Harnessing the Power of Data Technology in Healthcare: A Perspective

Today's healthcare landscape is witnessing a transformative shift, with the revolution in data collection and use playing a pivotal role in revolutionizing patient care and records management. Countries like South Korea are leveraging seamless data exchange to streamline services and enhance patient outcomes. Barriers still exist in many places around the world, however. Even in digital-forward countries such as the United States, where the Affordable Care Act mandated digital health records, the lack of a nationwide, efficient model for data exchange hinders connected healthcare delivery and patient experiences.

More health data is being generated than ever before, and higher demand for it to be utilized. Younger generations are digital natives who understand the value of tracking quality of sleep, food intake, exercise, etc., and have the tools (wearables) to do so. Yet there is no good and reliable way for healthcare providers to gain access to that data.

New medical technologies also allow for remote measuring of health conditions such as cardiac activity and glucose levels, captured from wherever the patient happens to be.

In an ideal world, all this data would feed directly into their electronic health record (EHR), accessible by any provider who treats them from a primary care clinician to a cardiologist to an emergency-room professional. But the interoperability of data technology in healthcare today is far from ideal.

Obstacles to Advancing Data Technology in Healthcare

Healthcare organizations grapple with myriad challenges when trying to collect and use more data more effectively. Inefficient, costly, manual efforts for data exchanges between different regional healthcare systems, both public and private, persist. These data silos and subsequent lack of communication often result in crucial information falling through the cracks.

Information about an emergency room visit at a hospital in one network of care may not reach the patient’s primary care doctor if that provider is part of a different care network — which leads to potential gaps in patient care and health history. Time-constrained care providers have difficulty viewing patients holistically. And the many regulations designed to protect the security and privacy of patients and personal health information (PHI) necessarily create roadblocks by their very functioning.

And then there’s artificial intelligence (AI), which like everywhere else, shows unbelievable promise not just to increase healthcare efficiencies but to improve patient experiences and outcomes. The privacy and provenance questions in AI are greatly heightened in a healthcare context. How can we use the data that we have in a way that it’s not being given access or providing access to the rest of the world?

The Data Technology Opportunity

With such complexity, fragmentation, and variation in the healthcare information space, fostering interoperability between different systems is a great opportunity to create more efficient data utilization.

The more, and more quickly and reliably, patient data can be shared and synchronized, the more clinicians can gain that holistic view of the patient's history — no matter where they have received their previous care. This, in turn, leads to outcome-boosting results such as timely, more accurate diagnoses and the development of personalized treatment plans. Connected care made possible by connected data also facilitates a more patient-centered approach, which means that healthcare consumers will have more positive experiences with healthcare providers. They also can become true owners of their own health data, able to easily share and control their records.

Investment in the healthcare system and PHI integration is the most critical area of focus—now. The futuristic view is that you, as a patient, can see your health; all of it. And you can decide that you can share this information, or you can give access to all of your doctors so that they can see you as a patient as a whole. Not necessarily see you as only your current condition.

In very simple terms, all healthcare stakeholders, patients as well as providers, must be able to access the proper data and be able to use it. This means health data exchanges that are provider-agnostic, linking regions and converging into a national and even international network that feeds centralized, standardized EHRs. Such a system would significantly enhance healthcare delivery and results by ensuring that complete patient records are available whenever and wherever necessary.

While this goal may feel out of reach in today’s often siloed or chaotic data environments, there are steps that healthcare organizations and providers can start taking right now to achieve better outcomes and deliver better experiences.

Facilitating the Healthcare Data Revolution

Ushering in a new era of healthcare powered by efficient data use is daunting, which is why many healthcare systems moving in this direction are taking on partners in developing and implementing the proper processes and technologies. The ultimate goal is to ease the process of data exchange by reducing the need for labor-intensive “swivel-chair” mapping and integration. These partners are collaborators with competence in EHR integrations and general IT systems but also in leveraging AI to automate and simplify the translation and connection aspect of data exchange. 

Customization capabilities, depth of connection to healthcare system vendors, and a good cultural fit with the provider organization are also important for these partners. As you may be looking to advance your healthcare data strategies, seek out expert thought leaders at events where discussions are focused on the challenges and approaches to implementing data technology solutions in the healthcare sector.

At CI&T, we are committed to helping deliver a new era of healthcare powered by efficient data use. The future of healthcare is tied inextricably to data technology, and CI&T is at the forefront of this transformation. Our vision is not just about data exchange but about creating an efficient, effective ecosystem where improved patient care and experiences are driven by data. If you share that goal, we invite you to visit our website, learn more about our work, and see how we are helping healthcare organizations optimize their use of data technology to improve patient care, outcomes, and experiences.

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