In many ways, not having actionable data is at the center of these three challenges. Few organizations describe their own approach as data-driven, and they cite lack of reliable, accessible, and/or usable data as reasons why.
The Population Health Advisor creates calculators, scorecards, and other data and analytic resources to help care transformation leaders diagnose, prioritize, and take advantage of opportunities. In 2017, members accessed our tools more than 18,000 times. Here are three ways they use data and best practice tactics to amplify your data-driven strategy.
1. Value-based care strategies require that providers reduce avoidable utilization and cost—particularly in the emergency department.
Our Customized Avoidable ED Utilization Assessment applies an algorithm developed by the NYU Center for Health and Public Service Research to classify ED visits as avoidable or unavoidable. The classification is based on organization-specific Medicare Fee-for-Service inpatient and outpatient data. For avoidable visits, it drills down on whether the visit was non-urgent, primary care treatable, or preventable by upstream care. You can use this tool to inform your strategy to reduce avoidable ED utilization.
2. Determine which population health interventions are truly evidence-basedWhile most providers aspire to prioritize efforts based on demonstrated success, explicit standards and time to analyze academic literature are sparse.
Our Care Delivery Innovation Reference Guide reviews the evidence of projected impact (such as on metrics of utilization, cost, quality, access, and stakeholder satisfaction) behind 25 of the most popular population health interventions. You can use the guide to set benchmarks, inform investments, and access relevant best-practice resources to achieve success.
Estimate your financial return on current or future interventionsProviders prioritize investments with financial ROI to be successful under risk. But that's easier said than done. Many cite challenges assessing the financial return of recently implemented or future investments. While tracking per member per month (PMPM) spend is often seen as the gold standard, it isn't readily available and doesn't tell the full story—quality and operational gains as well as infrastructure costs aren't considered.
Our Population Health Intervention ROI Estimator allows you to quantify the impact of PMPM changes tied to population health interventions over five years and analyze the potential ROI of specific programs.