Operational dilemmas are experienced in all industries. Airlines, for example, are arguably more operationally complex, asset-intensive and regulated than hospitals, yet the best performers are doing a far better job than most hospitals at keeping costs low and make a decent profit while delivering what their customers expect. Southwest Airlines, for example, has figured out how to excel at the two operational things that matter most: Keep more planes in the sky more often, and fill each of them with more passengers and more often than anyone else. Similarly, winners in other complex, asset-intensive, service-based industries — Amazon, UPS and FedEx — have figured out how to over deliver on their promise while staying streamlined and cost-effective.
Healthcare is one of the most expensive industries in the United States. For years, experts have tossed around potential cost-saving solutions, often involving the integration of technology into health facilities. Many of these solutions focus on the flashy topic of artificial intelligence. And while the potential cost savings with AI implementation are projected equate up to $150 billion annually in the health field, there are simple investments that are being overlooked that will not only help prepare health facilities for implementing AI down the road, but will provide results now.
Consumers today expect technology to be not only fast, but readily available and intuitive as well. With smart phones, tablets and other everyday technologies, we have become accustomed to searching for and finding what we need instantly. Healthcare informatics professionals are no different. Just 10 years ago, people accepted that software might take longer to answer a question, run calculations or even move to another screen.
Thanks to an ambitious Health and Human Services timeline that hopes to see 90 percent of traditional Medicare payments transformed into value-based reimbursement, healthcare payers, particularly Medicare Advantage plans, are relying more heavily upon population health and data analytics to track, forecast and improve patient outcomes.
Healthcare providers store a colossal amount of data in the form of decades of patient information, gathered before the real birth of data analytics, and before the concept of “big data” even existed. Piedmont alone had over 22,000 fields to analyze gathered from around 30 different published data sources. Multiplied by the number of records available Piedmont had to extract value from over 555 billion data points.
The need for efficient, reliable, and cost-effective storage solutions has never been greater. Healthcare providers are awash in data and as the amount of data healthcare users create continues to grow, so does the need for more robust security and better storage management.
One year ago, Jackson Health System in Miami realized a cultural shift was necessary in order to move forward. By Bill Griffith, Vice President of Business Process/Operational Improvement for Jackson Health System, Miami
A big part of routine daily healthcare management operations is managing huge volumes of data—and it's becoming increasingly more of a challenge. EMC estimates the amount of stored healthcare data nearly doubles every two years. The amount of data managed will continue to grow as healthcare organizations add new equipment and incorporate data-intensive, next-generation diagnostic tools.
Data breaches continue to dominate healthcare headlines, leading one to wonder if the unprecedented growth of Big Data is to blame? Health Data Consortium CEO Chris Boone shares his thoughts on this subject and more.
Healthcare dashboards are often computers screens, printouts, or other displays that allow hospitals and healthcare organizations to monitor and gain greater insight into their key performance indicators (KPIs). Based on the goals of the organization, dashboards can be customized to display any relevant information and can be updated in real-time to allow for quick and simple monitoring.
Dashboards can also be customized to show data relevant to hospital administrators, patients, physicians, and other stakeholders. Dashboards provide users with a simple way to pull reports and monitor quality of care, while acting as an easy clinical decision aide tool. Dashboards are beneficial to doctors, nurses, and staff because they provide a very quick overview, often with charts and graphs, allowing busy individuals to quickly take in the necessary information and make appropriate decisions.
HIMSS Poll finds nursing informatics specialists’ experience and salary continue to rise. Nursing Informatics Continues To Grow, Survey Finds By Christine Kern, contributing writer
