Why Data Governance is the Foundation of a Healthcare Big Data Strategy

Big data is everywhere, and many businesses are using it to improve their processes and strategies with great success. But one area where big data seems to be lagging is in healthcare. Many healthcare institutions want to adopt and expand their usage of big data, but in order to do so, they’ll need to focus on data governance.

What is data governance?

In a nutshell, data governance is what keeps data safe, secure, and up to an organization‘s standards. Data is everywhere around us, and patients and consumers are used to being able to access the information they need almost as soon as they need it. However, that accessibility comes with a cost that many people don’t see ”it puts much of the data at a greater risk of being hacked and stolen.

Data governance works to fight that and to secure data by creating systems so that users can trust their data. In a comprehensive data governance program, users are responsible for creating quality data and using it in a secure and ethical manner with proper authorization. In healthcare, this often comes down to establishing data governance principles that ensure data is consistent and reliable.

Why is it important?

The overall goal of data governance in the healthcare space is to improve efficiency, create a system of accountability, and establish a standardized pool of data that providers and patients can use to make good health decisions. 

Without a strong system of data governance, each staff member could have their own way of managing data, which puts it at great risk for being hacked or getting lost in a large database of patient information. Health data can be incredibly personal and private, ranging from anything from ACLS recertification results to various medical test records, and being able to trust the source and integrity of the information is huge for both healthcare providers and patients.   

However, data governance is more than just creating an outline of who can access what information. It must get put into action when the data is properly processed and transferred to a big data system. For many organizations, the challenge comes from being able to access the correct and most pertinent data from the database so that providers can make good decisions for their patients. Before the data can be accessed, it needs to be defined, catalogued, and tagged with meaningful metadata so it can be found again. These back-end processes are a vital part of data governance and must be done properly for the data to be secure and usable, but many organizations often overlook the steps or rush through them to get finished results.

What can healthcare organizations do?

Because healthcare system typically deal with huge amounts of patient data, staying organized with good data governance is key. One of the most important things organizations can do is to put together a strong team of data scientists and developers. This can be difficult due to tight budgets, but taking the time to find the right experts at the beginning can lead to long-term success for healthcare organizations’ big data.   

When we hire someone for our analytics team, we’re not necessarily looking for someone who already has all of the answers, said David Lehr, executive director of analytics at Maryland’s Anne Arundel Medical Center.   We’re looking for people who are smart enough to come up with new ideas once they fully understand the complex problems in front of them.

With a strong analysis team, the organization can move on to training other employees and those who will actually be using and inputting the data why the data governance system is so important. Many organizations set analytics goals to get all employees on board and teach them what each person’s individual role is in the data governance process and making sure the data stays accurate and secure.

Big data can transform how a healthcare organization operates, but in order for it to truly be successful, a system of data governance must be established so that every employee knows what it takes to keep data safe, secure, and accurate.