Advanced analytics success starts with changing your mind
What would you do differently if there were no boundaries to data?
In my role as director of Worldwide Health at Microsoft I have the privilege of working with health leaders around the world who are solving big problems using data. Increasingly, advanced analytics are being used to make health systems better and more responsive to those they serve.
Too often though, I still see innovation initiatives fail because smart, talented clinicians and health executives have such low expectations when it comes to the availability and usefulness of the data they need to solve big problems.
‘Dumbing’ down data initiatives
This attitude of dumbing down data initiatives comes from people being conditioned by the fragmented systems developed and used in healthcare. Health IT has traditionally been made up of many non-standard applications that don’t exchange information. Each day vast quantities of valuable data are generated that could be combined and analyzed to improve outcomes and effectiveness. But the data is locked away in a hundred separate places.
Data in silos
In other words, the problem is not that there isn’t enough data. Most often the problem is that the needed data is stuck in multiple silos. Without the right tools, it’s hard to get to. You might expect that it will require a small army of specially trained analysts and consultants to extract data and generate actionable insights around things that matter. But with today’s technologies, it can be faster and easier than you think.
Ask yourself these questions
The next time you or your team are working to solve a problem ask yourself the following:
- Does anyone know how many IT systems and data sets are used within your organization to provide care and services (including rogue apps and data sets)?
- Is your problem that the needed data doesn’t exist or is it stuck somewhere in the labyrinth of IT systems?
- How would you approach solving your problem differently if there were no boundaries to data (internal or external to your organization)?
Don’t let your answers to the first two questions stunt your innovation initiative. Answer the third question and then use modern tools to bridge data silos and unlock actionable insights.
Reducing boundaries to data and imagine what insights can be gained
At Microsoft, we’re committed to working with health organizations around the world to reduce boundaries to data and empower clinicians and health workers through the availability of information at the moment of need. Among our latest offerings that are being used to bridge the data silos in health are SQL 2016, Cortana Intelligence Suite, Power BI and Azure Machine Learning.
In the world of health services today increasing consumer demands and changing economics create an imperative for change.
At the same time, health and medical information is doubling every two years. Data is the new currency driving agile innovation in health for those with the tools, attitude, and commitment to change.
Imagine what your health organization could do if you could easily gain insight from the vast amount of data in the health industry? We welcome you to share your imaginings with us via email, Facebook, or Twitter. Please also reach out with any questions or comments.
