Data Governance

6 Steps to Successful Healthcare Data Management

Discover 6 steps to successful healthcare data management and how it can help your hospital save time & money.


healthcare data managementHealthcare data management is the development and implementation of policies and procedures to manage the information lifecycle effectively. It is not a one-time event or project, but an ongoing process that must be adjusted based on changes in the organization.

While each healthcare facility is unique and must approach data management in lights of their individual needs and goals, below we highlight 6 fundamental steps to success that can support this effort:

1. Establish Executive Sponsorship

The importance of sponsorship from an executive member of the organization cannot be underestimated. It ensures that healthcare data management has the vision, support, and resources needed to be successful. An executive sponsor can also provide oversight of the data governance program which directly affects the data management lifecycle. 

2. Focus on Data Quality

Healthcare facilities are flooded with data and are challenged to transform this information into business insight and actionable intelligence. A fundamental step toward successful data management is to implement systems and processes that ensure data quality. The value of both reporting, BI and decision support solutions are undermined by data that is inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated

3. Provide Initial and Ongoing Education

Providing continuing education for all staff is vital for them to understand the importance of data accuracy and completion. It is also essential to equip the reporting team with the essential skills they need to understand data management fundamentals, how it affects analytics, and their on-going, active role in the overall process.

4. Effectively Allocate Resources

Healthcare data management is a complex, resource intensive process. It is crucial to allocate the necessary resources to ensure all aspects of the data lifecycle are adequately supported. This will directly affect data quality and whether bottlenecks and backlogs occur.

5. Promote Communication

While various teams will leverage and interact with data differently and independently -- all teams must work collaboratively to assure the proper management and utilization of data. To that end, encourage communication and the sharing of  best practices, lessons learned, and workarounds.

6. Establish Authority and Accountability

While executives will set the tone and provide leadership, teams must be actively  engaged in the process of data management. This requires granting teams the authority they need to manage data, while holding them accountable for how they impact data quality and delivery.

Learn More

At Syntrix, we have in-depth experience helping healthcare organizations successfully implement, support, and evolve data management best practices, and leverage their information to produce and deliver accurate insights.

To learn more, contact us for your free consultation. We Make Healthcare Data Talk!™

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