Reflections on Business Intelligence Course

I always find it helpful to look back on a project and summarize what I’ve learned, what I might do differently, and how it might impact my practice. As I finish up the “Business Intelligence” (BI) course, a few key “takeaways” come to mind.

The Data Warehousing Institute (2002) defines BI as, “The processes, technologies, and tools needed to turn data into information, information into knowledge, and knowledge into plans that drive profitable business action. Business intelligence encompasses data warehousing, business analytic tools, and content/knowledge management.”

Throughout the course I’ve searched for a way to explain BI that others can understand. My best example is today’s grocery store. When we approach the check-out counter at the grocery store and scan our key fob, we just signed on to the stores Business Intelligence strategy. The key fob scan helps the grocery store to track tons of data about our shopping patterns -- the frequency we shop at their store, the items we buy and how often we buy them, the time of day we shop, our home address, etc. When this data is rolled up into a “data warehouse” the company is able to use the data (Data Mining) to better understand customer patterns. The aim of doing this is to develop strategy to entice future business. The company that has a Business Intelligence strategy knows better what items to put “on sale” that will likely bring us in to shop. They understand what days of the week and time of day to staff up and staff down based on shopper volume. They are able to instantly print out coupons that will entice us to come back to the store to shop with them. They are using their data “intelligently” to grow their “business."

How might business intelligence apply in health care. In many respects, data mining is a lot like gold mining. We’re pulling out tiny bits of relevant information from tons of other things that aren’t so relevant. The difference is that the gold miner then has that data assayed to determine it’s value and uses it as a commodity. Without a solid business intelligence strategy, we tend to just pile our gold on the ground and leave it there, hoping that it’ll make sense someday. We have massive amounts of electronic data about two of our customers -- patients and physicians -- that are widely under utilized.

What data can we put together about consumers that will make them more likely to choose our hospital when they need the type of services that we provide? A key fob probably isn’t the way to go, although maybe it is. How many of us have gotten aggravated at the bank when we call in, give all of our information and explain the problem only to be transferred to someone else and have to do it again? Do we do that with our patients? Could we take the information in once, give the patient a swipe card to carry with them so that their updated information would be immediately available that day, maybe with other information that would let us know about potential things that would make a difference to them when they choose health care? Would the information about our patient’s use of our services be useful? What if we had a way to better track and analyze how physicians direct patients to use our services? How would this improve our business strategy?

I don’t know the answers to these questions, but what I do know is that we need to improve our data mining and create a business intelligence strategy.

A few of my other takeaways from the course are:

a. Health care is significantly lagging in terms of using data for business intelligence purposes.

b. Having the BI “tools” (i.e., Data Warehouse, Data Mart, Data Mining software, etc.) in place in an organization is only part of the BI equation – processes and people are critical to a successful BI strategy as well.

c. The value of BI relates to the profitability of the business action. If data and information gleaned from the BI work are ignored, the practice of BI is of little value. Collecting data for the mere function of collecting data is pointless. You have to put it into a workable plan.

d. Senior management in most companies today aren’t well versed enough in understanding their information technology systems (unless they are techies) to know that BI is a strategy that could help move their company ahead of the competition.

The next course begins Labor Day Monday. I’ve come to understand better that the schedule structure of this program is like “year round school.”

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