UNC Health has been on a mission for over ten years to effectively manage and utilize its vast amounts of clinical, financial, and operational data to improve the quality and efficiency of care delivery. In the first episode of the HIMSSCast series, System Director For Analytical Solutions at UNC Health, Greg Kuhnen, shares insights on the essential components of successful data governance.
Kuhnen emphasizes the importance of focusing on the people, processes, and technology necessary to establish an analytics program that can be scaled throughout the entire enterprise. He advises healthcare organizations to avoid using the term “data governance” and instead concentrate on developing a comprehensive approach to managing and analyzing data effectively.
UNC Health has collaborated with HIMSS Analytics to advance its analytics maturity, utilizing models such as the Adoption Model for Analytics Maturity and the updated Analytics Maturity Assessment Model. These tools have been instrumental in guiding UNC Health on its journey towards leveraging data for improved outcomes.
Key talking points from the episode include defining data governance, the significance of data management and analytics, essential IT systems and leadership roles, the benefits of a hybrid centralized and decentralized model, developing and implementing new data management policies, and advice for healthcare organizations looking to enhance their data management practices.
For more insights, listeners are encouraged to subscribe to the HIMSSCast podcast on platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
In addition to the podcast episode, UNC Health has shared details on how it achieved peak analytics maturity, reaching Stage 7 with advanced EMR and analytics capabilities. The health system’s CIO has also discussed the work on generative AI with Epic and Microsoft, emphasizing the need for responsible AI governance. UNC Health is dedicated to creating a sustainable path for AI governance and utilizing HIMSS Analytics models to support smart AI deployments.
It is evident that UNC Health is committed to leveraging data to drive improvements in healthcare delivery, and their collaboration with HIMSS Analytics is a testament to their dedication to advancing analytics maturity in the healthcare industry.
This article was written by Mike Miliard, the executive editor of Healthcare IT News. For more information, readers can reach out to mike.miliard@himssmedia.com. Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS.
