Integral Roles in Implementation of Data/BI Strategy
In order to promote and implement a data analytics and
business intelligence strategy for the organization, data quality, management
and governance must be addressed. Within the
traditional healthcare setting, what specific roles are integral in each
facet above?
The purpose behind developing an analytics and business
intelligence BI strategy in health care is to provide health care organizations
(HCO) with information needed to drive the business forward. Foshay and
Kuziemsky (2013), refer to BI as the, “lifeblood of health care as it is
essential for effective clinical and administrative decision making.”
Developing a team with strong management support who understand data and
business needs is an essential component of building the right team. To
encourage longevity of a BI and analytics team incorporating members from
different areas of the organization including; information technology (IT)
department, business or operations department, and clinical teams will be
essential. Moreover, in developing strategy and the team we must also keep in
mind that the patient is the central focus. A HCO’s strategic goals must be
aligned with driving the business forward, but also ensuring that the goals are
aligned with improved patient care.
Strome (2013), argues that conflicts between teams may arise
at times. Therefore, in developing an analytics and BI strategy it is important
to recognize and agree to organizational goals, create methods to achieve
goals, and identify necessary data. The executive teams play a key role in
strategy development. These members directly use the data gathered to make decisions
to benefit the organization. Executive stakeholders can also be considered
sponsors of the analytics teams and have direct influence on funding
initiatives. Customers and users consist of member from leadership, IT, and
clinical who will also use data to make administrative or clinical decisions
(Strome, 2013). Incorporating members from levels of leadership and executive
teams will be the powerhouse in developing the right team to ensure a long-term
data analytics strategy. These members of the organization understand what the
business needs are and will use the data to act on inefficiencies within the
organization.
Diversity is key when developing an analytics team. Incorporating
input from different teams will help maintain a healthy relationship between
members. This also allows insight from different teams to solve mild to complex
issues. Moreover, diversity helps drive innovation and creative thinking from
different perspectives. Members of a clinical team may have different
perspective on how data should be used, whereas, operations may look at data
differently. Thus, putting their minds together to challenge conventional
methods to create a more innovative solution to a problem (Fahey &Herring,
2007).
The teams would not exist if it weren’t for the patient
(Strome, 2013). A healthcare organizations primary goal is to improve the
quality of patient care. In today’s healthcare system this means providing care
to patients that is affordable and effective. The gathered data is used to help
develop initiatives centralized around quality of care. Therefore,
understanding what treatment is best and using data in the form of decision
support systems to aid in clinical decisions is a crucial part in implementing
an analytics and BI strategy.
Reference:
Fahey,L .,& Herring, J. (2007).
Intelligence teams. Strategy & Leadership, 35 (1), pp.13 – 20. Retrieved
from: http://www.emeraldinsight.com.proxy.cc.uic.edu/doi/full/10.1108/10878570710717245
Foshay, N., & Kuziemsky, C. (2014). Towards an
implementation framework for business intelligence in healthcare. International
Journal of Information Management, 34, pp 20-27. Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org.proxy.cc.uic.edu/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2013.09.003
Strome, T.L. (2013). Developing an analytics strategy to
drive change. Healthcare Analytics for Quality and Performance Improvement (pp.
29-50). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
