Undoubtedly, the prevalence of collecting and leveraging data for performance improvement has rapidly increased for post-acute providers.   Most decisions, especially those made on an organizational or executive level, are expected to be made with data-driven insight. Furthermore, data is being analyzed by external entities, such as hospital systems, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), and payers to evaluate potential partners.

However, with the myriad of data points and metrics, how do providers ensure that they are not “data rich, but information poor?” Below are a few strategies that can help post-acute providers traverse the complex landscape of data-driven healthcare.

• Understand your metrics: Choose your measures based on your organization’s strategic goals. What are our strengths? What do we need to improve? What are our partners / potential partners looking for?
• Use analytics: Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) often have a tremendous capacity for data collection, while also possessing some analytic tools. Use your present infrastructure to help in data analysis.
• Choose the right Benchmarks: In order to qualify your data, or give it context, identify accurate targets to compare your data.
• Act: Utilize your data to perform root cause analyses and identify trends. Is there a reason our performance emergency department utilization has increased 5% and why?
• Improve Processes: Be skeptical of your processes and data. Is our data collection methodology efficient, or onerous? Is our data correct? Are we using the right measures? Did we set accurate benchmarks?
• Communicate your Data: Be proactive in presenting your metrics to potential partners. Strategically select dashboards that demonstrate your value to their specific service needs.

While becoming data-driven may seem intimidating, these basic strategies can help operationalize the use of metrics to quantify your outcomes in the post-acute space. Additionally see this Harvard Business Review Article  on how to become more data-driven by eliminating bad habits.