In the health care sector, managing data well is almost as important as a patient getting the correct diagnosis when they go for an appointment. Patients and doctors need to keep track of health information to help them make better decisions about health matters. But, how this health information is handled and protected is of utmost importance.
Data governance in healthcare is the process of collecting medical data from patients, organizing it, and taking lessons from its analysis. It allows health workers to store and access records efficiently and in the most economical way. But managing healthcare data is easier said than done, as most health professionals will let you know.
Difficult to use EHR systems and untranscribed records are just a few of the challenges the health care industry faces. But as everything is transitioning to digital platforms, the healthcare industry is moving in leaps and bounds towards data governance.
In this article, we will look at the importance of data governance in healthcare and begin to understand what the industry is doing to improve. Keep reading to learn more about healthcare data management.
The American Health Information Management Association, or AHIMA, defines data governance as a health institution's framework or plans to organize, secure, and make patients' information accessible throughout its life cycle. This includes keeping detailed records of all patients from the first time they walk into a health institution even beyond their last visit, for reference purposes.
The information includes patients' diagnoses, ailments, treatments, billing records, progress, etc. Additional information includes medication health providers, amongst other pertinent details. The process also requires proper IT support from professionals, EHRs, and updating protocols. Having a well-maintained and up-to-date EHR is very important in order to maintain smooth, efficient, and secure operations.
Thus, health institutions implementing proper data governance into their workflows is essential to keep the health system functioning.
Health data is sensitive. Patients' medical information, institutional procedures, and financial details pose a security risk if in the wrong hands. As such, the federal, state, and regional governments all have regulatory requirements the health care industry needs to follow.
These regulations ensure that patients, healthcare providers, and healthcare institutions remain protected. They ensure there are records to refer to if something goes wrong. Data governance also helps manage billing and tax information for institutions and authorities.
The best pharmaceutical companies and hospitals use data collected from the medical world to create and improve medications and treatments. Analyzing trends helps in understanding the lay of the land, sort to speak. Medical experts can deduce what ailments are on the rise or on the decline and try to figure out why.
With this insight, health institutions can adequately prepare their facilities and staff. Drug companies can also ramp up or down the production of certain medicines or start developing new ones to deal with coming trends.
If data is not managed correctly from the beginning, such kind of analysis is not possible. Findings from unreliable data sources are, well, unreliable.
In today's digital world, data is king. The right kind of data has a market value, and data doesn't come as valuable as medical data does. Cases of cybercriminals hijacking health institutions' data for ransom or health institutions making a killing-off selling data are not uncommon. As such, protecting it is a necessity.
Having a data governance procedure ensures that data is properly collected, processed, stored, and accessed to relevant people securely and efficiently. Data governance offers a chance to plan safety protocols that secure data. Making it easy to give the right people access and restrict access from people with malicious intent.
Medicine has managed to advance at such a high rate in the new age. This is because of the ability to property log and share medical information. Health practitioners can learn from breakthroughs or mistakes in the field from anywhere in the world. This is easy and fast, all thanks to data governance. With the help of data governance systems, information can be captured and shared with other parties when applicable.
Having processes ensures that people learn what to expect from their healthcare institutions. Patients don't have to feel like a deer in the headlights, and health workers get more confident in their abilities.
A proper data governance system and the processes they offer make it easier to log pertinent information for storage. Enhancing an institution's efficiency, patients' experience, and transparency. And depending on the circumstance, the data can act as reference material or evidence in the future. Further incentivizing diligence and transparency in the healthcare industry.
Data governance allows for the quick discovery of information. If applicable, people on the same system can enjoy quick access and easy data sharing within the institution or outside. Management can also track the use of their data and allow or decline access to relevant users.
This helps cut down on the time it takes to search and gain access to data. Improving collaboration between different departments, enhancing the quality of service provided to patients, and increasing job satisfaction.
Health care institutions have a few ways they use data. And to get the most out of the data they collect, they have to be clear about how data governance fits into their overall strategy. Once clear on the objectives, optimize your data governance to help you reach them.
Health institutions must collect and keep data relevant to remain compliant. As such, your data governance strategy needs to account for the organization of information. This should help you achieve your objectives in no time.
Define what type of data lives where, who has access to it and how they access it. Ensure the processes are easy enough. They should be convenient for the users but secure enough to keep intruders at bay. Striking a good balance between security and accessibility is one of the greatest challenges within data governance.
The quality of the data you collect will determine the quality of the results you're trying to get. Healthcare data is sensitive.
Train Users and Assign Responsibilities
You need the right people in your organization doing the right thing to meet your objectives. Train your team members and ensure they have support systems to help them do their jobs.
"Accountable allowed us to quickly establish Core Compliance with HIPAA as well as a firm foundation for our Security Program." - Michael H.
