How Business Analysts Can Help The Healthcare Industry

At its core, business analysis focuses on assessing a current business, identifying what works and what does not, and then moving forward with proactive business solutions that will affect a positive change within the company. This strategy is relevant to the healthcare industry, where multiple services are provided, and unfortunately, inefficiencies can occur. Continue reading to learn why working with a business analyst is the right move for any healthcare administration to provide the best care and stay ahead of the competition.

Image Credit

In any industry, there are primary processes involved with the practice of business analysis. With the healthcare industry, it is more nuanced since providing care is so complex. Here are the main tenets of business analysis as they pertain to healthcare.

• Gather Background Information - A business analyst will spend time researching the healthcare company to learn its history. They will compile detailed information pertaining to the current and past business practices and determine how the scope of care is affected by the administration’s current policies.

In a data-rich world, business analysts will pull and review data from business metrics regarding key points. To illustrate, in an analysis of a hospital’s emergency room, important data, such as patient wait times, provider-to-patient contact times, and return rates, are assessed to determine any inefficiencies that can be mitigated.

Analysts will sit down with a variety of stakeholders to learn about pain points and recommendations from multiple sources within the healthcare business. Perspectives from those on the front lines all the way up to the head of administration prove valuable in gaining a clear picture of how the business is run and how care is provided and received.

• Develop Process Improvements - Business analysts are hired to rectify inefficiencies and highlight ways to make proactive changes within the healthcare environment. They do so by developing strategic process improvements based on their information gathering.

The most effective way to relay the findings and information at this stage in their analysis is through visible media, such as flowcharts and suggested workflows that accurately reflect the results of their analysis in a way that stakeholders can understand. The presentation should include what has been done and actionable solutions to execute an effective change within the company.

An example of one such suggestion may be the recommendation of proprietary software that will streamline a particular industry within the umbrella of healthcare, such as disability services. Specific NDIS software solution implementations can impact how someone receives care when using specialized software designed expressly for the purpose of serving a distinct population.

• Risk Management and Reduction - Beyond general analysis of what works and what functions poorly in a healthcare business, an analyst will perform risk management assessments on all recommendations to determine the best plan of action before any changes are implemented at any level within the business.

Risk management is a further way of projecting success by researching and conducting studies and due diligence to determine the feasibility of enacting any potential options for bettering the practice. An analyst will pull data and documentation from relevant sources, such as similar healthcare models, to show how their recommended strategies worked in other companies. The healthcare administration and other key providers will have a stake in the conversations and strategy sessions to confirm everyone is on board with the plans moving forward and can offer unique insight based on their respective roles within the company.

• Evaluate Solutions for Success - After any discussions have occurred and before solution implementation, the business analyst offers their expertise in the evaluation of the solutions to ensure success.
  
  The analyst will look at the feasibility of enacting solutions to achieve the desired and expected outcomes of the strategic roadmap. There will likely be fine-tuning and finessing of strategy to ensure the scope of the business plan and purpose are properly aligned and to stay on track to meet future goals.

• Manage Stakeholders - Managing stakeholders is an essential final but not insignificant step in the core business analysis functions. In this stage, the business analyst acts as a go-between and sometimes a mediator between the stakeholders and interested parties.
  
  Everyone from the top administration officials to doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers impacted by the outcomes will communicate touchpoints to ensure everyone is apprised of the plan moving forward and understand their respective roles in implementing it.

This is a period of thoughtful and timely education and training for many healthcare practices to bring everyone on board to help them understand the new processes, computer programs or software, and other changes in business as usual.

Image Credit

Business analysts are essential to the healthcare industry when change is needed. They will use their learned expertise to assess a company’s current practices and find realistic solutions to make positive and effective transformations for the benefit of everyone involved moving forward.