1 00:00:05,155 --> 00:00:07,205 - This is the Becker's Healthcare Podcast, created 2 00:00:07,205 --> 00:00:08,365 by the team of Becker's Healthcare, 3 00:00:08,485 --> 00:00:10,245 a multimedia company devoted to the people 4 00:00:10,265 --> 00:00:11,565 who power us healthcare. 5 00:00:11,835 --> 00:00:14,645 Four new 15 minute episodes are released daily containing 6 00:00:14,845 --> 00:00:16,605 industry news analysis and thought leadership. 7 00:00:16,605 --> 00:00:19,485 From powerful healthcare decision makers Support our show 8 00:00:19,625 --> 00:00:22,445 by leaving it a five star rating and review on Apple Podcast 9 00:00:22,665 --> 00:00:23,925 or other platforms you use. 10 00:00:24,075 --> 00:00:25,925 It's a chance to tell us what you like about the show 11 00:00:25,945 --> 00:00:27,165 and act on your feedback. 12 00:00:27,165 --> 00:00:29,125 Thanks for listening. Now here's the episode. 13 00:00:30,865 --> 00:00:31,925 - Hi, this is Kate Cruz, 14 00:00:31,925 --> 00:00:34,125 recording live at the eighth annual Becker's Health, 15 00:00:34,145 --> 00:00:36,925 it Digital Health and RCM conference in Chicago. 16 00:00:37,465 --> 00:00:38,645 I'm here with Randy Farmer. 17 00:00:38,815 --> 00:00:40,485 Randy, can you please introduce yourself 18 00:00:40,485 --> 00:00:42,085 and tell us a bit about your background? Sure. 19 00:00:42,115 --> 00:00:43,965 - Kate, uh, first of all, thrilled to be here. 20 00:00:43,965 --> 00:00:46,525 You guys always do a great job with, with our, uh, 21 00:00:46,525 --> 00:00:47,845 conferences and our meetings. 22 00:00:48,345 --> 00:00:51,325 Um, just really impressed with the number of speakers 23 00:00:51,325 --> 00:00:53,005 that you have in the diverse group of, uh, 24 00:00:53,005 --> 00:00:54,725 executive leadership that you always 25 00:00:54,725 --> 00:00:56,125 feature at these meetings. 26 00:00:56,745 --> 00:00:59,325 Um, so I'm the Chief Operating Officer at the, 27 00:00:59,325 --> 00:01:00,925 the Delaware Health Information Network. 28 00:01:01,555 --> 00:01:05,525 It's the, uh, statewide, uh, HIE first launched in 2007 29 00:01:05,665 --> 00:01:07,445 as the first statewide HIE. 30 00:01:07,865 --> 00:01:09,765 And, uh, serving as Chief Operating Officer. 31 00:01:09,925 --> 00:01:13,165 I get to work in legislative affairs, marketing, uh, working 32 00:01:13,165 --> 00:01:16,045 with our service desk as well as business development 33 00:01:16,225 --> 00:01:18,085 and our analytics, uh, area. 34 00:01:18,305 --> 00:01:22,045 So, um, it kind of a, a collective collection of, of, uh, 35 00:01:22,045 --> 00:01:23,725 things to keep busy during the day. Yeah, 36 00:01:24,045 --> 00:01:25,045 - Absolutely. 37 00:01:25,045 --> 00:01:26,845 I can't wait to learn more. So, looking into the future, 38 00:01:27,275 --> 00:01:28,525 what is your growth strategy 39 00:01:28,665 --> 00:01:30,085 for the next year or two? Yeah, 40 00:01:30,205 --> 00:01:31,805 - I, I think one of the most important things 41 00:01:31,805 --> 00:01:32,965 that we're working on 42 00:01:33,465 --> 00:01:37,845 and have a roadmap for is, uh, increasing the sophistication 43 00:01:37,985 --> 00:01:39,845 of our analytics department. 44 00:01:40,265 --> 00:01:43,485 We have a, uh, very robust collection of data. 45 00:01:43,535 --> 00:01:45,885 We're, I think we're one of the few organizations that has, 46 00:01:46,465 --> 00:01:49,325 um, uh, you know, a, a robust amount 47 00:01:49,325 --> 00:01:50,965 of data on the clinical side. 48 00:01:51,265 --> 00:01:53,485 Uh, 'cause we launched back in 2007. 