Indeed, data has evolved from being a mere byproduct of mission-critical activities to a pivotal factor that shapes health agency programs, initiatives, and strategic objectives. Data-based insights are critical to enabling health agencies to develop and deploy programs, measure their success, and adjust them for continuous improvement.
Yet maintaining the quality and security of rapidly increasing volumes of data across distributed IT systems, databases, and data formats is a formidable and complex challenge. To tackle it, a modern infrastructure capable of collecting, storing, organizing, and analyzing data from all collection points is key. When that infrastructure also spans divisions and departments and enables secure sharing with other agencies, organizations can realize operational efficiencies, improvement in total user experience (TX), and seamless deployment of data-driven services.
This is where the tightly coupled capabilities of robust data management and modern cloud infrastructure can play a crucial role. Let’s look at some of the strategies federal health agencies can deploy to realize the value of these must-have tools.
Understand how data management and cloud are intertwined
Comprehensive data management plans empower healthcare organizations to set data standards, formats, and definitions, ensuring consistency and interoperability across the entire enterprise. For organizations adopting modern cloud solutions, these plans enable the integration of scalable, secure cloud-based systems that enhance data handling throughout its lifecycle. They also establish processes to ensure the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of patient data, enable real-time access and analytics, and minimize duplication, redundant storage, and inconsistent data practices. The result is streamlined, cost-effective data policies and processes that enhance the quality of care and operational efficiency across the organization.
Approach cloud migration and data initiatives concurrently
Whether deploying private, hybrid, multi, or purpose-built cloud solutions, health agencies are smart to strategize cloud migration roadmaps while they develop data management plans. Doing so can help optimize data management processes and tools to their cloud environments and is critical to ensuring data availability and security during data migration.
Leverage industry expertise to select appropriate cloud and data management investments
As agencies address cloud migration and data management in parallel, the consideration of what data should remain on-premises and what should be migrated to private, public, or hybrid cloud environments is paramount to success. Also critical is the selection of solutions that ensure compliance with regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and support robust disaster recovery plans. Agencies are wise to leverage expert insight to help evaluate their current data landscape, understand objectives and mandated requirements, and help guide selection and deployment of cloud solutions designed to meet their data management needs – and even train staff on best practices.
Leverage scalable cloud features to address increasing data volumes
Modern cloud solutions enable healthcare organizations to manage surging volumes of health data with scalable infrastructure, vast storage capacity, and advanced analytics tools. These capabilities support large-scale data ingestion, rapid analysis, and long-term retention of extensive health data, facilitating critical insights and ensuring compliance with data storage regulations.
Integrate AI and advanced analytics
As healthcare organizations handle increasing data volumes, cloud environments empower them to harness artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to automate repetitive data management tasks, efficiently analyze large datasets, swiftly identify and correct inconsistencies, reduce data “noise” by isolating high-value information, and detect trends and patterns in vast datasets to enhance decision-making.
Prioritize security to boost data sharing and collaboration
By coupling cloud services with data management, agencies can leverage robust data encryption across all points of data collection, sharing, and storage. The resulting increase in data security means that data availability disruptions are minimized – and critical information is available when and where it is needed. This, in turn, facilitates real-time collaboration between health agencies and among health professionals, leading to more robust services and potentially improving health outcomes.
Embrace the role of CDO
As health agencies recognize the strategic importance of data to drive missions, the role of Chief Data Officer (CDO) is increasingly prevalent. For agencies that have not yet established this role, doing so can help drive a strategic, agency-wide focus on enterprise data, and provide organizational support for robust data management and effective data governance initiatives. When working closely with Chief Information Officers (CIOs), Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), and Chief Technology Officers (CTOs), the CDO can help steer enterprise-wide coordination of efforts to link data management initiatives with cloud adoption and deployment alongside enterprise-wide data security priorities.
Robust cloud infrastructure and data management solutions can be a mission-driven combo for health agencies. With these tools, health agencies can break down data silos, integrate disparate data sets, improve data quality, derive timely data-based insights boost total user experience and public trust, and more.
Learn more about cloud and data management solutions that drive critical health missions using data.