Physicians depend on complete and accurate data to make correct diagnoses and provide effective care. Patients trust their providers with highly sensitive details about their lives. And compiled data informs healthcare research. Because data plays such a central role in healthcare, the importance of data governance in the healthcare sector cannot be overstated.
At the same time, healthcare organizations face considerable obstacles as they strive to govern the massive amounts of data under their control. In the first place, the World Economic Forum estimates that the average hospital generates over 50 petabytes of data every year, most of it unstructured.
Secondly, because of its sensitive nature, healthcare data is heavily regulated. Laws such as HIPAA impose strict requirements on how organizations store, use, and share data. And with protected health information (PHI) living in many different formats, departments, and platforms, compliance proves complicated. Frequent security threats add further complexity.
To address these challenges, healthcare organizations must adopt a proactive and strategic approach to data governance. This process will involve numerous moving parts and does not happen overnight. However, the following tips will help set things off on the right track.
Start with Initial Data Assessment and Cleanup
You cannot govern data unless you know what data you have and where it lives. Therefore, start with a thorough inventory to discover what PHI the organization collects and stores, where it lives, who owns it, and how it is used. Also determine who has access to the data. This information will aid in building a risk profile and determining next steps.
Once you have a view of the organization’s data, classify the data based on sensitivity and prioritize it for protection. This initial data assessment period also presents a good time to perform some data cleanup. This will include resolving duplicate records and archiving or removing data no longer needed. Always refer to regulatory requirements.
Review and Update Access Privileges
Because the patient record plays a pivotal role in care delivery, healthcare organizations need to carefully control access to this information. Access management involves defining who has access to what data and under what circumstances. Work toward a state of least privileged access, in which users have just the authorization they need to do their job and no more.
Controlling access to PHI may also include updating authentication processes to definitively verify the identity of anyone attempting to access sensitive information. Multi-factor authentication (MFI) and other modern authentication methods will prove essential.
Leverage Technology Wisely
Technology can streamline the process of healthcare data governance and reduce errors. For example, biometric scanners reduce the chance of misidentification, and software using AI-powered referential matching can prove effective in reducing duplicate records. Likewise, digital compliance solutions provide critical compliance monitoring and simplify data classification.
When choosing and implementing technology, look for solutions made to scale easily as data sets continue to grow. Also prioritize tools that integrate with existing clinical systems. And utilize robust security systems that use encryption and other protective measures to secure data during transmission and storage.
Build a Culture of Data Governance
No amount of technology, however, will take the place of building a corporate culture of data governance. Engage with stakeholders such as providers and patients as you develop a data governance framework. An essential part of that framework will include defining data governance roles and responsibilities.
Then promote data literacy by providing training for all employees on data governance policies and best practices. For instance, standardized procedures around collecting and updating patient data will assist in preventing errors and duplicates. Formal training and just-in-time reminders will help.
Take Data Governance to the Next Level
Effective data governance takes time and requires careful planning. The eMazzanti team of data experts brings decades of experience in effective data governance and data security consulting and solutions. We can help you design and implement a comprehensives strategy designed to protect data assets and drive both efficiency and innovation.
