Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • IT Management
    • Networking

    How to Maximize Your Business Intelligence Investment

    By
    Brent J. Estes
    -
    November 6, 2008
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      /images/stories/70×50/bug_knowledgecenter_70x70_%282%29.jpgOrganizations large and small are using business intelligence to improve business performance and guide decision making. Many are still challenged when it comes to maximizing their investments in BI. Incorporating some proven best practices can help organizations reap the greatest amount of business value for their BI initiatives.

      Rush Health Associates, an integrated network of health care providers anchored by Rush University Medical Center, recently completed a BI planning effort that successfully laid the foundation for additional information management projects currently under way. We partnered with HP Information Management Services to guide the effort.

      An immediate first step was getting the business and IT groups together to assess the information management architecture, understand business needs and map out a new road map for transformation. We focused on four key operational objectives:

      Objective No. 1: Growing our patient base and improving revenue.

      Objective No. 2: Increasing operational efficiency of membership.

      Objective No. 3: Improving the ability to negotiate better contracts.

      Objective No. 4: Developing stronger clinical and medical outreach programs, including collaborating with employers and payers.

      Plan a strategy and then execute it

      It took seven weeks to map out a BI strategy and plan for Rush Health Associates. The plan provided a two-to-three-year vision and specific goals around expected BI functionality, technology platform, budgeted financial and resource investments, and measurable success metrics.

      With a defined road map for building a comprehensive information infrastructure that turns data into information, Rush Health Associates already has been able to make more effective decisions. For example, data analysis has revealed areas within the revenue cycle process that can be improved upon. We have also identified contractual disconnects with payers, which cause operational inefficiencies and unrealized revenues. In addition, we have gained valuable insights about patients throughout our network and are positioned to lead in the development of “pay for performance” programs.

      So, when your organization is ready to begin mapping out a BI strategy, remember to keep the following three key principles in mind:

      Principle No. 1: Begin with the end in mind

      It’s important to understand the desired end result. A key question to ask is, “What will be done with the information once it is available?”

      It is also impossible to integrate data without having a plan and the correct systems in place to run the business. We realized we needed to better leverage existing member information and create a cohesive BI platform to support reporting and analysis. Both clinical and operational users needed reliable access to data to help make better decisions and improve the overall quality of patient care.

      We had been relying on a segment of operational systems to feed a variety of small, homegrown or licensed database applications that supported things such as contract management and clinical safety reporting. It was a loosely knit federation of systems accumulating information about our physician and hospital members and our patients–which made developing a comprehensive view of our business an almost impossible task.

      Principle No. 2: Have an organizational plan in place

      Be prepared to carry out the business decisions that need to be made once the plan is set. Once our key strategies and objectives were aligned with BI capabilities, a blueprint of next steps was developed. Implementation of an organizational plan, with key goals in mind, made it easier for business and IT to work together to meet the desired results.

      Principle No. 3: Avoid putting data before business

      This is a common pitfall in data warehouse and data integration initiatives. It happens when practitioners focus on the data instead of what the data means to the business. Since companies are swamped with data, this seems to be an easy solution. Always put the business before the data.

      /images/stories/heads/knowledge_center/estes_brent70x70.jpgBrent J. Estes is the president and CEO of Rush Health Associates. He can be reached at Brent_J_Estes@rush.edu.

      Brent J. Estes
      Brent J. Estes is the President and CEO of Rush Health Associates. He can be reached at Brent_J_Estes@rush.edu.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Careers

      SThree’s Sunny Ackerman on Tech Hiring Trends

      James Maguire - June 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Sunny Ackerman, President/Americas for tech recruiter SThree, about the tight labor market in the tech sector, and much needed efforts to...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×