Big data is finally beginning to make a dent in the healthcare industry, where it is projected to not only open up new possibilities in medical care, but save industry providers billions – between 300 billion and 450 billion according to a study conducted by McKinsey & Company. However, not everyone is convinced that this technological turn is a prudent investment for healthcare providers. Some have raised a voice of warning against an industry-wide adoption of big data, citing some of the challenges that may make the use of big data in the medical world not worth the hefty cost.
This may seem hard to believe. Indeed, the use of data and analytics has proven to be a considerable asset for a host of businesses in other industries. Why wouldnt data do just as much good in the hands of doctors? Because doctors tend to not use data as well as professionals in other fields. The disconnect between doctors and data comes down to two problems: some doctors arent even interested in using data at all, and many of the ones who are lack the skills to maximize its value.
As mentioned previously, some are projecting that data will save the healthcare industry hundreds of billions of dollars. This will only come to fruition if everyone buys into the use of big data – and so far that has not happened. You see, changes in the practice of medicine wrought by data do not always jive with doctors who have been practicing medicine quite capably for years without the aid of database technology. Some doctors may not find the use of this technology to be consistent with their medical philosophy or decision-making process. Thus, you may have a number of doctors who make no effort to incorporate data and analytics tools into their practice, even if their employers have invested thousands or millions of dollars in the latest data technology. The result of this scenario is a large sum of wasted money.
Not all doctors are against the use of database technology in their work, as I described above. There are many medical professional who see the promise of big data in the healthcare sector. The problem is, many of them lack the skills to effectively manage and analyze the sometimes staggering sums of data collected and stored by healthcare providers. This often leads to one of two scenarios, neither of which is ideal.
Medical facilities often hire third-party firms to handle their data management and analysis. This is an expensive solution. While it does allow medical professionals to reap the benefits of big data, hiring data analysis firms has a tendency of eating into the long-term savings that are supposed to come from investment in big data.
When data-equipped healthcare facilities elect not to hire a fancy analytics firm, their doctors are often faced with the overwhelming task of learning to manage and analyze data themselves – a challenge that is well outside the scope of their professional training. Studies have shown that when this happens, doctors spend large amounts of time in front of computer screens rather than with patients, and still they overlook or neglect a considerable amount of information. In this situation, information that would have otherwise served to enhance the quality, convenience and cost-efficiency of medical care, is left dormant. The fact is, most medical professionals simply lack the analytics skills needed to make the most of data.
Paying for an outside firm to do data analysis is expensive. Relying on medical personnel to crunch the data is inefficient. These two ineffective approaches to medical data analysis seem to almost suggest that a solution lies in a compromise between the two: the creation of an in-house medical data analyst. The development of a new certificate program would be one way of institutionalizing this position. The medical industry routinely hires graduates of x-ray technician, nurses aid, and medical transcription certification programs, to name a few. Medical personnel are even encouraged to participate in other training courses such as CPR, ACLS and BLS certification programs. The creation of a medical data analyst certificate could be a simple and promising solution to the question of how to reap the rewards of big data without breaking the bank.
