Analytics Magazine Analytics Magazine, January/February 2014 | Page 56

ANALY TIC S & H E A LT H CA R E Although better medication adherence can marginally increase a payor’s cost per patient, better outcomes and cost savings from preventable disease exacerbations save money in the long run. Analytics play a major role in both predicting patient cohorts who are at risk of non-adherence and the kind of intervention that works best for them. 56 | Providers who also have pharmacies need EHNAC (Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission) certification, and medication adherence is an important part of certification. The HEDIS (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) score that measures medication management is another key metric that payors pay attention to because it impacts their health plans and ultimately their profits. Payors who offer Medicare Advantage plans, for example, are concerned about CMS provided-STAR ratings for their plans because more stars mean a higher bonus amount (tens of millions of dollars for large plans). Medication adherence is a key aspect for STAR ratings. Although better medication adherence can marginally increase a payor’s cost per patient, better outcomes and cost savings from preventable disease exacerbations save money in the long run. Analytics play a major role in both predicting patient cohorts who are at risk of non-adherence and the kind of intervention that works best for them. Analytic models can consider hundreds of different factors in a patient population and improve accuracy of the prediction. Medication adherence is also a key component of achieving effective population health management, so it makes sense for providers, payors or accountable care organizations to apply predictive analytics to address both problems at the same time. Forward-looking health care organizations such as Partners Healthcare, Baylor Healthcare System, Kaiser Permanente and Intermountain Healthcare have already done that. The next few years will be a bit chaotic but exciting for the healthcare industry. Data and analytics will be harnessed A N A LY T I C S - M A G A Z I N E . O R G W W W. I N F O R M S . O R G