MercyAscot, one of New Zealand’s largest private hospital providers, is leveraging the Qlik visual analytics platform to improve the quality of patient care.
By effectively visualising and analysing data, MercyAscot now has a more accurate view of where operational efficiency improvements can be made throughout the organisation so that patients’ needs can be better served across each of its sites: Epsom, Remuera and Takapuna.
For over 100 years, MercyAscot has been committed to providing its patients with an unparalleled and personalised medical service. Today, more than 600 dedicated staff support thousands of surgical procedures annually across MercyAscot’s facilities. With patients at the centre of its operations, MercyAscot has continued to invest in cutting-edge technology to ensure they receive the best possible care.
With this in mind, the organisation recognised the need to more effectively leverage the significant volume of data it has collated over the years to improve the delivery of services to its patients. Rather than rely on static reports which were often time-delayed, MercyAscot wanted a system that would allow staff to act more quickly on patient feedback to make quality improvements. In addition, connecting to multiple data sources and systems to see how various departments link together was paramount in being able to drive optimum efficiencies holistically.
Dr Lloyd McCann, director of medical services at MercyAscot, says: “As an organisation, we were data rich, but information poor. We struggled to process our data fast enough to use it effectively across our business functions and knew this had to change.”
Leveraging data to drive efficiencies
MercyAscot launched a project to replace its single-view legacy reporting system, with a visual analytics platform that provides self-service access. Specifically, it introduced 12 analytics applications powered by Qlik.
By building customised applications designed to support various business functions throughout the organisation, including human resources, operations, finance, quality and patient feedback, MercyAscot has been able to initiate an internal revolution with data.
Qlik has enabled MercyAscot to make meaningful data accessible to all staff, encouraging individuals to seek information on operational performance. Insights from areas such as patient feedback have been linked to the platform to drive improvements to patient care, which in turn has motivated staff to immediately take action and make even more improvements.
For example, a custom application MercyAscot created includes the operational efficiency app, designed to support operating room utilisation. The app provides an accurate near real-time view as well as information on cancellations and delays. Previously, it took between six-to-eight weeks to understand this information and now MercyAscot can do this in near realtime and make more timely decisions to enhance operating room throughput.
Dr McCann says: “Data and information were secondary considerations; it was cumbersome and did not provide insights that were impactful or actionable. With Qlik, we can now see the whole picture when it comes to our data, which has truly changed the perception of the value of data within our organisation.
“Our people are now interested in the data; openly discussing the numbers and improvements that can be made. As a result, we have become more pragmatic; using our data to validate our objectives, which enables us to make business decisions that reflect both the demands of our patients and needs of our staff. ”
Partnering for success
MercyAscot worked closely with Qlik partner Acumen BI to set up and customise applications for one of the most advanced analytics deployments in the Healthcare sector in New Zealand. Dr McCann said, “During our competitive tender process, we were looking for a partner who would truly support us on this journey, providing the right level of support to ensure the project was a success.
“Acumen BI’s attitude, knowledge of the product and willingness to work together long-term, were significant factors in our choice to deploy Qlik.”
“Hospitals across the board are feeling the pinch to make the most of their resources by driving efficiencies and improving customer care. Most of them are sitting on huge volumes of data that hold the key to driving effective change – and MercyAscot was no exception,” says Charlie Farah, director of market development for healthcare and public sector at Qlik. “With Qlik and support from Acumen BI, MercyAscot is now poised to understand its data and derive insights that will impact business and patient decision making.”