| Business intelligence may be a relatively new field in | | | | clinical performance, patient safety, risk management, |
| the corporate setting. However, this does not mean | | | | medical informatics, physician recruiting, physician |
| that it has not reached a significant portion of the | | | | satisfaction, physician retention, credentialing, staff |
| market already. Even medical institutions have already | | | | development, continuing education, patient satisfaction, |
| begun to understand the advantage of implementing | | | | and provider satisfaction. |
| business intelligence tools in their industry, and they | | | | At first bat, you would think that these comprise the |
| have also started implementing such tools as well. This | | | | daily responsibilities of the CMO already. However, |
| is all the more advantageous for the institutions | | | | there are still so many more things that the CMO has |
| themselves for business intelligence for medical | | | | to look into. These would include several strategic |
| enterprises can very well help alleviate the degrading | | | | issues, like investment decisions, organizational direction, |
| financial status brought about by the global economic | | | | business structure decisions, and addressing market |
| breakdown. | | | | and regulatory demands. This is precisely why the |
| In a gist, virtually everyone is actually demanding better | | | | CMO has the added responsibility of delegating tasks |
| performance and quality from all industries in the | | | | to his or her staff, as well as colleagues all across the |
| corporate setting. Payers, patients, purchasers, even | | | | medical institution. Not only that, for the CMO has to |
| government agencies are on the lookout to provide | | | | rely on different business intelligence applications as |
| better quality and performance, as well as more | | | | well. |
| transparency and better patient safety in medical | | | | Just to discuss a few, clinical performance would |
| institutions. This is why business intelligence tools have | | | | tackle data needed for performed services, |
| become highly important in the medical sector. | | | | interventions provided, timeliness, clinical outcomes, the |
| If there is one person that would have to handle the | | | | effects of these outcomes on patient functionality, and |
| pressing issues discussed above, it would be the CMO | | | | many more. The information gathered would then be |
| or the Chief Medical Officer in the medical institution. It | | | | analyzed by both the purchasers and the payers, in an |
| would be the CMO who would have to make all the | | | | attempt to assess its effect on absenteeism and |
| pertinent decisions in running the institution itself. With | | | | worker productivity. |
| that, it is obvious that the CMO would be in need of all | | | | Quality improvement, on the other hand, would entail |
| sorts of resources and tools, which include people, | | | | measures developed by organizations that handle |
| procedures, funds, capital, policies, and political leverage, | | | | quality accreditation, the NCQA or the National |
| more often than not. Apart from that, the CMO would | | | | Committee for Quality Assurance, in particular. |
| need to have more than mere working knowledge of | | | | Whether directly or indirectly, measures would then be |
| the operations of the medical institution itself. All the | | | | used to judge performance. Qualification requirements |
| tools and resources would be used in vain if the CMO | | | | could be a bit complicated since they would require |
| does not know how to make maximum use of these | | | | data extraction, reconciliation, as well as auditing of |
| in the first place. | | | | data from the several internal systems looked into, |
| The use of business intelligence tools would be | | | | such as labs, claims, and encounters. With everything |
| maximized if all of the following key issues would be | | | | discussed, clearly business intelligence for medical |
| faced by the CMO. These include quality improvement, | | | | institutions is a must. |