News Feature | June 2, 2014

How CIOs View Data Analytics

Christine Kern

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

CIO Data Analytics Outlook

Data analytics is a key to ACO and value-based healthcare success.

According to results of a new survey published last week, nearly all provider CIO respondents believe data analytics will play a big role in succeeding with accountable care and other value-based healthcare initiatives. But while 42 percent of respondents said they have a flexible and scalable analytics plan, more than three-quarters reported only moderate or minimal commitment to integrating analytics into practice.

The survey, conducted by eHealth Initiative and the College of Health Information Management Executives (CHIME) polled CIOs and C-level Executives across the country to examine the use of data and analytics.

The April survey got responses from 98 provider organizations—35 percent delivery systems, 27 percent hospitals, 14 percent academic medical centers, and 9 percent community health centers/clinics. Only four respondents were not running analytics at the time of the survey.

Key findings include:

  • Data comes from many sources. Seventy-two percent of responding providers extract data from more than 10 platforms or interfaces--some more than 100--with EHR and billing/financial data still by far the most common. But data also comes from patient-generated sources such as portals and health risk assessments (45 percent), unstructured text (39 percent), remote monitoring devices (29 percent), health information exchanges (22 percent), mobile applications (11 percent) and genomic data (7 percent).
  • Analytics remain in the early stages of maturity. Traditional common uses of analytics continue at high levels. These include quality improvement (93 percent), revenue cycle management, (91 percent), resource utilization (81 percent), and population health management (79 percent). Respondents use descriptive analytics that mine for historical or retrospective analysis at a 94 percent rate. Only 68 percent use predictive analytics to forecast outcomes, trends or performance, and this is mostly done on a monthly or quarterly basis. One-third use prescriptive analytics with sophisticated models to optimize performance and recommend specific actions. On 20 percent of respondent’s analytics operations regularly integrate and coordinate at an institutional level.
  • Organizations recognize the importance of data and analytics, but many have not committed to its investment or use. Ninety-four percent of organizations believe that value-based care initiatives rely on analytics for success, but only 42 percent have implemented a flexible and scalable plan for their analytics platform to adapt to the growing volume, liquidity, and availability of health data. Most reported only moderate (44 percent) or minimal (34 percent) commitment to integrating analytics into practice.
  • New Barriers to analytics are emerging beyond staffing, interoperability, and cost. Survey respondents report new challenges are emerging, including access to external data beyond proprietary networks; cost-prohibitive work required to clean/validate/integrate external data when available, lack of funding or return on investment, increased regulations on data use and patient privacy. “These trends suggest the critical need for strategic planning in implementing analytics, no matter how large or small,” according to a report of survey results.
  • Consumer engagement has started to make its mark on data analytics initiatives. Two-thirds of respondents use analytics to support engagement with the primary focus being on patient satisfaction. But few organizations also are applying analytics to consumer strategies such as personalized communication and services, acquisition and retention of consumers, or targeted behavioral change programs.