Are You Ready for Health Intelligence: The Integration of Data to Expand the Story Your Data Can Tell You

Over the first three installments of our health intelligence blog series, we’ve explored factors to determine if your organization is ready to migrate from basic analytics to actionable health intelligence. 

We’ve focused on ways to identify the current capability gaps in your analytics solutions, how to understand if your data is currently giving you the direction you need, and how to target the most prevalent conditions and cost-saving opportunities in your employee population. 

In this installment, we're going to focus on the integration of data to expand the story your data can tell you. 

‍But before we get ahead of ourselves, if you missed the first three installments, use the links below:

• ‍Read Part 1: “Is This Your Reality?”‍
• Read Part 2: “The Building Blocks of Health Intelligence” ‍
• Read Part 3: “Understand What Drives the Greatest Impact”

A Rapidly Changing Benefits Landscape

Over the years, employees have started to expect more from their employer-sponsored benefits. When an organization wants to maximize its investment in an analytics solution, the biggest obstacle is wrangling the right data effectively. 

‍It’s important to ask: 

• Can my current solution go beyond analyzing just medical and pharmacy trends?
• What other challenges could I be solving in my population that I don’t know about? 
• Am I providing benefits that support employees’ physical, emotional, mental, and financial well-being?

‍If your organization is ready to take an innovative approach that could help you solve multiple problems at once, using data from multiple sources, it’s time for health intelligence. 

You need to access all types of data to inform their benefits strategies. That’s why we’ve woven integrated analytics into our platform. 

At its core, integrated analytics is the ability to consolidate data from multiple sources to provide a unified, single view. This can tell a completely different story than just medical and pharmacy claims, ultimately helping employers make smarter decisions.

Springbuk has identified six key areas where integrated analytics can pull together information from multiple sources to help piece together the whole story from your data: 

• Health & Productivity Evaluation 
• Program Identification and Evaluation
• Impactable Opportunities
• Benefits Strategy
• Financial and Accounting Reporting
• Employee Financial Well-being

Let’s explore how integrated analytics can be a differentiator in moving from short-term solutions to long-term impact.

Program Identification and Evaluation‍

Leveraging data-driven insights from the Springbuk platform, benefits leaders can easily determine their workforce’s needs and identify members most amenable to intervention. Additionally, you can identify which members to reach out to for care management, wellness program enrollment, and onsite clinic utilization.

Key Data Sources: Medical, Rx, Eligibility, Disability, Workers Comp

Springbuk in Action: Members suffering from Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are frequently challenged with chronic pain and discomfort. Depending on the type and severity of the condition, there are options for treating it that often involve step therapy.  

For example, members may be encouraged to explore holistic, less invasive options such as daily stretching, exercising, chiropractic care, etc. before advancing to surgery.  

• Surgery can be expensive for both the member and the employer – and has additional long-term quality of life risks. 
• While members are dealing with chronic pain, acute episodes may reoccur, causing an inability to work, short-term disability, and decreased productivity. 

Evaluating the integrated data sources from Medical, Rx, Eligibility, Disability, and Workers Comp claims allows us to cast a wide net in identifying members who may qualify for programs or initiatives sponsored by the employer.

These members can be identified through areas of the Springbuk platform, including:

• Insight Cards (Preference Sensitive Procedures, Conditions)
• Conditions Groups
• Filter Bar
• Advanced Reporting

Impactable Opportunities

Incorporating ancillary data into predictive and prescriptive models helps enrich the assessment of risk and aids in the development of new models.

‍Key Data Sources (Integrated with Above) - Musculoskeletal Program Data, Navigation/Advocacy Data

‍Springbuk in Action: Through multi-faceted data insights, members are identified and contacted by point solutions to positively impact their health status. By integrating program data from the Springbuk data model, we can see who is engaging with the vendor(s) and at what level. 

We can also see where they are in their healthcare journey and understand:

• Are they progressing in the preferred therapy? 
• Are they avoiding unnecessary procedures?  
• Are we getting what we hope to be getting in terms of value? 
• Is the length of disability being reduced - are we seeing users come back to work quicker? 
• Who is not engaging in these programs?
•  If we believe they are valuable to the member, what are their hurdles and hesitations about engaging?
• Are there patterns or profiles that might help increase engagement and/or engagement levels?  

‍Program data alone does not tell us what is happening with the member; additional information on comorbidities, surgeries, drugs, compensation, other programs, etc. all could impact how a member reacts to outreach and engagement levels.

‍Benefits Strategy

Employers can use the integration of multiple data sources to help inform benefit strategies to ensure the best benefit plan options available to support member health and productivity.  

‍Key Data Sources: Musculoskeletal Program Data, Navigation/Advocacy Data

‍Springbuk in Action: Plan design options can help steer members in the intended direction (lower cost, increased health status, closed care gaps). Through integrated data sources, you can understand:

• Are you really getting the engagement from the members you feel need it the most?  
• Is that level of engagement appropriate for that member?  
• Are there other barriers to care for MSK services?

A Forward Thinking Approach

Healthcare moving forward is going beyond just focusing on medical and Rx. To see how integrated analytics can help you improve the health outcomes of your employees, visit springbuk.com/integrated-analytics.

‍Are You Ready for Health Intelligence? It’s Ready for You. 

Download the full e-book to learn how your company can take your health analytics solution to the next level.

And, if you missed the first three installments of this series or want to go back and revisit the first question to ask again, use the links below:

• ‍Read Part 1: “Is This Your Reality?”‍
• Read Part 2: “The Building Blocks of Health Intelligence” ‍
• Read Part 3: “Understand What Drives the Greatest Impact”