The healthcare industry is enormous and there are countless moving parts, which equate to numbers on a spreadsheet thanks to digitization. To arrive at statistic-orientated insights, big data is used to assess, analyze, and transform information into a useable format. The application of big data has countless uses in healthcare including improved supply chains, reduced drug use, and more accurate financial tracking. Without big data, the healthcare industry wouldn’t cope with societal shifts, which would be detrimental to our health. Now that you understand the relationship between big data and healthcare, it’s time to get into more detail about big data’s role in healthcare.
Financial Tracking
Big data and health care aren’t only concerned with saving lives, as there are other areas to consider. For example, payments within the healthcare system keep operations running smoothly, which is why it’s essential to keep track. Fortunately, thanks to FRG, there’s a high-quality tool that translates big data surrounding payments into actionable insights. In practice, their software can help to process complex claims and understand intricate health care plans. Without big data, the healthcare industry would struggle to keep on top of payments in all areas, which would result in disaster.
Improving Patient Engagement
Every person is a potential healthcare patient, and the majority of them are obsessed with smart technology. Therefore, the healthcare industry has started to use smart wearables to track sleeping habits, heart rates, fitness levels, and much more. The data collected from smart trackers can be utilized to predict signs of illnesses. For example, if a person has prolonged insomnia or an elevated heart rate, medical intervention can be provided.
As well as helping medical professionals carry out early diagnoses, insurance companies are endorsing wearable smart tech because it better protects their assets. Therefore, some insurance providers offer a free smart tracker, which incentivizes people to buy insurance, and keeps the financial side ticking over.
Reducing Opioid Abuse
The US has a serious problem with addiction, especially when it comes to opioids. Fortunately, thanks to innovations in big data, this serious problem is being addressed. According to a 2017 Forbes article, Fuzzy Logix, which specializes in analytics, teamed up with insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield to develop an algorithm for predicting drug usage. After analyzing years of insurance statistics, Fuzzy Logix was able to derive 742 risks for predicting opioid usage. Although a delicate issue to address, this case for big data is a step in the right direction.
Tackling Fraud and Boosting Security
Data branches are rife in the healthcare industry, with around 93% of organizations reporting cases back in 2019. These breaches have a significant impact on patience and healthcare providers, which is why the industry is turning to big data for answers. For example, network traffic should appear similar when coming from a safe device, but those using VPNs and the Tor Network will look suspicious – big data can analyze traffic and block suspicious traffic.
The healthcare industry has shifted almost all systems into a digital format, which carries with it a large amount of data. Therefore, big data is used to draw real-time insights that help to evolve processes and save lives.
