Data Driven

Research: Basis for All Good Decision Making

As you might remember from our previous blog post, we’re focusing on AscentHealth Consulting’s three main values this month:

1. Research is the basis for all good decision making and strategy.

2. Every community is unique and has opportunities to become a much healthier place.

3. Prevention is the most powerful concept for improving community health.

Today, we’re going dive into our first value, that research is the basis for all good decision making and strategy.  Mary’s background in leading healthcare marketing and strategy for major hospitals and my background leading public health efforts for cities have led us both to understanding the importance of research through the decision-making process.

Here’s the thing: you have to ask questions, early and often, of the people who know the answers. Community thought leaders know the resources, barriers, recent successes, and existing efforts in community health improvement. You simply have to know who these people are, ask them about recent events or near-future planning, and compile this information. Sounds simple, right? It is—and it isn’t.

From our experience, this is one of the biggest values that comes with a community health needs assessment (CHNA). CHNAs dive into a variety of trends and directly study the needs and goals of your specific community. This research becomes invaluable later as you develop a strategic plan for improving the health of your community. Without this research, it can be much more difficult — if not impossible — to allocate your budget in the ways that will help your community the most.

This is why research is always the first step of a needs assessment from AscentHealth. We investigate demographics and health statistics, perform in-depth interviews with small groups and individuals to better understand their needs and find the facts that will help you make the best decisions for your community.

Ready to get started on your community health needs assessment? Contact us today.

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Let’s Begin at the Beginning…

We’re going to start at the start of things. If you are considering a strategic process for a Community Health Needs Assessment, there has to be a place to begin the journey. And it’s not where you think. No, it’s not with the statistician. Not the focus group. Not the committee meeting. It’s earlier than that.

The beginning of the journey is “buy-in.” Literally and figuratively. The decision makers must realize, recognize and agree on the value of this idea. This isn’t just a box to check on an IRS form: this must be strategic and transformational. This assessment process absolutely must get to the heart of the community’s needs. No foolin’, no sugar-coating, no hurt feelings. Politics must take a break.

Now, anyone reading that last sentence who is a leader of an organization for longer than 10 minutes will say: WRONG! You can’t ignore politics and the context of healthcare organizations in our town/city/community. The “other” hospital is doing “X” and we just started services with “Y” to compete. Or: the mayor started this “movement” and the city is behind her—we have to go along. You know all of the examples…people have already started on something and we can’t look too closely and change directions to waste money.

The beginning, the starting conversation, the headwaters of this journey have to be data-driven. Everyone has to agree that priorities must be defined by the trends assessed and that resources must be given to those priorities. The buy-in argument is simple: priorities must be addressed. They can be “in addition to” the existing efforts, projects, programs and ideas that are already being pursued. These priorities can be added, but everyone must agree that they can’t be ignored.

There will be time (we’ll discuss at a later date) for the next steps. But do not ignore the importance of the process and the champions it will take to make it happen. Your first mission, should you chose to accept it, is to cultivate and grow your own heroes.

An example would be my first political foray into community health assessments. A CHNA had not been performed in eight years in my jurisdiction as a health officer, and I knew it needed to happen. So, what did I do?

• I met with community leaders to describe what had been done in the past
• Talked about the “needs” that others were discussing across town, yet no one had focused efforts
• Advocated and proposed a budget item (one year in advance)
• Presented a proposal with action items for a contract and contractor
• Managed the process with transparency and community input
• Provided the political boards and organizations with opportunities to publicly discuss the process and take ownership for the leadership and foresight
• Facilitated follow-up meetings
• Formalized plans for subsequent CHNAs

Sounds simple, right? We’ve all heard about strategic decisions and the importance of champion development. Few organizations, however, take the time to get consensus and energy at the beginning. And as the process moves forward, you’ll be glad you put in the hard work to grow these local heroes.

So, grab a cape and a mask and sell the idea. You’ll need help to save the world.

