Published | 5 min read
Key Takeaways
- Choosing the best healthcare analytics software and utilizing the predictive analytics it provides can have a considerable effect on patient care, efficiency, scheduling, and profitability for businesses in the healthcare industry.
- The primary aspects of healthcare analytics software to look for are security, support, customizability, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.
- A healthcare analytics developer can integrate existing systems—ERPs, CRMs, EMR/EHR systems—and take advantage of existing data.
In today's world, healthcare data is critical to the efficient and effective delivery of healthcare services. It is important to use the right healthcare analytics software to gain insights that help healthcare organizations make informed decisions. Doing so can give you an advantage that your competition just doesn't have.
But what should you look for in healthcare analytics software? What are the aspects that will benefit your healthcare organization the most? In this article, we will discuss the importance of healthcare data analytics software and how it can be used to improve care.
What Is Healthcare Data Analytics Software?
Healthcare analytics software is a tool that analyzes large amounts of data to provide insights into healthcare trends, patient care, and healthcare costs. These healthcare analytics solutions are helping medical organizations make use of the tremendous amounts of data at their disposal.
Healthcare analytics tools are designed to help healthcare providers make data-driven decisions by identifying patterns and trends that are not easily noticeable in large datasets. The software can be used to identify health risks, track treatment outcomes, and identify areas where healthcare organizations can improve their services.
The Benefits of Healthcare Data Analytics Software
There are many benefits to using healthcare data analytics software, including:
- Improved Patient Outcomes: Healthcare data analytics software can help healthcare industry providers identify at-risk patients and provide them with targeted care. This can improve patient outcomes and reduce the likelihood of readmission.
- Improved Operational Efficiency: Healthcare analytics software can help healthcare organizations identify areas where they can improve operational efficiency. By streamlining processes and reducing waste, health providers can save time and money.
- Cost Savings: Healthcare analytics software can help care-providing organizations identify areas where they can reduce costs. By reducing waste and improving operational efficiency, providers can save money and pass those savings on to patients.
- Predictive Analytics: Healthcare data analytics software can help healthcare providers predict future healthcare trends. This can be useful for planning and resource allocation.
How to Choose the Right Healthcare Data Analytics Software
There are many healthcare analytics solutions out there, but they're certainly not created equal. Some may even make you start from scratch, or not have the data migration abilities that you need.
When choosing healthcare analytics software, it is important to consider the following factors:
Data Sources
The software should be able to integrate with various data sources, including electronic health records (EHRs), claims data, and laboratory data. Organizations must consider the type of data they need to analyze and how it will be used when selecting their software, including which data sources are needed.
Different technologies such as natural language processing (NLP) or artificial intelligence (AI) may also need to be implemented, depending on the desired outcomes from the analysis. Above all, a "source of truth" must be established when there are discrepancies in the data.
Customization
When choosing healthcare data analytic software, it is important to consider how much it can be customized. Organizations should look for software tailored to their specific needs and be able to store data securely and access it quickly.
This could include features like custom dashboards, reporting tools, and workflows that allow organizations to tailor the software's functionality to provide more accurate data analytics. Having access to fully customizable options such as settings for different roles and permissions can provide organizations with more control over who has access to which parts of the analytics platform.
Healthcare Industry-Level Security
Security is the highest priority when choosing the right healthcare data analytic software. Organizations need to ensure that their data remains safe and secure from unauthorized access, as well as protected from malicious attempts such as hacking or phishing. The chosen software must provide a high level of encryption to protect sensitive health information such as patient records, while also providing incident response protocols in case of a breach.
Organizations should ensure that their software meets standards set by relevant authorities regarding data privacy and security regulations. No matter where the data is coming from or going to—at rest on a server, transmitting via a HIPAA-compliant website, or accessed in a physician's office—it must adhere to the HIPAA Security Rule.
Support
When choosing healthcare data analytics software, adequate support should be a key consideration. Organizations should look for software that provides comprehensive customer service in the form of technical assistance and consulting from the provider.
This could include features like 24/7 availability, troubleshooting capabilities, and training for using the software to ensure everyone within the organization is familiar with it. Having access to quick responses to any issues or inquiries, as well as timely updates for new features and fixes should also be looked for.