A strong data analytics program can deliver more value than you might expect for your healthcare organization. For starters, it can help you boost operational efficiency, reduce costs, and improve patient outcomes. Not to mention that if you want to begin implementing technological advances like AI, you’ll need rock-solid data.
So how do you move from where you are to where you need to be?
Many of today’s leading healthcare organizations are strengthening their analytics programs by working their way through a maturity model like AMAM from HIMSS (the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society).
As HIMSS describes on their website, AMAM (the Analytics Maturity Assessment Model) provides “an evidence-based framework for improving your data governance, predictive analytics, and population-level health.”
While only a few organizations have reached the highest level of analytics maturity outlined by AMAM (like Seattle Children’s Hospital and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, for example), many more are on the journey.
If you’re considering leveraging an established model to help guide you in your analytics and data governance journey, there are some key components that will help get you well on your way regardless of the model.
First, you’ll need the right tools.
In healthcare, the maturity model process requires, among other things, three important tools: a good data integration platform, a powerful data catalog that’s built for healthcare, and a healthcare metric hub.
Here’s why those tools matter, and how to find them:
1. A Healthcare Data Integration Platform
As a healthcare organization, you have many different types of data being stored in a wide variety of places—from your EMR system to your payroll system and beyond. A data warehouse, data lake, or data lakehouse pulls all of that data into one centralized location so you can manage and access it more effectively. It’s fundamental to building analytics maturity.
PRO TIP:
To implement a data integration platform, start by finding a consulting partner that not only knows how to build and customize exactly what you need, but also can set up the parameters that will keep your data connected, protected, and accessible.
Look for a consulting partner that:
– Understands the sensitivities of healthcare data
– Knows how to quickly build a strong, scalable data platform
– Prioritizes collaboration with your team
– Equips you to succeed ongoing
2. A Healthcare Data Catalog
The next tool you’ll need to grow your analytics program is a data catalog. Why? A data catalog will help you find and access all the information that’s stored in your integrated data platform and—even more importantly—it helps you find the information that’s stored outside of that platform. A good data catalog will help your teams access information faster, make decisions that are smarter, and trust your analytics more, all of which are essential to progressing through the stages of analytics maturity.
PRO TIP:
Find a data catalog that’s built specifically for the healthcare industry. With a healthcare-specific data catalog, you can support all the nuances of healthcare data without paying for additional features you’ll never use.
3. A Healthcare Metric Hub
Another tool that’s core to maturing your analytics program is a metric hub. Why? Because you’ll never be able to trust your data until you know that everyone is aligned on what’s being measured and how it’s being defined. Even better, a good metric hub will enable you to drill down from any dashboard or report to see what those definitions are, who established them, and where to go with questions.
Here’s an example of why this is so critical. Your organization is measuring cost per patient per day, but what if there’s no common agreement on what’s included in that cost? What if different departments are including different things? If that’s happening, your numbers won’t line up, and it will be nearly impossible to build trust in your data.
PRO TIP:
Look for a metric hub that can easily align and store your metrics from top to bottom. At present, there’s only one metric hub that’s built specifically for healthcare data, so be sure to look into it. It’s called the Compendium Metric Hub.
How do those tools translate to analytics maturity?
The right consulting team and tools won’t just support your current needs—they will also grow with you as you climb the analytics maturity ladder. As an example, here’s how your analytics journey could benefit from a data catalog and metric hub:
Starting out:
In the early stages, your data catalog will help you move beyond basic reporting by making relevant datasets easy to find and access.
Leveling Up:
As your organization matures, the detailed metadata and lineage in your data catalog and metric hub will unlock more complex analysis and better decision-making.
Reaching the Top:
At the advanced stage, your data catalog and metric hub will empower you to maintain robust data governance and seamless cross-functional collaboration—so you can drive truly transformative, data-driven initiatives.
The bottom line
Once you’re ready to increase analytics maturity within your healthcare organization, it’s wise to start by looking for a good model, like AMAM. Next, talk with a skilled team you can trust. And keep in mind that there are tools built specifically for your needs—that cost less and do more than some of the bigger brands on the market.
The Compendium Data Catalog and Metric Hub make the maturity process easy—and deliver exactly what you need for your healthcare data.