In the world of healthcare, information is the most valuable thing you can have. If a patient needs acute care, having the correct information can be the differentiator between a speedy recovery and a lengthy hospital stay. Consequently, 30% of the world’s data volume is generated by the healthcare industry. This includes many different data types such as diagnostics, hospital admissions logs, home care reports, prescription records, and electronic medical records. With all these sources of data, some healthcare organizations have pivoted to utilizing AI for their data sources.
All AI is Not Equal
There are several concerns with this approach, despite the adoption of AI in around 66% of physicians industry wide. Generative AI, for example, requires you to give all of your data before they can be effectively used. Similarly, if you want to use a public LLM, you can have consumer privacy concerns when it comes to the sensitive nature of healthcare data. So how can you make use of this data?
Fortunately, humans are still the best way to get your data processed. Unfortunately, the drawback with using people is the time it takes to make them be productive. Login fatigue, especially, is a frequent problem. On average, large organizations use 367 software tools, which force employees to constantly switch between platforms. This, alongside other small factors, causes 29% of the week to be spent searching for the right data to do their jobs. This equates to around 11.6 hours in every workweek spent on simply preparing for the work itself. Moreover, 46% of workers claim that poor business processes are the driving force behind making slow or wrong decisions in their role. So how can you take advantage of your data in a way that doesn’t hinder your knowledge workers from their jobs?
The Power of a Data Warehouse
Utilizing a data warehouse is the best way to make sure that your knowledge workers have access to all the data they need in one centralized place. Unfortunately, making a data warehouse is much easier said than done. If you wish to make the warehouse yourself, you obviously have to consider the high upfront costs and many months to build. However, other unexpected costs may arise during creation. You need to not only pay for an in-house tech team to make it, but also to maintain the database during its lifespan. This team must also be incredibly knowledgeable with SOC2 and HIPAA regulations, to make sure that your organization is compliant with regulations.
Alternatively, you can take advantage of existing data warehousing services, such as Mega Data. With an existing data warehouse the framework is in place allowing for a quicker turnaround for consolidating data into a database. This means that you shave down the implementation time from months to a meager 90 days. The first 30 days are to source mapping for your organization specifically. Then, another 30 days to customize the data warehouse and validate the data itself once it’s been uploaded. Finally, 30 days for testing and quality assurance.
A rapid implementation is not the only merit of an existing data warehouse, though. Certain data warehousing services offer over 70 in-house workflow applications, integrated into the warehouse itself. This allows the data to be easily combined, standardized, and enhanced via AI analysis upon command. This means that you not only have the automation of prior authorization and billing codes that traditional AI have, but also the security and compliance required of your organization. They even offer statistics and insights into your organization itself, as they have timeclock, payroll, and CRM integration to make your data warehouse a one-stop shop for managing your business.
Furthermore, your organization is not alone when you use a data warehousing service. Rather than paying for an IT team in-house, you have the support of trained technical support. They have experience with a variety of problems, whether it be regular error resolution or support when it comes to updating integrated applications.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the merits of a data warehouse are self-evident considering the level of security and application integrations offered. Whether you’re in post-acute care, behavioral health, or a healthcare vendor, taking advantage of a data warehouse is an easy and effective way to help your organization become more efficient. And, with companies like Mega Data, setting up your data warehouse is easier than ever.
Source: Megadata
