In January 2018, Nemours Children’s Health launched its Value-Based Services Organization (“VBSO”) to manage the execution of alternate payment models, increase focus on population and whole-child health, and support efforts to address healthcare disparities and social needs.
My team, Analytics & Technology (VDAT), was established as a core component of this new organization.
We are tasked with developing and supporting the analytics and technology infrastructure for valuebased care and population health. Our team has evolved considerably over the last few years, adding new roles and expertise as direct reports or within matrixed relationships. Here are some insights that I hope help others on this journey.
The Right Combination
Pair your population health platform/EHR team with your analytics team. This matrixed relationship has yielded amazing results for us in various ways. The data analysts can inform design decisions based on reporting and analytics needs (“Design FOR Data”). This pairing reduces the likelihood of the dreaded “we cannot report on that because of how it was built” that often accompanies new system implementations.
No matter what organizational structure you pursue for your value and population health technology team, success depends as much on team culture as anything else
In turn, new build requests, enhancements, workflow optimization, rules, etc., within the system can be informed by data that the analysts share. (Design FROM Data) For example, what are the top workflow errors, pick list items selected, menus ignored, etc? As we move to push quality upstream, our pop health EHR team can get data support that can help guide and prioritize system build or help validate system settings by providing patient counts or lists arrived at independently. This pairing improves the quality of the new system built right out of the gate, leading to more end-user confidence and more efficient use of resources.
Roster Management Specialist
A key area in value-based care technology involves managing rosters. In our case, payer rosters, clinically integrated network member panels, school-based health student lists, HIE and Vaccine subscription panels, care coordination rosters, and more! We have stretched the capabilities of Epic’s amazing Roster Management Engine in numerous ways. To support this work, we developed the position of Roster Management Analyst and hired data-savvy team members from our Health Information Management (HIM) Team. This approach proved to be a win because it provided a growth opportunity for high-potential Associates in HIM while providing my team someone with expertise on medical record criteria for creating new vs. merging records, deduplication, matching and error resolution, etc.
Dedicated Data Integration Engineer
With a CIN with nine different EHRs, two freestanding hospitals, three state HIEs, four state Vaccine Registries, multiple school-based health centers, multiple payer contracts, and more, our team moves a LOT of data around. At last count, we process close to three hundred different files each month. Many end up in our EHR; others end up in data tables, and others are distributed across our clinically integrated network. Having a dedicated integration engineer has been a lifesaver. Ours is another matrixed Associate who lives within the discipline, change management, and toolset of Information Systems but has the expertise and business understanding of the valuebased care technology world. This role also brings a different technology insight because of the specialized expertise. Our integration engineer frequently proposes creative solutions to data challenges and has even helped our state vaccine registries troubleshoot data quality problems from major pharmacies sending in flu and COVID-19 vaccine data.
It Is More than Just the Roles
No matter what organizational structure you pursue for your value and population health technology team, success depends as much on team culture as anything else.
And culture is imparted from leadership to the team, where it will grow or wither. If you want creativity, discretionary effort, and accountability from the team, you have to make those priorities for the team.
Value-based care and population health work are among the most engaging, stimulating works a technology team can perform. Take the time to connect the team with the mission; they will deliver the desired results!
