Healthcare Data Warehouse Technology
Across the globe, both inpatient and outpatient Electronic Medical Records (EMR) are increasing the number of patients, providers, institutions, and monetary and material processing. As it stood in the year 1990, this information was considered to be an essential and unexploited resource in management and clinical studies (Evans, Lloyd, & Pierce, 2012). The EMR providers were significantly concerned by the effects of operating enormous research questions that were related to the healthcare database. However, it was affirmed that clinical care ought to convert the data into aggregated and diverse informative systems to assist in the retrospective and populace-based analysis (Evans et al., 2012). While data warehousing had been developed in various industries, it was incorporated in the health care system gradually as it was regarded as complex due to the heterogeneity of medical care and health statistics (Evans, Lloyd & Pierce, 2012). In essence, data warehousing in healthcare is a current technological invention which has enhanced the storage and provision of prescription to patients. The topic provides significant opportunities offered by data technique while connecting and influencing healthcare data, as well as presenting of similar benefits to all stakeholders.
Relevance of a Data Warehouse in Healthcare
Initially, handling information in health facilities was problematic because of the vastness of the information. As such, there used to be confusion regarding the information of patients. At times, some of the information was lost. Hence, with medical institutions generating various data as compared to other retail industries globally, there was a need to harness, manage, and manipulate the information in a manner that offered vital importance to the organizational shareholders (Wyllie & Davies, 2015). The need to gather, organize, and manipulate data necessitated the use of data warehousing in the health sector. Data warehousing, therefore, can be termed as a company’s source of information that is derived from various outlets thus enabling the feedback statement, examination, and creation of decisions. Additionally, the technique is relevant in the medical facilities and health insurance firms since it improves the patient recovery rate and minimizes costs of treatment (Wyllie & Davies, 2015). Notably, a data warehouse is considered to be economical in the long run as it prevents repetition of health examinations, saves time through the automation of daily activities, and eases the accounting and administrative processes. Moreover, the invention offers a substantial improvement of electronic health records as it helps in managing and increasing the quality of healthcare to individual patients (Wyllie & Davies, 2015). Data warehousing helps in formulating a medical standard data that is used to understand how various level of an organization acts and create standards that are measureable. Similarly, a data warehouse is essential in generating processes involving evidence-based guidelines for clinicians during prescription (Wyllie & Davies, 2015). The invention equally applies to the administrative and managerial duties as it provides different organizational and financial informative materials.
Manner in which the Technology is Integrated into Healthcare
The health sector technology is among the fast-growing industries and most abundant in informative materials among numerous institutions. However, the growing need for the incorporation of data warehouses in healthcare has influenced multiple hospitals to develop extensive medical systems to aid in the decision-making process (Chelico, Wilcox, Vawdrey, & Kuperman, 2016). In essence, several health facilities still have stand-alone database structures that do not relate with those of other institutes. Data warehouse architecture is one of the methods that can be used to integrate the technique in a healthcare medication as it provides substantial details of the technology (Chelico et al., 2016). The main apparatuses of the warehouse in healthcare medicine include data acquisition, storage, and information delivery.
Data Acquisition
The data acquisition stage involves the retrieval of information from numerous sources, relaying the materials into a staging place, and preparing data that is to be sent to a repository area (Chelico et al., 2016). The most significant component of this phase includes data sourcing and staging that are considered to enable integration of information before it is uploaded in a warehouse.
Data Storage and Delivery
A data storage point entails loading of the converted materials from the staging position into a repository area (Chelico et al., 2016). The component is designed to transfer information into a data warehouse table and enhance its transfer and delivery when needed. The process of relaying data makes it easy for physicians and other employees to gain informative materials directly from the warehouse (Chelico et al., 2016). Importantly, the component enables users to search for the data contents, provide numerous levels of data granularity, and eases the performance of sophisticated analysis.