49 00:01:53,985 --> 00:01:56,845 Uh, we have over 200 million clinical results 50 00:01:56,865 --> 00:01:58,805 and messages from across the state 51 00:01:58,805 --> 00:02:01,525 and region on over 3 million unique patients. 52 00:02:01,985 --> 00:02:04,925 So it's, it's a, again, a robust collection of data. 53 00:02:05,065 --> 00:02:09,225 We also have claims data, um, that started to be collected 54 00:02:09,225 --> 00:02:13,545 as of 2013 data dating back to 2013. 55 00:02:14,005 --> 00:02:16,305 So we're, I think we're one of the few organizations in the 56 00:02:16,305 --> 00:02:21,025 country that has those, uh, uh, two distinct pools of data, 57 00:02:21,645 --> 00:02:24,345 uh, as, uh, robust as they are 58 00:02:24,765 --> 00:02:26,465 and can leverage those for analytics 59 00:02:26,965 --> 00:02:28,265 and healthcare analytics. 60 00:02:28,265 --> 00:02:32,265 So we're working on, uh, increasing our capacity 61 00:02:32,525 --> 00:02:36,905 for analytic request, um, building a, uh, area 62 00:02:36,935 --> 00:02:40,185 that can support clinical trial research as well as 63 00:02:40,705 --> 00:02:42,705 prescriptive and predictive analytics. 64 00:02:42,885 --> 00:02:45,305 So we're real excited about, um, you know, 65 00:02:45,305 --> 00:02:48,745 what the next couple years should bring, um, as we follow, 66 00:02:49,005 --> 00:02:51,625 uh, this roadmap and we go down this journey. Yeah, 67 00:02:52,105 --> 00:02:53,105 - Absolutely. 68 00:02:53,105 --> 00:02:54,305 That's awesome. Were you around 69 00:02:54,305 --> 00:02:55,585 for the implementation of that? 70 00:02:55,765 --> 00:02:58,385 In 2007 and 2013? 71 00:02:58,705 --> 00:03:01,485 - I joined the organization in 2011. Okay. 72 00:03:01,485 --> 00:03:04,165 Uh, part of that I worked at JP Morgan Chase, uh, 73 00:03:04,345 --> 00:03:06,965 as a relationship manager for credit card relationships. 74 00:03:06,995 --> 00:03:10,205 Okay. Uh, so I worked with, uh, Sony North America toys, 75 00:03:10,385 --> 00:03:13,765 US Borders, and, uh, American Medical Association programs, 76 00:03:13,845 --> 00:03:15,285 a host of others and that type of thing. 77 00:03:15,665 --> 00:03:19,085 And I, I just find it fascinating how many of, of the, 78 00:03:19,305 --> 00:03:21,845 of the para, uh, how many parallels there seem to be 79 00:03:21,845 --> 00:03:24,765 between those, uh, uh, two, uh, distinct, 80 00:03:25,025 --> 00:03:26,605 uh, businesses and industries. 81 00:03:27,065 --> 00:03:29,485 Um, I think a lot of what healthcare has been going 82 00:03:29,485 --> 00:03:33,765 through since, uh, I joined back in 2011, um, is similar to 83 00:03:33,765 --> 00:03:36,605 what banking and the financial industry was going 84 00:03:36,605 --> 00:03:37,845 through in the, in the nineties 85 00:03:37,845 --> 00:03:40,565 and in the 2000 as the interoperability and, 86 00:03:40,745 --> 00:03:43,005 and financial services was a big deal, right. 87 00:03:43,235 --> 00:03:45,405 They have these, like large banks going out 88 00:03:45,465 --> 00:03:50,125 and, um, uh, acquiring, uh, smaller local oriented, uh, 89 00:03:50,125 --> 00:03:52,525 commercial, uh, banking organizations. 