Big Data's Big Potential In Health Care

Using “big data” to analyze information gathered by health IT is the key to improving medical outcomes, as well as making health care more efficient and cost-effective, say the authors of an article published online recently by the American Health Information Management Association.

“Today’s episode-oriented discrete data does not allow us to be as prescriptive as we need to be in delivering better health care and empowering consumers,” says Lisa Khorey, vice president of enterprise systems and data management, information technology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, in the article. “Medicine can get closer to the action when it is prescriptive, predictive, and precise. Big Data allows organizations to focus on wellness and standardize care processes.”