Understanding the software and business of healthcare for impactful optimization
Hospitals and health plans are a critical part of the overall healthcare system around the world. Seasoned and experienced professionals in health- care can do wonders with their service and there’s always a constant demand for them by healthcare centers. With digitization, centers require profes- sionals who are compatible with their services as well as the various steps of digitization.
We bring to you Blue Eagle Consult- ing, a company that needs no intro- duction. Launched in 2004, Blue Eagle provides resources for hospitals and health plans. Your requirements for senior-level highly experienced consultants and professionals are satiated for both healthcare and IT/ business markets. Since the company’s foundation, it has seen a lot of chang- es in the industry and has progressed along. Today, Blue Eagle has many clients and strategic partners in which they cater to by providing senior-level subject matter experts.
The reputation that Blue Eagle has built is simply stunning with its absolutely outstanding highly-expe- rienced professionals. In a gist, when you partner with Blue Eagle, you step in with low effort and low risk and go back with high returns. In an interview with the CEO- Mark Griffin, we learned so many things about data analytics, the market landscape and how Blue Eagle is outshining in the industry.
Here are the excerpts from the interview:
Cloud and data analytic services providers are thousands in number. So how do you maintain your stand in the market?
We have become valued partners with an increasing number of niche focused, cloud-based analytics providers. Our software specific data extract/reporting developers provide major Hospital/EMR enterprise level systems (Epic, Cerner, McKesson, Meditech, etc.) whose data is needed for analytics. We help our partners bridge the data transmission/map- ping needed from within their client’s enterprise software. For those times when speed+accuracy are critical, we relieve them of requiring highly specialized skills and experience to build these “data feeds.”
Today, it’s the era of advanced tech. Do you think it is mandatory for companies to embrace AI and VR to improve business efficiency?
Honestly, my answer is no. Software and analytics tools have become more and more sophisticated. So I wouldn’t use the word “embrace”; they made that choice when they purchased I think a better word is “master” or “become proficient” in the use of technology. AI and VR are sophisticat- ed tools and come with a tremendous burden of time and expertise to fully implement and benefit from their use. We don’t see everybody embrac- ing the tech and more specifically, we don’t own technology and we don’t develop it. But we provide people, resources, and knowledge to help use that tech. That is where we are a valuable partner. Whether based on time or bandwidth, we can almost immediately provide a specific type of highly skilled and experienced Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) “when and how” a client may wish to engage them. The quality and benefits impact is immediate and yet the budgeting of time and effort is flexible per the client’s priorities.
Exports download routines for the Data analytics and cloud tech can work wonders, but still, most of the analytics professionals believe that the biggest challenge is to educate people about what data can do for you. Do you agree?
Yes, absolutely. It is very rare that a customer can implement and use all of a solutions capability in the first year. That is a testament to the sophistication of technology today, but it comes with a reality check on the manpower and expertise required to optimize its benefits. We have also seen our business shift tremen- dously, especially with EHR, where a lot of “Big Bang” projects were needed. Today, everybody has their data digitized and we’re helping them enhance patient care and workflow benefits. It takes not only people that understand the complexity and the capability that software, but also to understand the business side of it. And that’s exactly what we do best! For instance, we help to provide a nurse who’s been in the hospital for 10-15 years and also has 5-7 years of Epic software experience doing implemen- tation workflow.
Larger the data, bigger the problems. How do you manage to overcome the security issues?
That’s the other burden, you know. First and foremost, we only bring vetted, trusted and time-tested individuals to the table when dealing with HIPPA compliance and client confidentiality data. Then, we work hand-in-hand with our clients to adhere to their established security procedures and technology require- ments and protocols. Lastly, we back it all up with contracts, screening, oversight or vetting policies to ensure that what is expected is committed to and confirmed in writing. It also depends on organizations- some of them have extremely well-grounded security and we just help them in the above-mentioned areas. We’ve also seen our need to have adherence in processes is much greater than it was 5-10 years ago.
Let’s talk more about Blue Eagle. Can you share the solutions you provide?
We are known as a “low effort/risk, high value/benefit” professional services partner to Health Plan and Provider organizations. Our clients are often in a pinch…they don’t have skilled people or the bandwidth to be trusted in the areas of results and people. We have a proven record of providing only senior level resources with expert software and business skills. Our revenue is about 50% direct with Health Plans and Provider organizations, 20% with large part- ners, and 30% with a new and unique service line, which we developed three years ago – contact nurses to perform clinical reviews for Health Plans (Prior Authorizations, Grievance & Appeals, Behavioral Health, and Audits).
What according to you is the next big thing in data science?
That’s a million dollar question! With everything digital now, we have a dual-edge sword. On one side, it is a huge opportunity for analytics; optimizing/predicting outcomes, improving the patient experience, better managing disease, and so on. However, on the other edge, it positions a much greater burden on security and protecting patient confidentiality. I think the advance- ment of “ancillary” or “complemen– tary” technology to address both is already coming. I’d expect us to see some very significant stuff done in the next five years with analytics and data.
Read the official press release here.
