Implementing Data Governance in Complex Healthcare Organizations: Challenges and Strategies
July 10, 2013
The fundamental challenge for healthcare providers is that too much information distracts from the goal of providing patient care. The common denominator—the unit of measurement in healthcare—is patient outcome and the ability to manage all the factors that influence well-being. Solid data governance practices enable the organization to get control of all of its moving parts, identify an individual patient, and track that patient from the doctor’s office to the ER, hospital, and home again. When data governance works, it can lead to improved patient outcomes and also change the very culture of the organization that institutes it. This paper illustrates how a successful data governance program will harness the energy of disparate IT initiatives and focus on the ultimate goal of patient-centric care.