Information Management - Is it Lean?

BACKGROUND
Every organization relies on people, process and technology to carry out business. On a simplistic note, it would be fair to say the people execute the business functions(decision making) by using information made available to them through technology (information process). Organizations may be redefined as cooperative systems with high levels of information processing and decision making at different levels. Hence Information Management (IM) has emerged as an important branch of IT in the recent years.

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
IM may be regarded as the creation, collection, distribution, storage and retiral of information such that it is made available to the consumer of the information in timely, contextually relevant and accurate form. According to the team that developed the behavioural science theory of management at the Carnegie Mellon University, the desicion making process is mostly sub optimal bounded by the rationality of the user. Considering socio technical aspects in an organization, it may be very expensive and time consuming to have all relevant information available for every decision made. In addition organization culture, rank and structure may prevent rational decision from prevailing. Master Data Management(MDM) is an important part of IM.

MASTER DATA MANAGEMENT
MDM is being recognized as an important activity for oganization wanting to manage their information effectively. All transactional data are tethered to organzation master data. Mostly enterprise system landscape contains a variety of packaged applications from different vendors which means localized master data with different formats and semantics. MDM is not about having a monolithic super database. It is about institutionalizing ownership of data using a software that allow synchronization, deduplication and harmonization of master data from and to different systems. For the sake of performance each packaged application is better off having a copy of the relevant attributes of master data locally. Master data has been traditionally looked at within the individual boundaries of a single application like financial or billing. But as processes begin to span across funcational/departmental lines, it is becomes necessary to have a consistent semantics and accuarate content enterprise wide. Absence of this regimen will lead to inherent inefficiencies. Typically the master data from an upstream application is not contextually relevant to a downsream one in neither semantics nor content and has to be recreated.

DEFINING VALUE - DIRECTIVE FOR LEAN
A lean enterprise is a collection of firms (business partners) involved in the delivery of a service using master and transactional data. It is possible to visualize information as an unit of value distributed intra and inter enterprise through the channels like intranet, extranet and the internet. Information value stream extends beyond the organization boundaries. Lean thinking encourages us to
1. Pull information on demand (Contextual)
2. Eliminate variability and waste in information content by having a golden source (Accuracy)
3. Improve speed of retrieval (Timely)
There is often some kind of a cognitive calculus done in the mind of stakeholder on the value of the information. As with typical Lean engagements the challenge is to establishd the value of information. The key stakeholders and senior management need to understand the value of master data and how it translates into competitive advantage and increased market share.

MDM and HEALTH DELIVERY
A proponent of free market would regard the patient as an unit of market share to be acquired or retained. The most important aspect of patient information is the Electronic Medical Record (EMR). Elements of EMR include master data like patient demographics and patient identifiable information (PII). Hospitals create enterprise master patient index to ensure golden record. It is not uncommon to have upto 30% duplication in patient information in a hospital.
How will the new health reform impact IM/MDM in health delivery.
1. It will be essential to retain and use golden copy of charge master to publish the cost of care.
2. Creation of global patient identifier for interhospital collaboration and exchange of information with the health exchange. The key here is to understand the value of information between different stakeholder groups.
Government - it would mean data for the evidence based research
Hospitals - it will be competitive information
Patient - it means access to medication and charts
Insurance company - it means financial payment.

There is a tremendous potential to get to know the technology needs in the health delivery and how it may be an inadvertent first step towards Lean.