If you are interested in discussing how a Community Health Needs Assessment and related planning activities can help your organization make a greater impact, please contact Mary Coyne at (806) 670-7440 or Mary@AscentHealthConsulting.com

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Information Matters!

If we read Facebook and news outlets, we see lots of opinions on different topics: vaccine dangers to cancer treatments to medical marijuana to food-borne illnesses. So many people with so many opinions and it’s all out there for consumption. Our collective liberties and freedoms allow these expressions (as well they should), but do we ever stop to consider the importance of scientific data and trends? As business leaders, do we consider our decisions based on facts and demonstrable, repeatable science, or do we allow our personal opinions (and others’ opinions) to inform our strategic focus?

Whether you direct a health care organization, non-profit, private venture or serve as a volunteer–information and data matter. Decisions should be made and defended with recognized, industry standards of information in the form of national surveys, state health trends and data clearinghouses that all provide the same thing: clear community needs through assessment and analysis. We owe it to our patients, citizens, employees, coworkers, neighbors, friends and family to base our future pursuits with valid facts and avoid conjecture, rhetoric or pop culture. Vaccination is a great example. Many people have read anecdotal articles regarding a British study linking autism and the MMR vaccine from 20 years ago. The tragic rise of autism in our country and around the world has left parents searching for answers and finding subjective data and this lone published link. Scientists across the globe have tirelessly searched for confirmation of this link to find…nothing.  Over two dozen studies with hundreds of thousands of participants have been examined to search for a statistical and representative link to autism through routine MMR vaccination. None, to date, exist.

My point is not to preach from a soapbox–the goal is much more important. When examining community health needs and trends, science and data must be the foundation of the pursuit of interventions and solutions. Anecdotal opinion and individual experiences, while sometimes important, cannot replace data derived from the rigors of the scientific method. Decisions on oncology services, teen pregnancy, pertussis outbreaks, STD rates and heart disease in women over 40 cannot be informed by social media or pop culture interviews on late night television. They must be assessed, analyzed and researched to provide tried and true interventions with historical successes.

This is how we improve community health. And make a difference along the way.

If you are interested in discussing how a Community Health Needs Assessment and related planning activities can help your organization make a greater impact, please contact Mary Coyne at (806) 670-7440 or Mary@AscentHealthConsulting.com

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Why hire a consulting firm, anyway?

I get this question from friends and associates recently: “what is your consulting firm about, anyway?”

Valid question, and one that begins with a declarative statement: we want to help communities be data-driven when making decisions about health care.  For some people, that might sound like a dull endeavor.  Graphs, trends, surveys, and reports don’t typically excite the senses.  Data, after all, is not my favorite part of the process.  Statistics, while necessary, are not the definition of occupational bliss.  Let’s face it: very few people enjoy the research that is required to be informed.  It takes time and work to drill down to the important parts of a community’s health status, then use that information to drive the “next”.

A great example is a dinner party.  Sweeping the porch, buying groceries, cutting vegetables and dirty dishes are not the best part.  The fun, the satisfaction, comes from bringing friends to the table to enjoy a special meal and share companionship.  While you might not think that community health needs assessments are similar to dinner parties, I promise both take work and preparation.  Both are also always worth the effort.  And when done well, people take notice.  And they appreciate your dedication.  They might even come back—to your party—or to your business/organization where you are providing a needed service.

We want to work hard for you.  Because it’s worth it.  Because we like the finished product and the outcome: making a difference in community health.  I tell people all the time: my passion is moving the needle.  Positive, timely change is a good thing.  What are we about?  Positive change through knowledge.

AscentHealth wants to guide you to make better strategic decisions.  Because we’re passionate about positive change.  Let us move the needle for you.

If you are interested in discussing how a Community Health Needs Assessment and related planning activities can help your organization make a greater impact, please contact Mary Coyne at (806) 670-7440 or Mary@AscentHealthConsulting.com

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