Johannesburg, 30 Jan 2012
With quality data having been identified as a critical success factor in the successful implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, this has been a key focus area for all stakeholders involved in the initiative to date.
To this end, an audit of various health facilities across SA is in full swing, with more than 20 teams gathering data on infrastructure, HR and quality of care. But with data being gathered from approximately 4 200 public health institutions, the sheer volume of data being collected is momentous. And without a way to manage, categorise and ultimately present and interpret what all the data is telling us, the task can be daunting.
That is where ASG Performance Solutions comes in. Brought on board by Health Systems Trust (HST), ASG was tasked to work with the team to develop a way of turning masses of data into valuable business intelligence that can be easily accessed, understood and used for decision making purposes.
Rising to the challenge, ASG is working closely with HST to develop and implement an Integrated Reporting Solution to analyse and report on the information gathered during the audit. The solution consists of various modules, all integrated as part of the solution, but each addressing very specific data management and reporting related requirements. Reporting tools include Dashboards, a Data Extract Tool and a Query Tool.
Dashboards have been created to show results covering everything from physical location to infrastructure; staffing to services; equipment to human resources; quality standards to policies and procedures. They are all designed to provide maximum feedback and ultimately make management and decision-makers more efficient and knowledgeable about their facilities.
Dashboards include a General Overview Dashboard which provides views of data based on facility name, area, access and population and hours of operation; an Infrastructure Dashboard which flags facilities including beds, theatres and supplies; a Services Dashboard which looks at data such as in vs outpatient facilities, pharmacy facilities and therapeutic support; a Staffing Dashboard; a Geographical Dashboard with a map which allows you to choose a combination of different facility types and then plot them according to actual co-ordinates; Outcome and Compliance Dashboards; Divisional Dashboards which show detail regarding best and worst facilities per division and facility type; a Questions Dashboard which provides a per question breakdown of results; and last but not least, a Priority Areas Dashboard which shows what makes up each priority area and the results specific to those areas.
The ASG data extract tool on the other hand, lets you select categories, sub-categories and filters to view data in a specific format. The data export isn't based on pure raw data as exports include averages, sums and other calculations which help you interpret the data.
For those who want to drill down into even more detail, the query tool allows you to run queries based on raw data and export this to excel for further analysis and manipulation.
A pivot tool allows users to slice and dice data according to various variables in a user friendly Web-based interface. The pivot view focuses on skills and employee related data across the organisation. The pivot view makes it easy to interact with massive amounts of data in ways that are powerful, informative and valuable. Users are enabled to present various different elements of a data set at once and visualise these dimensions in a way that exposes value from the group.
To top things off, a photo upload tool allows you to upload photos and view photographs - of sites, facilities or anything else where pictures tell more than a thousand words (or even numbers) ever can!
Another important consideration for both the solution and the partnership between ASG and HST as a whole is centred on the sensitivity of the information being gathered in the audit. “Integrity and trust between partners, especially in a project of this nature is key,” says Ronel Visser, Director at Heath Systems Trust. “And the solution itself is highly secure to ensure only the right people have access to the appropriate information”.
So it's all protected, it's all visual, it's all easy - and it's all about making information work for you. Helping to quantify the great work already done by the Gauteng Department of Health - and letting the figures talk for themselves!
For more on ASG Performance Solutions contact Carina Shaw on carina@asgworld.co.za or visit our website on www.asgworld.co.za.
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