It's a rocky road to data analytics implementation

Early analytics adopters are reaping the rewards but other providers are struggling with implementation, according to a study conducted by HIMSS Analytics and data analytics firm Qlik.

Researchers polled more than 400 senior healthcare decision-makers from several countries with the majority responding from the United States.

More than half (56 percent) of respondents said their organization has implemented a business intelligence/analytics platform and another 23 percent said they plan to.

The findings suggest opportunities to utilize information exist practically everywhere in healthcare but in particular where large data volumes accumulate, according to a blog post by Qlik's national healthcare market director, Chris Christy. "I would love to use that old chestnut analogy of the iceberg to depict the valuable data that lies hidden below the visible data points, but with healthcare that’s like asking how the passengers on the Titanic felt about icebergs."

The study analyzed the following aspects:

• Level of maturity across use cases

• Value from current initiatives

• Challenges to implement analytics in the organization

• Future investment plans in healthcare analytics.

The study format focused on Meaningful Use, reducing average length of stay and clinical benchmarking--areas of high importance to hospitals--and looked at operating room and emergency department analytics, patient throughput, cohort analysis and more. In one example, the National Health Service in England has saved more than $40 million over two years using procurement hub analytics. But, other healthcare organizations were still struggling with adoption.

“The BI benefits are in quality improvements and driving out waste… And often, improving quality reduces unnecessary cost,” said the study’s lead author, John Hoyt, executive vice president of HIMSS Analytics. 

"Ever-shifting investment priorities are becoming more aligned with the strategic objectives of healthcare organizations, driven by analytics data," wrote Christy. "Recognition is emerging that analytics plays a key role in practically every healthcare business process. Understanding which areas need improvement and subsequent prioritization only comes through use of analytics, providing the required visibility for identification of gaps."