Driving value from big data and digital health investments in your organization

By Shaillee J. Chopra, Senior Manager GE Healthcare Camden Group ([email protected])

Healthcare organizations are making substantial investments in digital health technologies and analytics aimed at improving coordination and delivery of optimized care at a reduced cost while finding new and innovative ways to engage, educate, empower, and retain consumers. Developing an effective, efficient digitally empowered care delivery system from which to identify and drive profitability under value-based contracts remains of utmost importance. However, developing population health capabilities especially a big data framework to support strategic initiatives, continues to be a struggle for chief financial officers and many healthcare organizations as they consider current and future investments, return of these investments and revenue implications from shifts in their utilization.

Big data and a digitally empowered healthcare eco-system is as good as the value it delivers.

Whether the digital health technology aims to provide seamless access to health information and education to healthcare consumers; improve accessibility to care via tele-medicine; create patient engagement in health management via mobile and personal health devices, or reduce costs and increase operational efficiency for healthcare providers, true success lies in the abilities of analytics to measure results and begin to predict additional outcomes based on certain capabilities, actions and activities. The goal is to objectively evaluate the value of population capabilities versus desired strategic objectives of the organization.

Similarly, there is no immediate benefit to big data analytics unless it produces actionable insights. Insights translate to tangible knowledge if they are executed upon under well-defined acre models and care management services that leverages best practices, methodologies, organizational structures, and embedded workflows. The end result of big data initiatives is not analytics but the insights, knowledge and action that provide measurable value. 

Build a value-based framework to measure effectiveness and return on investment in your big data and digital health initiatives

High performing organizations are creating analytics based value models enabling healthcare organizations to quantify risk, evaluate impacts to changes in utilization and predict future outcomes related to care management programs improved management of ancillary services. It also allows organizations to measure, track and predict return on investments in population health capabilities including digital health technology and staffing resources associated with various programs aimed at managing health of populations.

Healthcare organizations that have developed a value based framework for their digital health and big data initiatives have incorporated best practices that focus on building a strong information management framework, establishing value driven needs and requirements, and creating actionable information that drives knowledge ennoblement and strategic success. Below are some of these best practices.  

First things first: Begin with the end in mind

Key to establishing a value framework that drives decision-making and actions within the organization is to ensure that you begin with the end in mind and develop a clear understanding of the key goals you want to accomplish.  

Place a premium on data governance within the digital ecosystem

It is important to identify key consumers of digital health and big data initiatives within your organization early on. Understanding information needs of the users, their level of data literacy (ability to understand and interpret data), and the ability to act on information offered via these platforms determines the pace at which your organization can successfully adopt these technologies and realize a tangible value against your investment.

Multidisciplinary data governance ensures that investments in big data and digital health initiatives supports the strategic initiatives of the organization. It becomes an important mechanism in establishing data integrity, alignment of technology platform criteria, and measurement of value.

Build a value based information blueprint to guide delivery and implementation of digital health solutions

This framework is an extremely valuable tool in helping understand the pace at which the organization can build capabilities and create actionable reports. It helps identify value levers (cost of revenue) that can be leveraged to achieve desired outcomes. It acts as a blueprint to which existing and new technology vendor partners have to come together and deliver results with continual commitment to building desired operational capabilities for your organization and not limiting to implementing the application’s functionality.

Think Big, Start Small and Go Fast: Build for scalability and sustainability

Often digital health and big data initiatives become too complex too fast, yet they lack the ability to produce any measurable value. Information produced from analytics platforms might identify a problem, but an established operational framework is needed to solve the problem. The usability of the digital health technology is closely tied with an integrated workflow that ensures seamless and cohesive flow of information. Organizations who have successfully built action-oriented value-based frameworks for digital health and big data initiatives have started small, often around a “proof-of-concept”, and gradually expanded based on the strategic and operational requirements of the organization. Consider establishing a change management framework that helps manage the culture change in how the organization collects data, uses actionable information, and makes outcome based-decisions.

Convergence of digital health and big data initiatives empowers your healthcare organization to better track, manage and improve the health of populations you serve. It can also help to reduce inefficiencies in healthcare delivery, improve access, reduce costs, increase quality, and make medicine more personalized and precise for patients. Utilizing a value models allows your healthcare organization to optimally invest resources and dollars towards operational programs that generate outcomes and value in the most alignment with strategic goals.