What’s keeping health analytics leaders up at night?

More than one powerful circumstance is at play these days, keeping healthcare and human services executives up at night.

The cost of healthcare is ballooning in the U.S., far outpacing peer nations. States and healthcare organizations are under increasing pressure to do more with less — drive operational improvements, achieve better health and financial outcomes, improve care quality and enhance stakeholder experience. Staff are overloaded and burning out. Technology, meant to ease the burden, can sometimes create more work than it replaces.

We have to do better. And the time to do it is now.

But much like technology can hinder the very efforts it is intended to help, implementing a data analytics strategy that works for you can seem like one more daunting task in an already insurmountable list of priorities.

These apprehensions are not unfounded. In fact, this is where many organizations run into problems. Traditional systems, architectures and approaches are simply not able to handle the scale, speed and variety of data in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing analytics realm. This results in a limited ability to extract maximum insights and drive optimal outcomes.

Information overload can lead to analysis paralysis. You can easily become overwhelmed by trying to make sense of all the data that exists within your organization. Having the right systems, tools and vendors can filter out the noise and direct you straight to the most relevant insights so that you can make meaningful and positive changes.

Advanced analytics solutions can provide the efficiency and actionable insights that organizations need to focus on and that address all critical sides of the Triple Aim triangle: cost, quality and experience. The right cost, the highest-quality outcomes and the best possible experience are in the interest of all stakeholders, whether it be a provider, payer, vendor or recipient.

The possibilities and power of analytics can have a tremendous impact in many areas, from immunization management to opioid misuse, improving provider and managed care performance to containing costs and enhancing care quality. We have to look beyond just claims data to additional data sources, such as social determinants of health, that can yield new insights — and prescriptive mechanisms that enable a better path forward.

It’s important to note that analytics alone is not the panacea for achieving stellar outcomes in an ecosystem as complex as healthcare. It must be coupled tightly with experienced partners and advisors who understand the insights, programs and technologies that can maximize outcomes. All parties involved must be aware of how actions taken can create upstream or downstream effects and carefully navigate implementations of programs, policies and procedures based on that understanding.

With the right resources, your organization can gain the transparency you need for prescriptive analytics that can forecast future performance. And with an advanced analytics partner, you can even change that trajectory for the highest-quality outcomes and best experience for all stakeholders.

At Gainwell Technologies, we’re unlocking the power of data to create a better future for everyone who engages with the healthcare system — from the most vulnerable patients and recipients to those who serve and care for them. Our advanced analytics platform underlies all of our solutions and focuses on several key areas:

• Claims and encounters analytics, providing comprehensive insight into Medicaid costs and program disbursements, with the flexibility to address one or more areas of Medicaid program performance to optimize goals and outcomes.
• Pharmacy analytics, offering a complete and integrated view of a state agency’s pharmacy services, from evaluating drug access and prescribing patterns to risk profiles and medication adherence and compliance.
• Provider analytics, enabling state Medicaid agencies to make data-driven decisions for program optimization across provider empowerment, network evaluation, provider eligibility and enrollment and more.
• Whole person analytics, seamlessly integrating data and connecting siloed interagency programs while providing predictive analytics and a whole person view to evaluate your program’s effectiveness and optimize business process efficiency.

Gainwell can help you unlock the power of your data to derive meaningful insights that empower recipients, employees and partners to improve productivity and outcomes. To learn more about our advanced analytics solutions, visit www.gainwelltechnologies.com/analytics.

Jason Fackler is senior director of analytics products offering at Gainwell Technologies, where he oversees the analytics strategy and execution across products. Prior to Gainwell, he led business analytics, data science and agile teams for Fortune 50 healthcare organizations serving Medicare, Medicaid and commercial populations.

Gainwell Technologies is the leading provider of technology solutions that are vital to the administration and operations of health and human services programs. With more than 50 years of proven experience, Gainwell has a reputation for service excellence and unparalleled industry expertise. Learn more at gainwelltechnologies.com.