| | July 20198IN MY OPINIONImplementing Data Visualization in HealthcareAs the Chief Information Officer at Massachusetts Eye and Ear (MEE) in Boston, I have been privileged to work with an amazing group of health care providers and the large repository of clinical, operational, and research data they have generated over decades of patient care.Having the ability to visualize this data in ways that can assist leadership, providers, and researchers in their work can be tremendously valuable. Under my direction, my team implemented a Business Intelligence platform at MEE over two years ago.During the implementation process, I've found there are a set of principles you need to follow for the successful implementation of this type of project. These relate to: 1) choosing the right platform for your organization2) ensuring that you are working with good quality data3) keeping the data definitions consistent4) having a good understanding of what visualizations the consumer requires.With a lot of great options on the market right now, choosing the right platform to visualize your data can be daunting.Many platforms provide similar functionality but differ in price, scalability, and the location of your data.Some solutions require that the data be hosted in the cloud, where others offer onsite repository support. In healthcare, we prefer to keep our data locally hosted for a number of reasons (i.e., speed, security, accessibility, etc.).You should also consider a platform that provides the security structure that best fits your organization.I've found integration into a local Active Directory can help simplify user management through the use of Active Directory security groups.This approach is much easier to maintain than one that requires local security administration within the platform itself.You will also want to establish a governance structure to ensure requests for data and visualizations are appropriate and prioritized.If you have an existing structure in place, you should be able to leverage the same model. (i.e., an IRB for research requests, an Ambulatory Council for outpatient needs, etc.).Prior to beginning the visualization of your data, you must understand the quality of the data in your possession.Understanding the schema of the data and the contents of the fields are critical in providing quality visualizations that can be used to make decisions.Stay away from utilizing fields that are either missing values or where the values By Michael Ricci, Chief Information Officer, Massachusetts Eye and EarMichael Ricci
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