Data Governance

Bad data is expensive.

As healthcare organizations seek to avoid these losses and extract more strategic value from their data assets, data governance programs are gaining momentum. Over 60% of insurance plans recently surveyed by Amitech have either formal data governance programs in place or in the works.

The need to account for an increasing variety and volume of data is part of the problem. But, so too is the failure to manage data as a strategic business asset. In our experience, making it to the right side of the 50/50 divide requires:

Data as a Strategic Business Asset

Our experience working with healthcare payors and providers has taught us that most successful data governance programs begin with organizations that have articulated a compelling business reason to start their data governance program – how data can help the organization’s competitive situation, market position or financial performance. If a legitimate business case that ties data quality to top business imperatives as defined by your CEO and Board of Directors isn’t made at the earliest stages, it will be next to impossible to achieve the level of internal support required to begin or sustain a successful data governance initiative. Repositioning data as a business asset is key.

Feet on the Ground

Want to know the fastest way to torpedo a data governance initiative? Aim high and miss. Build confidence in your program by starting small and setting achievable objectives and milestones against established models. Isolate the data that matters within select areas of the business for maximum impact on these early efforts.

Implement Proven Data Governance Strategies

Sometimes, taking the road less traveled is just what the doctor ordered. When it comes to getting a data governance strategy off the ground, the well beaten path is a better bet. Amitech has developed a proven six-step process for starting and sustaining data governance programs at healthcare payor and provider organizations. In brief, the process follows these steps:

1. 1. Assess
   1. Use business priorities and strategy to establish a compelling reason to start the data governance program and set the vision for governance
2. 2. Align
   1. Build a comprehensive roadmap with people, process, culture and technology that aligns governance steps and maturity states to over-arching business objectives. Cascade objectives down to create line-of-sight at every level
3. 3. Operating Model
   1. Install or update existing processes to enable effective governance and establish a common way for discussing governance
4. 4. Communicate
   1. Communicate the data governance vision to all stakeholders to get buy in and motivate them to play an active role
5. 5. Implement
   1. In alignment with business priorities, implement governance by data domain/subject area, involving and establishing buy-in across functional business areas
6. 6. Measure and Internalize
   1. Continuously monitor data quality, process adherence and value created through governance, celebrate successes and make governance the rule instead of the exception

Origen^TM– Simple Tool, Quick Win

Origen is a “light,” wiki-based data governance tool that focuses on creating an approachable, common set of metrics, definitions and standards for healthcare organizations.

It is particularly well-suited for new data governance programs because of its contextual “story-telling” ability and bottom-up approach that can fuel engagement and offer something of tangible value to the organization early in a new program.

The Origen^TMplatform is also a useful companion to large, mature programs with solutions like Collibra or Informatica.

The platform can help drive common definitions and document terminology, as well as providing vital operational and business context. It accelerates adoption and standardization taxonomies, metrics, policies, rules, models, standards, processes and measurement strategies needed to effectively manage your data governance efforts. It also provides an easy and consumer-tested interface to consistently engage end-users instead of collecting digital dust and losing relevance over time.

Respect and Prioritize Change

With over a decade of healthcare data governance experience under our belts, we have learned that programs that fail almost always founder because there’s not enough emphasis on the soft side of the equation – people and culture.

People are resistant to change. This fact combined with the steady beat of existing business priorities is a deadly combination for the long-term success of data governance. New initiatives have to fight this resistance on many fronts starting with an early investment in establishing the compelling reason to start and getting buy in from leadership. Clear communication of vision and sharing success throughout implementation rather than just at the “end” also serve to go a long way in changing employee behaviors and attitudes towards data governance.

At Amitech, we have invested significant time in building change management competency and processes to significantly reduce your risks and sustained success.

Experts in Healthcare Data Governance Programs

With over a decade of hands-on experience in developing data governance operating models for healthcare, we have gained unique expertise in the creation of flexible programs that maintain effectiveness over time.

Assets we bring to our data governance customers include:

• Nuanced understanding of healthcare business, both payor and provider
• Change Management as a core discipline
• Communication strategies that help get buy-in
• Pre-built data governance operating model for healthcare
• Deep expertise in establishing data governance stewardship and writing policies and procedures
• Proprietary Origen^TM platform, specifically designed to jump-start engagement and sustain it long-term

Contact us to learn more about what we could bring to your data governance initiative.