90 00:03:52,985 --> 00:03:55,045 And then they found themselves with all these, 91 00:03:55,135 --> 00:03:56,925 these disparate, uh, 92 00:03:56,965 --> 00:03:59,525 institutions within their own institution 93 00:03:59,555 --> 00:04:03,605 that had different ways of, um, of talking to each other, 94 00:04:03,985 --> 00:04:05,205 uh, different platforms. 95 00:04:05,705 --> 00:04:08,365 And they realized that they couldn't really have a customer 96 00:04:08,365 --> 00:04:11,485 relationship management tool without making all those 97 00:04:11,885 --> 00:04:13,325 platforms work together. 98 00:04:13,805 --> 00:04:15,965 IE interoperability, um, did 99 00:04:15,965 --> 00:04:17,205 - That give you deja vu? Yes, 100 00:04:17,305 --> 00:04:18,305 - It did. 101 00:04:18,305 --> 00:04:20,845 . Except that healthcare data is so much harder. 102 00:04:20,995 --> 00:04:23,405 Yeah, exactly. It's, it truly is, uh, chaos 103 00:04:23,505 --> 00:04:26,205 and bringing order to that chaos is, is obviously one 104 00:04:26,205 --> 00:04:27,685 of the biggest challenge in our discipline. 105 00:04:28,065 --> 00:04:30,405 Um, but we've gotten a lot better at it in the last 106 00:04:30,505 --> 00:04:31,765 10, 10, 11 years. 107 00:04:31,985 --> 00:04:33,965 And that's, I think, providing for 108 00:04:33,965 --> 00:04:36,125 so many more exciting things to hear in the near term. 109 00:04:36,555 --> 00:04:39,205 - Yeah. What were some of the, I'm interested to hear about, 110 00:04:39,345 --> 00:04:43,125 um, the implementation of the claims data in 2013. 111 00:04:43,675 --> 00:04:45,525 What were like some of the discussions around 112 00:04:45,525 --> 00:04:46,805 that so early on? 113 00:04:47,085 --> 00:04:50,085 I mean, it feels like we're just kind of starting to, 114 00:04:50,485 --> 00:04:52,125 I do air quotes Sure. 115 00:04:52,125 --> 00:04:54,165 To talk about AI and, you know, this data. 116 00:04:54,385 --> 00:04:57,205 So back then, what was the discussion? What were the goals? 117 00:04:57,635 --> 00:05:00,005 - Yeah, so the, the idea was, and, 118 00:05:00,005 --> 00:05:01,925 and actually the legislation was passed in 119 00:05:01,925 --> 00:05:03,645 2016 by our governor. 120 00:05:03,645 --> 00:05:05,445 Okay. And we launched it in 2018, 121 00:05:05,445 --> 00:05:08,125 but it, it, it set when we launched, we said, okay, 122 00:05:08,125 --> 00:05:09,125 we're gonna go back five years. 123 00:05:09,235 --> 00:05:12,405 Okay. Got, so that's, that's why the data retrospectively 124 00:05:12,465 --> 00:05:14,405 has, has gone back to 2013. 125 00:05:14,745 --> 00:05:18,645 So the idea here is, is that there's insights 126 00:05:18,645 --> 00:05:20,205 that can be garnered outta claims data 127 00:05:20,205 --> 00:05:22,285 that you can't necessarily get outta clinical data. 128 00:05:22,665 --> 00:05:24,845 You know, the, the, the financial trends associated 129 00:05:24,845 --> 00:05:28,765 with certain procedures, um, are well, 130 00:05:28,955 --> 00:05:30,565 very important to understanding 131 00:05:30,565 --> 00:05:32,085 where there are cost overruns 132 00:05:32,085 --> 00:05:34,685 or where there's opportunities for efficiencies within 133 00:05:34,685 --> 00:05:38,005 certain health systems and or within, uh, the industry. 