Healthcare and Data Applications
Toni Hardy
05 May 2013
ISTM 5025
Abstract
With the growth in electronic health records (EHRs), more and more facilities are gathering huge amounts of digitized patient data. Although accurate documentation is essential for patient care, computerized patient data also enhances quality for the entire healthcare system. Hospitals would benefit from using data applications in order to get an accurate picture of their data. This paper will compare the benefit of three different methods for pulling value from data, including data mining, data analysis and data profiling.
Healthcare providers can use data mining to uncover previously unknown patterns from vast data stores and then use this information to build predictive models. “Since the 1990s, businesses have been using data mining for activities such as credit scoring, fraud detection, and maintenance scheduling.” (Mosby, 2012) Now, healthcare organizations are also seeing value in data mining.
Because Electronic Health Records (EHRs) contain so much accessible data, they provide a rich source for healthcare organizations to tap for information about how to improve patient care and reduce costs. Moreover, “if their data mining proves useful, these facilities can be eligible for government funding through President Obama’s $14.6 billion program to promote EHR use.” (Jayadewa, 2013)
Healthcare organizations are investigating the best ways to gather data because the success of healthcare data mining depends on accuracy. In many cases, they have turned to nurses or a medical scribe rather than physicians to input this information. By collecting data fully, accurately, and in a standard vocabulary, nurses can contribute greatly to data mining efforts that will ultimately reduce healthcare costs and increase the quality of patient care.
How Data Mining Works
By examining and analyzing stored patient data, expert data miners can uncover important trends. For example, “when a...