Executive Insight
The consequences and challenges of disconnected healthcare operations data
How connecting healthcare operations drives better outcomes
BJ Schaknowski, CEO of symplr, is a seasoned software industry executive, with over 20 years of experience in leadership roles across a wide variety of operating functions. Before joining symplr, BJ served as the chief sales and marketing officer at Vertafore, the world's leading provider of insurance technology. Prior to that, BJ spent four years at LexisNexis Software Solutions and held numerous roles at CA Technologies, Intuit, and Sage Software.
What are healthcare operations?
BS: Healthcare operations, in its simplest form, are the workflow, processes, and underlying technology infrastructure that exist between a health system's EHR and ERP systems. It includes provider data management, workforce management, facility access, contract and spend management, compliance, quality, and safety. It is every piece of the healthcare administration puzzle that is not clinical care and it's unbelievably fragmented today. If you're missing any element, you'll never see the complete picture, or if you mislay a piece, everything can be thrown off balance. Today, these pieces are often siloed in different departments, owned by different managers, and most importantly, in systems filled with data that don't speak to each other. Understanding how operational processes affect each other — for example, how over-scheduling nurses can lead to errors in medication administration — can make a huge difference in care delivery and have financial implications.
What are the challenges in healthcare as they relate to operational efficiency?
BS: The challenges are coming fast and furiously, no matter what your size, location, or populations served. COVID-19 affected all facets of operations as resources shifted rapidly to deal with the infected. There is now a spotlight on deficiencies that exist in the healthcare operations landscape. Provider and staff shortages and burnout are epidemic. Technology is now about making operational challenges “must-address” scenarios for survival. Healthcare reform, under value-based care and value-based contracting, is shifting about $1 trillion of risk from the government to healthcare organizations. But there's also great opportunity—in healthcare reform and telehealth — by using technology to connect the enterprise and make healthcare more efficient and staff-and provider-friendly.
What are the consequences of not investing in the integration of your mission-critical operations solutions?
BS: It is healthcare's mission to improve patient experience, population health, and provider satisfaction, all while reducing per capita healthcare costs. If these pursuits are in your mission, it's not an option not to invest in technology to continue improving care. There are solutions today for any-sized healthcare organization to realize efficiencies in provider data management, cost containment, workforce management and productivity, and more. There are options to immediately realize operational efficiencies by connecting your data. Organizations that aren't applying technology smartly or continue to use outdated or inefficient internally built systems will fall behind.
Why should organizations care about integrating their crossfunctional operations data?
BS: Because healthcare operations encompass the clinical and business sides of any facility or health system, it affects every provider's and staff member's role. Part of the incredible change occurring in healthcare operations today is an unprecedented integration of what had been historically siloed departments and functions. We're helping many of our customers transition to this new order because healthcare reform in your organization will require nothing less than 100% collaboration, transparency, and data sharing. A connected operational enterprise has the potential to boost the bottom line through the reduction of wasted resources, improve care coordination and delivery, and achieve required improvements.
What does a strong, connected operational enterprise organization look like?
BS: A connected enterprise in healthcare unifies disparate roles and systems in ways that no single point solution could ever achieve. It applies technological advances in appropriate, targeted areas to streamline the associated procedures and protocols. It allows hospitals and their staff to better organize their time and resources and ensures only qualified providers join the medical staff in the first place. In addition, it guarantees health vendors meet critical compliance standards, and that clinical materials decisions are evidence-based. Beyond that, our vision is for a connected enterprise that proactively surfaces issues to leadership: for example, helping to save millions in spend by using AI to comb through tens of thousands of contracts for better insights and decision-making. A connected enterprise enables your healthcare organization's journey to positive outcomes on every front — in short, it's invaluable.