Governance Landscape

Health Care organizations are making progress on delivering improved transparent care, costs, and outcomes. Most integrated delivery systems have created tight partnerships and innovative efforts, however the progress is slow. Many are working within a new single integrated medical record and billing system. The integrated technology is forcing operation departments to work in a standard and integrated fashion across all points in the integrated delivery system like never before.  Forging new relationships and new ways of making decision together are at the center of the struggles.

Healthcare is lacking a new way of working together with the onset of technology. No longer are the days of being a back-office function, now it’s at the forefront of every aspect of the organizations capabilities. I call for a new invigoration of governance.

What is Governance?

So, what is governance? Governance is a set of formal bodies, populated with the operational owners, that have authority to make the proper decisions on processes, changes, and standardization across the system. What is governed? Technology’s role is to do two things in business, help automate or make efficient processes and collect data. Operations role is to perform the work (processes) for delivering value to the consumer. When you give technology to operations to govern it brings forward the alignment of IT to enable a new partnership and change begins to move much more rapidly. It forges clarity in how teams begin to work together in new more effective ways. IT becomes a delivery mechanism to enable new and changing capabilities for care delivery. They become consultants and advisors to help operations make more informed decisions. Operational leaders learn to communicate and lead more effectively.

Healthcare must advance beyond the integration technology has brought, and work in different ways to achieve greater outcomes. We must take a hold of this new change going on, and drive the outcomes patients want.

For more information on our services, see Governance of IT Services.