results to key partners and staff within the practice.