Mastering Data Management

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Share your ideas for how data governance and MDM can enable smarter healthcare

Last week I blogged about a new focus in my blogging – showing how MDM and data governance can lead us towards a “smarter planet.” Several folks responded quite positively to the new direction because they, too, have been thinking about the same thing.

I think I’m going to start this by trying to organize my thoughts somewhat, since a smarter planet is a pretty broad topic. At this point, I think I’ll organize my posts by industry, since this is a natural way for me to think about the subject.

Instead of thinking of this as a technical solution in search of a problem, I’d rather think about this from the needs and benefits of a “smarter planet” initiative. In other words, I’m going to think about how different industries could be “smarter” and how MDM and DG can support those achievements.

Let’s start with healthcare.

This is pretty low-hanging fruit to me, because it’s about providing better care/outcomes for patients while driving down costs and inefficiencies and increasing quality, timeliness and efficiencies. Here’s a list of smart things we could do to radically improve healthcare where MDM and DG can make a difference:

Smarter Records. Enable electronic medical records (EMRs) managed by patients or guardians, but checked by providers to ensure the records are complete, accurate and timely.

Smarter Data Sharing. Enable real-time sharing of EMRs between patients, providers and payers – following the authorizations allowed by law and the patient/guardian – for more accurate diagnoses and better outcomes.

Smarter Devices & Data Collection. Enabling real-time sharing of lab results, tests, medical devices and monitoring equipment, wherever they are located, for better understanding of patients’ health needs and better, timelier treatments.

Smarter Prevention. By collecting data on lifestyle choices and activities such as exercise, diet, habits, weight, etc. individuals can prevent the onset of disease and illnesses that cost time and money to diagnose and treat. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” someone once said.

Smarter Diagnoses. Relying on smarter collection of data from devices, and smarter sharing of data between all healthcare providers, patients stand a better chance of receiving timely, accurate diagnoses, regardless of who or where the providers are.

Smarter Provider Options. Enabling patients and payers to see the qualities of providers allows patients to make better choices between providers.

Smarter Communities. Knowing others with similar experiences and similar lifestyle or demographic profiles will allow patients to make more informed decisions regarding their health.

Smarter Monitoring. Providers need to have insight into certain aspects of patients’ daily health conditions – whether before, during or after treatment. This enables them to spot trends before they become issues for better prevention and early diagnoses.

Smarter Payments. Helping patients and payers work more closely together making payments for services will save patients and payers money and help keep costs down when providers’ outstanding and unserviceable debt levels go down.

Smarter Healing. Helping patients and providers understand the healing progress for patients will help providers adjust treatment protocols for optimal healing and better advice on lifestyle adjustments.

Smarter Prescriptions. When physicians prescribe medications for treatment of disease and illness, they need to understand all other medications that may interfere with the effectiveness of the prescription, or which may have potential interactions that pose a threat to a patient’s health. Combined with better monitoring.

Smarter Treatments. By understanding the full spectrum of a patient’s health, lifestyle, work, exercise, diet etc., a provider can make and monitor the treatments for a patient’s healing and recovery.

Smarter Providers. When providers have the data they need about a patient’s history, including other incidents, diagnoses, lab results, treatments and outcomes, they can make better choices on how to treat the whole person.

Smarter Lifestyles. When a patient and their provider are informed of the results of their lifestyle choices and how they are following the advice of providers, they will make better choices and invest in their health.

These are just off the top of my head, and there's certainly some overlap. What else comes to mind for you?  As always, I LOVE your feedback, your creativity, your insight and your criticisms!