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Healthcare systems are drowning in data. In fact, they generate a staggering 30% of the world’s total data, a figure that grows exponentially each year. While many organizations have recognized the need for better healthcare data management by investing in Master Data Management (MDM) systems, a critical piece of the puzzle often remains unsolved: Provider Data Management (PDM). Even with robust MDM strategies in place, healthcare organizations still struggle to effectively manage the complexities of provider data. This can lead to inefficiencies, inaccuracies, and missed opportunities.

The Provider Data Challenge in Healthcare Data Management

Even with the best MDM system, provider data can be a major pain point. It’s complex, dynamic, and often scattered across numerous systems, making it difficult to maintain a single source of truth. A study published by McKinsey & Company shows just how cumbersome it is to achieve quality data, with 82 percent of respondents saying they spent one or more days per week resolving master data quality issues, and 66 percent saying they use manual review to assess, monitor, and manage the quality of their master dataÂą.

Consider this: provider data is constantly changing. New providers join your network, existing providers update their headshot, credentials, or locations, and affiliations evolve. Keeping up with these changes and ensuring accuracy across all your systems is a significant challenge for comprehensive healthcare data management.

These gaps in your provider data can have serious consequences:

  • Patient Access: Inaccurate or incomplete information can hinder patients’ ability to find the right provider, leading to frustration and delays in care.
  • Operational Efficiency: Data inconsistencies create administrative headaches, complicate scheduling and referrals, and hinder care coordination.
  • Revenue Cycle: Inaccurate provider data can lead to billing errors, claim denials, and lost revenue.
  • Compliance: Outdated or incomplete provider information can put your organization at risk of non-compliance with regulatory requirements.

Why is Provider Data So Challenging for Master Data Management Systems?

Several factors contribute to the difficulty of managing provider data within traditional Master Data Management systems:

  • Disparate and Unstructured Sources: Provider data lives in various places–Electronic Health Records, credentialing platforms, HR systems, spreadsheets–each with its own format and structure. MDMs often struggle to effectively consolidate this fragmented information, hindering effective healthcare data management.
  • Limited Enrichment Capabilities: Master Data Management systems are good at extracting and loading data, but they often lack the tools to enrich provider profiles with valuable information like expertise, affiliations, and clinical interests.
  • Security Constraints: While security is crucial, overly restrictive controls in some Master Data Management systems can hinder essential data validation workflows, making it difficult to ensure accuracy and completeness.
  • Lack of Healthcare-Specific Integrations: General-purpose Master Data Management systems often lack pre-built integrations with crucial third-party healthcare data sources, limiting their ability to provide a comprehensive view of provider information, a key requirement for robust healthcare data management.

Risks of Using Master Data Management Systems for Provider Data

  • Incomplete Provider Profiles: Missing or inaccurate information hinders patient access and care coordination.
  • Operational Inefficiencies: Challenges with data updates and validation create administrative burden and slow down workflows.
  • Missed Opportunities: Limited enrichment capabilities hinder strategic decision-making and marketing efforts.

The Solution: Integrating Provider Data Management with Master Data Management for Optimal Success

To address these challenges and achieve comprehensive healthcare data management, organizations need a specialized approach that combines the principles of Master Data Management with the specific requirements of provider data. This is where Provider Data Management (PDM) comes in. Think of Master Data Management and Provider Data Management as two sides of the same coin when it comes to healthcare data management. MDM provides the broad foundation, centralizing and organizing all your critical data. PDM zooms in on the crucial element of provider data, ensuring its accuracy, completeness, and accessibility.

Here’s how this powerful combination works for effective healthcare data management:

  • Master Data Management sets the stage: It creates a single source of truth for data throughout your entire organization, consolidating patient data, financial data, operational data, and more. This provides a unified view of your health system.
  • Provider Data Management steps in: It takes the complex and dynamic world of provider data and brings it into focus. PDM cleanses, enriches, and optimizes this information, ensuring it’s accurate, up-to-date, and ready to use within your MDM solution.

Benefits of a comprehensive data strategy

The Benefits of a Comprehensive Healthcare Data Management Strategy

  • Reduces administrative burden: Automate workflows and streamline processes, freeing up your staff.
  • Improves patient access and experience: Empower patients to find the right providers and access care easily.
  • Simplifies provider and location data management: Gain control over your data.
  • Enhances marketing and outreach efforts: Target the right patients with accurate provider information.
  • Supports data-driven decision-making: Make informed choices based on reliable data insights.
  • Powers more experiences: Create innovative solutions and deliver exceptional patient care.

Master Data Management and Provider Data Management are not duplicative efforts. They’re complementary solutions that work together to create a powerful data foundation for your healthcare organization. By embracing this comprehensive approach to healthcare data management, you can unlock the full potential of your data and drive success across all areas of your health system.

Meet with a member of our team to learn more about Kyruus Health’s Provider Data Management solutions for health systems

 

  1. McKinsey & Company, Master data management: The key to getting more from your data, 2024.
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