Providers slow to use BI systems

Despite acknowledging the importance of using business intelligence, many healthcare providers have not implemented the systems.

Approximately 58 percent of physician practices and hospitals said their organization has not implemented a BI system, according to a survey released by TEKsystems, an IT solutions subsidiary of private talent management company Allegis Group. That number includes 36 percent who simply do not have a BI system, 15 percent that do not have such a system but plan to implement one in the next 12 to 24 months and 7 percent that actually have a BI system but have yet to implement it.

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Survey respondents said a lack of resources and skills and data complexity are the biggest reasons they haven’t implemented a BI system.

The survey represents views of more than 250 healthcare professionals, including senior-level health IT executives and medical staff such as CIOs, directors of information systems and clinical informatics, physicians, and chief nursing officers. Respondents represent a wide cross section of healthcare organizations including hospitals, medical clinics, ambulatory care centers and integrated delivery systems. 

“With how the business of healthcare is shifting, organizations that have not implemented, or are not planning to implement, a business intelligence solution run the risk of losing ground quickly,” said Ryan Skains, TEKsystems director of healthcare services. “Data will be at the heart of how healthcare organizations – hospitals and physicians' practices –  get paid. That is all changing as a result of paradigm shifts in the industry around reimbursement optimization and a change from a fee-for-service to a pay-for-performance model.”

Other findings include:

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• Top expected areas for BI use include finance, operations, clinical care and compliance.
• Top goals for BI initiatives include improved data availability and completeness; better patient care and outcomes; improved payment processes; optimization of reimbursements; and meeting pay-for-performance standards.
• To meet the challenges of implementing BI, providers are consulting with outside vendors; using the software vendor's consulting services; hiring permanent staff to support the implementation; and hiring contingent labor to support implementation.

This story is based on a report appearing on Government Health IT.