With more influencers involved in the health care decision-making process than ever before, each with their own cost pressures, an ever-present need for increased alignment and communication is required between payers, providers, regulatory agencies and patient advocacy groups. Despite concerted efforts, cost containment is still a pervasive issue.
A new study by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics reveals that life science companies need to cut $36 billion from their operating costs to maintain their margins. This has led to significant pressure on companies to drive efficiency, yet technology continues to be deployed without a holistic view of the entire enterprise. The result is a hodgepodge of disparate systems that often create redundant, outdated, sometimes conflicting information sources. Many health care companies lack a cohesive, end-to-end technology solution for their data, applications and infrastructure. Luckily, the intelligent cloud brings forward a new way to drive sustained health care innovation while reducing costs, getting therapies and treatments to patients faster.
Mike Allelunas, IMS Health’s general manager, Information Management, U.S., offers a look at how intelligent systems are bringing about a revolution in health care data management.
Click through for a closer look at how intelligent systems are bringing about a revolution in health care data management, provided by Mike Allelunas, IMS Health’s general manager, Information Management, U.S.
The evolution of intelligence: health care then…and now…
Health care intelligence has dramatically evolved during the past century, fueled by revolutionary discoveries and industry policies. Leading up to the 1950s, health care was reliant on intelligent people — doctors and nurses practicing “the art of medicine.” The level of care that patients received was directly related to the training, intelligence and aptitude of the provider. Through the years, technology has progressed, leading to the creation of intelligent tools.
Today, technology advancements continue to fuel new treatment options that save and improve lives. Revolutionary advancements like the Human Genome Project and HITECH Act, in the United States, have led to an explosion of data that fuels the future of predictive health care. The twenty-first century health care landscape is about patient-centric digitized care, real-world evidence and maximizing the investment in existing systems while extracting top-line insights. The inflection point bridging to an era of applied intelligence is here and now.
Putting the cloud to work
Health care is already turning to the cloud as a repository for information and transactions. Harnessing the power of Big Data requires one more step — putting the cloud to work and applying intelligence to the existing infrastructure. The “intelligent” cloud brings the ability to streamline and integrate insights, offering a unified view of data to drive action.
No. 1: Integration
Utilizing robust data models and real-time integration solutions to ensure the cloud is seamlessly connected to local systems to extract, normalize, integrate and house critical data is vital. In the health care space, electronic medical records (EMRs) are a day-to-day example of the need to integrate critical data existing in various forms into a unified source of information. As we continue to make technological advances in health care, successful data integration is more important than ever.
No. 2: Clean data and coding
Scrubbed data creates one source of accurate, up-to-date information. An intelligent infrastructure provides the ability to translate various codes to ensure consistent, precise data. One example of coding in action is ICD–10, a new disease classification and coding system that reflects today’s new technologies and medical diagnoses. The intelligent cloud will help ease the burden of transition to ICD-10 for payers, providers and other health care stakeholders.
No. 3: Analytics
Analytics applied to data in real time extracts intelligence to drive efficiency across the health care value chain. The intelligent cloud is no longer purely transactional, instead it delivers an interactive, dynamic source of information when and where it is most needed.
No. 4: Global scalability and encryption
Security and privacy reign in the tightly regulated health care industry, and in the intelligent cloud. Through effective administrative, physical and technical safeguards and governance processes, the intelligent cloud ensures data accessibility with appropriate levels of protection. Life science organizations can stay nimble, scaling support in line with business need, all the while assuring security of sensitive information.
No. 5: Constant connectivity and device ubiquity
In round-the-clock care scenarios, data is accessible anytime, anywhere on all devices, from one source. Given the massive quantity of content in the cloud, broadband delivery enables efficient delivery of information.
No. 6: Demonstrated outcomes
Big Data combined with analytics provides the insight and knowledge to determine the success of therapies and treatments earlier in the discovery and development process, leading to improved outcomes throughout the lifecycle while managing operational costs.
