Social Media "Likes" Healthcare: From Marketing To Social Business - Health Research Institute, April 2012 Page 29

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A future look
Data generated from
Recent HRI research showed that
healthcare companies are struggling
individuals can
with how to integrate and analyze
help complete the
data from their own clinical systems,
patient profile
let alone new data sources such as
personal health records, remote
monitoring devices, and social media.
The ultimate goal for healthcare
Health sector professionals surveyed
companies under an outcomes-based
by HRI cited big data integration
reimbursement system is to positively
and interoperability issues — among
impact patient behavior in order to
providers and health insurers, 71% of
both improve health and reduce costs.
respondents said integrating data from
But caregivers lack valuable informa-
multiple sources was the top technical
tion for effectively doing so. “There
goal of their informatics program over
is a lot of patient data — clinical and
the next two years. For more informa-
soon genomics as well. But what is
tion, see Needles in a haystack: Seeking
really happening in our patients’ lives
knowledge with clinical informatics.
is missing to us and their record —
what’s happening in their lives is
All sectors view patient engagement
happening in the social space,” said
as a way to drive better financial
Ferdinand Velasco, Texas Health’s
performance, either through cost
chief medical information officer. “If
reduction or revenue increases. But
we understand the life factors that
few, if any, providers are including
impact when and who they select for
patient self-reported data in any
care and what challenges they face
type of analysis — only 12% of
after receiving care, there is a lot of
provider respondents said they are
potential for merging analytics with
feeding it into their informatics to
the clinical side and improving care.”
drive research or the development
of care protocols. Nearly one-third
Some organizations are starting to
of provider professionals said they
think about how to harness social
were not doing anything with patient-
media data and integrate it with other
reported data. Data integrity — trust
information to complete their view of
that the information is from the actual
the patient. “Many chronic diseases
patient and reliability that the infor-
are very hard to measure just with lab
mation is accurate — was cited as the
data. But, what’s most important is
primary challenge.
how the patient feels and how they’re
getting along day to day — that’s
something we are in a good position to
capture from social media and trend
over time,” said Arash Mostaghimi,
MD, research fellow in medicine at
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
in Boston.
An in-depth discussion
27

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