We discussed the Path to Data Maturity previously. An integral components of the HDA End-to-End process are the enablers. The enablers work in concert together to efficiently deliver the desired outcomes. Each enabler’s maturity must be commensurate with each other at the organizations desired level of HDA maturity. The aim of maturity is for each enabler to become centers of excellence, coordinated towards the goals of HDA.
ENABLERS — COLLECTIVELY AND IN CONCERT WITH ONE ANOTHER
MAKE THE PROCESS FUNCTION EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY
The HDA process enablers are People, Data Quality, Technology and Governance.
People : The People Enabler encompasses both the patient and the stakeholders directly and indirectly involved with the process and it’s outcomes. This enabler focuses on roles and responsibilities, expectations, skill development and workflow practices. It also deliberately addresses the evolution of responsibilities of process owners and champion roles.
Data Quality: The HDA process requires aggregation of disparate data across a diverse care setting. The main goal of the Data Quality Enabler is to create trust and confidence in the information created/distributed by the HDA process. Data quality is defined in terms of five dimensions:
Accuracy – Closeness of the captured values to the true value
Completeness – Amount of data available verses what is expected to be obtained
Comparability – Over time, between populations and organizations (domains)
Relevancy – Degree to which information meets stakeholder needs
Timeliness – Length of time of the HDA End-to-End Process
HDA data originates from disparate sources with siloed ownership and the ability to aggregate the data first starts with establishing good data quality. To ensure good data quality, the data must constantly be assessed, cleansed and validated. A continuous improvement approach will ensure data quality meets the increasing process maturity needs.
Technology: As a process enabler, Technology Enabler includes financial, patient, clinical care data records, hardware, and software used in the End-to-End HDA process. Many organizations looking to establish or mature their HDA capability often focus on technology—which could be a mistake. Best practices have shown that in order to increase HDA adoption/maturity the organizational focus needs to be on the people and data quality enablers. Technology is an enabler that institutionalizes the HDA workflow.
Governance: The Governance Enabler is the means a hospital uses to provide HDA capability oversight that fosters data stewardship while ensuring HDA goals and objectives are achieved. The governance framework is unique to each organization and is dependent upon the organization’s culture, personalities and politics. Membership is comprised of decision maker representatives from operations, clinical and IT departments. A catalyst for successfully increasing maturity is the development of a governance charter. It clearly defines the level of authority, scope of control, clarifies roles and responsibilities, and standardizes processes used to make consistent transparent decisions. In addition, it helps to manage the expectations of the HDA stakeholders.