Data Is The New Oil

By Monica E. Oss, Chief Executive Officer, OPEN MINDS

In 2017, an article in The Economist flouted a then-controversial theory: Data had dethroned oil as the most valuable resource in the world. While controversial at the time, “data is the new oil” has become almost cliché as the market value for data could reach up to $280 billion by 2025.

But while every organization has reams of data, useful information and data-driven insights from that data are not common. Data, like oil, is only valuable if you can use it. The question for every executive team is how to leverage the data they have. That was the focus of the webinar, Maximize Your Organizational Effectiveness With Analytics & Reporting: Unique Case Studies As Told By Monarch & Options Counseling & Family Services. The webinar featured Scott Budzien, Data Scientist at Monarch; Adam Falk, Chief Information Officer at Options Counseling and Family Services; and Christy Winter, Senior Product Manager, Analytics, at Qualifacts.

According to Ms. Winter, the key to moving an organization to data-driven decision making and metrics-based management is the right data strategy. That strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines the tools, technology, and processes used to collect, manage, analyze, and act on data across the organization to achieve strategic goals. A best practice data strategy is both cultural and technical. Buy-in and ownership are critical. But technical expertise in data management, reporting formats, and analytics are a necessity.

“Where do you need traditional reporting tools, and where do you need analytics tools?” asked Ms. Winter. “Traditional reporting is when you are generating those static reports that are pages and pages long. It has lots of information and gives you that information, but it raises the question, what do I do with all this information? Then there is the analytics and insight realm where you don’t just get a static report, you’re getting more flexibility with the data, you’re able to interact with it more. You can drill down or across the data and start to answer the questions of ‘why’ and ‘so what’?’”

Both Mr. Budzien and Mr. Falk gave great examples of how they have used data strategically at Monarch and Options Counseling and Family Services, respectively.

Monarch provides behavioral health services for people suffering from anxiety disorders, depression and a variety of other mental illnesses. Headquartered in Albemarle, North Carolina, Monarch has dozens of locations around the state.

Options Counseling and Family Services provides family preservation, behavioral health services, and other family supportive services to families and individuals in 14 Oregon counties. Based in Eugene, Options has 11 locations throughout Oregon.

At Monarch, Mr. Budzien has seen the evolution of metrics-based management as they have moved from unconnected spreadsheets to business intelligence utility. As their system has matured, they have added a wide range of domains with data tools, from productivity and caseloads to consumer follow-up and care coordination, to clinical outcomes.

Mr. Falk described the Options journey from moving away from managing the organization’s operations with Excel reports to using a business intelligence system. Their data tools are widely used, tracking intakes, staffing, billing, revenue, and more. He discussed how the team can adjust the data as needed, and can customize the data visualizations (the charts and graphs) for their teams.

The speakers discussed the challenges of improving organizational performance with data and business intelligence tools. Data can be a motivation to improve performance, but that doesn’t come from the tech team. According to Ms. Winter, tech is the tool, but adoption by managers and the executive team is key.

The other interesting discussion was around implementation of business intelligence tools. Having a structured approach is essential. The speakers advised starting slowly and listening carefully to what managers and their teams need. Another important factor is how the data is presented—the data visualization. The right presentation, as well as the right design of user facing charts and graphs, improves the utility of the data.

“Meet staff where they are, not where you want them to be,” said Mr. Falk. “There is always going to be people who adopt new things easily and provide valuable feedback. These are your champions. Find them, thank them, and use them. They are going to be the people sitting next to others who resist change. Not only will champions support others, they will also supply great feedback to make things even better.”

Mr. Budzien added, “For us, it’s important that we have staff buy-in so that our reports are being used… At the same time, it’s those clin-ops folks that will make sure that the final product has meaning and utility.”

While there are many measures of “performance”, the effectiveness of treatment is the most fundamental. “This is really about improving clinical outcomes,” said Ms. Winter. “It’s about making sure your clinical interventions are being delivered at the right time with the right consumers and getting those services delivered at the right level of care. It’s about making sure you are doing this on a budget and making sure the way you are delivering those services is improving the outcomes. Overarching all of this is making sure you are monitoring clinician performance effectiveness, because that is directly related to improving the outcomes.”