Big Data Analytics Adoption Increases 6% Since 2013

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

Study shows the adoption of clinical analytics and business intelligence infrastructure is growing.

According to a HIMSS Analytics new issue brief, healthcare organizations are realizing the value of investing in big data analytics and, as a result, the adoption of clinical analytics and business intelligence (C&BI) infrastructure is on the rise. In fact, healthcare big data analytics adoption has seen a 6 percent increase by provider organizations since 2013 resulting in more than half the industry now relying on some form of advanced clinical or financial decision-making technology that harnesses big pools of varied data.

In 2013, HIMSS Analytics found 46.2 percent of healthcare organizations were utilizing some form of clinical and business intelligence solution in place. In 2015, that number has increased to 52.1 percent. Fifty-four percent of these organizations said they get their C&BI package from the same vendor as their electronic health record as they seek to bolster their population health management capabilities.

But it is important to note this might be a conservative estimate, depending on how software is defined. HIMSS Analytics explains, “For the purposes of this study, a Clinical & Business Intelligence (C&BI) solution is being defined as a solution that identifies, extracts and analyzes business data (revenue by department, associated costs, etc.) to support business decision making, and clinical data (lab results, medical histories, medical records) to support healthcare decision making,” but other data sources seem to have a broader scope.

And the results of the 26th annual Leadership Survey at HIMSS15 demonstrate, according to EHR Intelligence, that nearly 70 percent of respondents said health IT is effectively improving the triple aim – boosting the patient experience, reducing the costs of healthcare, and advancing population health outcomes. “This year’s survey showed that more than one-third of participants report that their organization was able to demonstrate improvement in all three areas covered in the Triple Aim as a result of their IT use,” said John H. Daniels, VP, strategic relations for HIMSS.

“These numbers are critical as they prove the continued progress healthcare is making as IT integrates with value-based care strategies and the growing influence of the patient in health encounters. It will be important for providers to capitalize on this momentum to ensure improved patient satisfaction as the sector begins the transition from Stage 2 to Stage 3 of Meaningful Use.”

The HIMSS Analytics notes providers have shifted their focus from value-based reimbursement and accountable care to population health management as the core competency most likely to benefit from focused infrastructure investment. More than half of registered hospitals in the United States are using some type of population health management tool to stratify risk, aid chronic disease care, and improve coordination across the care continuum, data from Definitive Healthcare adds.

According to the survey 38 percent of organizations are currently using a dedicated population health management tool and the majority of respondents hope to expand their healthcare big data analytics investments over the coming months.