The Challenge: Managing Data Complexity in Healthcare
As a busy public health agency, this institution is driven to uphold the values of accountability, connection, and innovative care. Core to this mission is well-governed data — a cornerstone of patient privacy and meeting service level agreements.
To help support their goals, they needed a plan to overcome disparate processes and systems. A more unified data approach would help them bolster security for personal and private health information (PHI), as well as better match patients with the right specialists and providers.
The Solution: Crafting a Tailored Data Governance Strategy
Recognizing the scale of the project, the health agency formed a data governance initiative. While the team was academically knowledgeable about data governance, they lacked practical experience in applying these principles to their unique situation.
They reached out to Amplifi to help them develop a customized data governance strategy. While their concerns spanned various data domains— including clinical, transactional claims, and customer enrollment data—patient data and provider data quickly surfaced as priorities.
The collaboration with Amplifi illuminated the crucial link between data modeling and effective governance. Core questions emerged, like: What are the essential attributes for patients and providers, and how are these attributes interconnected? What types of roles, rules, and processes would work best for healthcare, as well as within a public sector organization?
Following the discovery phase, Amplifi equipped the agency with a comprehensive data governance roadmap with recommendations, including:
- Operational guidelines for effective data governance policy and steering.
- A suggested operational structure, including the necessary teams, roles, and decision-making frameworks.
- Best practices for utilizing existing personnel as members of the data governance council.
- Enhancing data literacy throughout the organization.
- Establishing clear data ownership guidelines and appointing dedicated data stewards.
- Aligning business and data processes to gain efficiency and data accuracy.
Reflecting on the journey, the agency’s senior director for enterprise data governance noted: “Amplifi helped our team understand the interconnection between data modeling and data governance and its impact on our service delivery and care. With their recommendations, we've gained a clear and strategic data governance plan we can put into action — including elevating the role of master data in our patient and provider collaboration."
The Result: Embracing Change
Embracing the recommendations marked a meaningful advancement for the public health agency. Currently, several initiatives are being developed and rolled out, indicating a steady and intentional approach to improving data governance.
The trust developed during the engagement and the quality of the recommendations helped drive the program forward.
Reflecting on the journey, the senior director noted: "Securing executive backing can be challenging in any enterprise-wide initiative. In our case, the strategic direction and clear recommendations delivered by Amplifi helped us gain that vital senior-level support.”
If you'd like to discuss your organization's unique requirements around data management, get in touch to speak with one of our experts. Download our guide on Revolutionizing Patient-Centered Healthcare as we run through the transformative power of applying data for good in private and public healthcare organizations, alongside some real-world use cases from a variety of different pain-points.
