Everyone needs a good road trip once in a while. You pack your bags, load the kids in the car and cut across the open road. And, for most of us, that also includes checking the map to make sure you know where you’re going. Thank goodness technology makes that easy today!

But what happens when you don’t use a map? You think you know where you’re going, so you put the car in cruise and don’t worry about it. Then you’re traveling along, and you have to take a detour from your usual route. Suddenly you’re somewhere you’ve never been, navigating nasty traffic and the detour makes your trip much longer than it should be.

The same thing is often true of our provider networks. We search for the insights and answers to grow our network without understanding the best route to take.

Without healthcare data analytics and the right tools to use that data, we make decisions without knowing where we should be going. In other words, we start heading down the road without using a map.

And of all the times to have a reliable “map” for your provider network, now is the time. After all, as much as 30 percent of provider directory data changes annually.

This volatility means it’s becoming increasingly difficult for regional health plans (RHPs) to understand how their networks — and their competitors’ — are changing.

To optimize network design, RHPs need a clearer view into these changes. Healthcare data analytics unlocks insight into three valuable areas that can help.

1. Enhancing provider networks through healthcare data analytics

Data visualization tools are essential for using healthcare data analytics efficiently and effectively.

These tools can reveal valuable insights into your network, helping to simplify raw data so you glean more information about the state of your provider network — faster.

For example, the ability to set specific criteria for comparing network overlap, volatility and relative strength can allow you to build networks tailored to the specific needs of your member population. The right tool can also create targeted provider recruitment lists to help fill network gaps.

By transforming complex data sets into intuitive visual formats, data visualization tools make it easier than ever before to get insight on how your network is performing.

2. Using competitor data to strengthen healthcare networks

Imagine getting the playbook of your rival sports team. If you knew their next play, you could prepare the right defense. That’d be a pretty big win for your team, right? The same principle holds true for provider networks.

Insight into your competitors can help you stay one step ahead of them, and data visualization tools can provide the insight you need to do that. It’s like getting your rival team’s playbook – so to speak.

The more insight you have into your competitors, the better you can understand where to grow and optimize your network. Do your competitors have a strong hold in certain areas? If so, a list of providers in that area may be especially helpful for recruitment purposes.

Of course, insights shouldn’t be limited to that alone. The right tool should be able to show you which specialists, groups and individual providers are contracted with competitors.

3. Boosting member satisfaction through healthcare data analytics

Access to data that gives you insight into both your network and your competitors can be transformational. But that’s only part of the puzzle.

Healthcare data analytics can have a big impact on member satisfaction as well.

For example, network accessibility analyses can assess the location of its providers, the density of its healthcare facilities and the geographic spread of its members. These insights can be used to identify barriers to care, such as limited in-network providers in certain areas.

You can also use the data to recruit new providers or facilities in locations where they will have the greatest impact. This helps improve access to care while ensuring resources are used efficiently and effectively.

Leveraging visual tools to bolster provider networks

It’s hard to make a decision without all the facts in front of you. Much like taking a road trip without using a map, growing your provider networks requires a clear understanding of the various routes before you.

Healthcare data analytics and visualization tools can give you those routes. They help ensure your “road trip” takes the fastest and most efficient course. It’s one of the best ways to build and optimize your provider network.

Explore how our data visualization tools can help or contact us to learn more.