Technology in Clinical Setting
Health care management professionals need to plan and incorporate various models using different approaches to facilitate the achievement of organizational objectives. Therefore, employing a data warehouse strategy in the facility helps to guarantee accurate data for administration purposes, resource utilization, and the improvement of patient safety (Wyllie & Davies, 2015). Additionally, linking the data found in the warehouse with the geographic information systems of patients enables a quick understanding of the prevalence in a given geographical area. Moreover, the information contained in a warehouse is significant in treating chronic diseases through identifying suitable and efficient medication for a patient. Undoubtedly, the data can be used to acquire knowledge about the health facility, its mode of operation, and decision-making process (Wyllie & Davies, 2015). Data warehousing facilitates easy recognition of various disease trends and the treatment strategies. Furthermore, the technique is useful in supervising clinical procedures in patients from the admission stage till the time of discharge. The is incorporated in various medical entities to help in minimizing costs of treatment among multiple patients as the technique helps in keeping records of the hospital clients (Wyllie & Davies, 2015). The technology allows researchers to acquire sufficient informative materials and other scholars to benefit from the investigation for further inventions.
Essentially, the expertise of the technology is used to enhance hospital intelligence since it enables increased query and system performance, timely access to information, and provision of quality care that eventually reduces mortality rate (Wyllie & Davies, 2015). Notably, numerous health entities are implementing data warehouse system to assist in a monitoring agreement with the “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)” and “Patient’s Information Security Control” (PSIC) (Wyllie & Davies, 2015). The healthcare industry adopts the technique since it aids in determining patients who have recurring diseases or have different complications that need constant monitoring.
Mobilizing Funds for Invention
Numerous methods are used to acquire financial assistance from various legislative personalities to help develop a data warehousing in the hospital. The techniques considered include face-to-face interaction with the legislators, telephone calls, letters, or email (Garlick, 2016).
Foremost, face-to-face interaction involves meeting the legislatures in their offices by contacting their assistants through a convenient mode to discuss how the legislators can lobby for funds in the parliament to help create a data warehouse in various health facilities. Phone calls entail phoning the officials through their office contacts and tabling the reasons for the need of a data warehouse in the state hospitals and its importance to the government, public, and researchers (Garlick, 2016). Lastly, writing to the legislatures through email and letters to express the need for data warehousing in the hospitals helps in lobbying for financial aid (Garlick, 2016). Moreover, the inclusion of various health bills that supports the need for technology in health facilities aids in offering effective and efficient medication to the public. Furthermore, the written materials urge legislatures to pass various medical bills to enhance distribution of funds to different health institutions.
Conclusion
Healthcare facilities generate numerous informative materials as compared to other retail industries across the globe. Therefore, a data warehouse presents an excellent opportunity which is developed to harness the information, manage, and manipulate it in a way that is of benefit to the organizational shareholders, such as doctors and patients among others, and various government agencies. The technique is considered to be economical in the long run as it inhibits duplication of examinations, saves time by enabling automation of daily tasks, and eases the accounting and administrative procedures. Indeed, incorporating a data warehouse in the hospitals assists in making accurate data for administrative functions, exploitation of resources, and enhancing patient care. Other forms used to lobby for financial assistance from the legislatures include face-to-face interactions, writings, and phone calls, which are more convenient in ensuring growth through the emerging technology.
References
Chelico, J. D., Wilcox, A. B., Vawdrey, D. K., & Kuperman, G. J. (2016). Designing a clinical data warehouse architecture to support quality improvement initiatives. In AMIA annual symposium proceedings (Vol. 2016, p. 381). American Medical Informatics Association. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5333328/
Evans, R. S., Lloyd, J. F., & Pierce, L. A. (2012). Clinical use of an enterprise data warehouse. In AMIA annual symposium proceedings (Vol. 2012, p. 189). American Medical Informatics Association. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3540441/
Garlick, A. (2016). Interest groups, lobbying and polarization in the United States (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania). Retrieved from: https://search.proquest.com/openview/9f19b00babb52c7ec18cf3d0ad28a7d6/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
Wyllie, D., & Davies, J. (2015). Role of data warehousing in healthcare epidemiology. Journal of Hospital Infection, 89(4), 267-270. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25737091