Making Laboratory Data Useful for Population Health Efforts – Risk Stratification Analytics Part 6
Providers are familiar with using laboratory test results to assist in the diagnosing and monitoring of a patient’s health condition. Performing this work for an entire population is challenging, as providers and care teams simply do not have time to jump from system to system to review test results, reconcile it with other health data and make clinical interpretations. Because of the limitations that exist with electronic health data, the focus tends to be on one patient at a time, rather than managing an entire population’s health. This distinction and impact on population health is important.
But, you do not have to manage each patient in your population manually. One of the foundational principles of great analytics is the ability to reduce manual data processes while providing insights for better decision-making. KPI Ninja’s interoperability capabilities – the ability to reconcile and normalize data across systems – combined with the Johns Hopkins ACG® System permit deep clinical insights, like the ability to gain better insight into your population’s chronic conditions with laboratory markers.
Why Laboratory Markers are Helpful
Laboratory markers are flags that help you identify new conditions and understand how well existing conditions are being controlled. In the example below, you find five laboratory flags that help you understand your diabetic population by helping you:
- Identify pre-diabetics
- Better manage existing diabetics by understanding how well the condition is being controlled
- Close documentation gaps
How it Works
KPI Ninja has comprehensive inbound data capabilities to ingest and normalize data from many different sources, like claims, electronic health data, HL7v2, CCDs, FHIR, API, flat files, etc. Ultimately, bringing together comprehensive health information about your population to feed the ACG System and provide you actionable insights, like the laboratory markers we discuss here.
While using laboratory data to identify and refine diagnoses is nothing new, it is important to consider how this practice can be done at scale for populations. Despite the data obstacles we are facing right now across silo’ed settings, KPI Ninja clients can create an entirely new way forward – to forge a future of health care delivery that is grounded in data-driven population health.
About the Author
Renee Towne
VP of Population Health at KPI Ninja, Inc.
Renee provides operational leadership of quality initiatives at KPI Ninja. Towne has a background in occupational therapy, education and experience in operational excellence across a variety of healthcare domains. Based on prior experience as a clinician that drove outcomes patient by patient, she is leaving a larger footprint by improving health care more comprehensively, population by population.
About KPI Ninja
KPI Ninja is a data analytics company that helps healthcare organizations accelerate their quality, safety, and financial goals with a unique combination of software and service. We are differentiated by our signature mix of technology, performance management consulting and healthcare expertise. We don’t merely offer software solutions but work shoulder to shoulder with clients to help them draw on the power of analytics and continuous improvement methodologies to become more efficient. In harmony with our data-centered ethos, we truly believe that our success is strongly co-related with yours.