134 00:05:38,545 --> 00:05:41,685 Um, we've, uh, uh, we're currently, uh, are working 135 00:05:41,685 --> 00:05:44,725 with our state on a, on a program called cost aware 136 00:05:44,725 --> 00:05:48,285 and total cost of care, where we are, um, uh, 137 00:05:48,725 --> 00:05:51,165 actually showing where there are areas in the state 138 00:05:51,165 --> 00:05:52,605 where there are great efficiencies 139 00:05:52,625 --> 00:05:56,645 and areas with, with certain, uh, organizations where, uh, 140 00:05:56,645 --> 00:05:59,605 there may be opportunities for, for, for, uh, things 141 00:05:59,605 --> 00:06:02,165 to be better, both in terms of like prescription costs, 142 00:06:02,345 --> 00:06:04,885 in terms of like things like knee replacements 143 00:06:04,985 --> 00:06:08,525 and, um, other orthopedic type type, uh, related studies, 144 00:06:08,785 --> 00:06:13,045 um, uh, the, the most expensive types of, uh, procedures. 145 00:06:13,545 --> 00:06:15,925 Um, so, you know, we've, we've started that process 146 00:06:16,345 --> 00:06:18,045 and we're working with commercial entities. 147 00:06:18,045 --> 00:06:21,245 We did a great study with the CDC in terms of like, uh, 148 00:06:21,465 --> 00:06:24,965 impact of water in communities with certain types of pipes, 149 00:06:25,505 --> 00:06:28,405 um, and the health impact on, on that. 150 00:06:28,585 --> 00:06:31,205 So, uh, you know, it's, we're advancing the cause 151 00:06:31,205 --> 00:06:34,565 of medicine and that that is, that is at the heart of any 152 00:06:34,565 --> 00:06:35,805 of our analytic type work. 153 00:06:36,075 --> 00:06:38,005 - Yeah. And that leads me really well into 154 00:06:38,025 --> 00:06:39,125 our last question here. 155 00:06:39,125 --> 00:06:40,525 What is the most important thing 156 00:06:40,525 --> 00:06:42,765 that healthcare executives should do now to make sure 157 00:06:42,765 --> 00:06:45,525 that their organizations are successful in the future? 158 00:06:46,125 --> 00:06:47,925 - Hmm. Wow. Boy, I'll tell you what. 159 00:06:48,105 --> 00:06:51,765 Um, if, if that's like a 32nd wrap up, that will be one 160 00:06:51,765 --> 00:06:55,805 of the hardest , you know, um, I, I, I, 161 00:06:56,045 --> 00:06:58,085 I think obviously one of the most important things is 162 00:06:58,085 --> 00:07:01,285 to understand how you're gaining insights 163 00:07:01,345 --> 00:07:02,805 and intelligence out of your data. 164 00:07:02,905 --> 00:07:05,045 And it's not just the data that you're processing, 165 00:07:05,045 --> 00:07:07,325 but also the metadata of your organization. 166 00:07:07,425 --> 00:07:09,685 You know, how is your own organization working 167 00:07:10,305 --> 00:07:11,685 or not working, right? 168 00:07:12,145 --> 00:07:15,165 Um, and I just can't say enough about building better 169 00:07:15,165 --> 00:07:18,725 visualization tools, improving data quality, uh, tools. 170 00:07:18,985 --> 00:07:21,445 Um, those are all gonna be assets 171 00:07:21,785 --> 00:07:25,725 and investments that are gonna run down into greater return 172 00:07:25,785 --> 00:07:27,365 on investment downstream. 173 00:07:27,525 --> 00:07:29,525 I honestly, I don't know how you're gonna be successful if 174 00:07:29,845 --> 00:07:32,805 you're not, you know, really close to, to, to your data. 175 00:07:33,325 --> 00:07:36,035 - A hundred percent. I couldn't agree more. 176 00:07:36,035 --> 00:07:38,835 And I don't have a , I'm not a healthcare executive. 177 00:07:39,135 --> 00:07:41,155 Um, well, Randy, thank you so much for joining me today. 178 00:07:41,155 --> 00:07:43,235 It's been an absolute pleasure speaking with you. Wonderful. 179 00:07:43,235 --> 00:07:44,675 - Thank you for the opportunity, Katie. 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