Johns Hopkins HealthCare Fulfills Reporting Needs with The Diver Solution™

Johns Hopkins HealthCare (JHHC), a joint venture between Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Health Systems, provides managed care services throughout the mid-Atlantic region. JHHC provides care management support services for preventative and primary medical care, specialist services, and hospital care. This profile is based on an interview with Cindy Brittingham, Director of Decision Support Services.

Platforms

Johns Hopkins HealthCare, LLC runs The Diver Solution™ on a Microsoft Windows NT server, and users access data Models from Microsoft Windows NT clients.

Problem Solved

"Information was not accessible to business users. We were satisfied with the data warehouse attached to our claims system, but front-end reports were not built to our needs. Before partnering with Dimensional Insight, there were major information gaps throughout the organization because a person needed a high level of technical expertise to execute SQL queries and extract data from the warehouse. Business users requested data from IS staff, and together, they would try to define the exact content of a desired report. If the report was not defined exactly, or if the person requesting the report was not clear, IS had to start over, and the report request went to the bottom of the pile. Days would pass before the paper report was delivered to the hands of the requester. This process proved to be too slow and inefficient, so we implemented Diver as a solution. Now, business users, through a single point-and-click interface, execute queries on their own desktops and generate reports instantly."

Product Functionality

"JHHC is able to control and update information that is widely distributed throughout different departments. Business users receive, generate, and "dive" into reports by accessing multidimensional Models from their desktops. Data Models are updated with the latest monthly data, when we repopulate the data warehouse. Models are designed and tailored to include pieces of information that relate directly to what business users want. A Model designed to cover provider profiling, for example, allows business users at a remote site to show a provider where he is in relation to his colleagues. If a provider claims that his patients are sicker, the business user is able to go down to the level of detail in the Model that proves or disproves his theory, on the spot. Providers are able to see where the information is coming from and are well informed."

Strengths

"It's very user friendly. It's easy for people once they've had a little training to move through the data on their own. Users see results right away and gain greater insight into the data. Because users get instant response in the form of a spreadsheet or graph, they are able to evaluate the output and determine if the information is what they really want. If it is not what they want, they simply go back a step or two and try it a different way, rather than getting pushed to the bottom of the pile. Also, it is easy for users to see the pathway of how they arrived at a particular number. The dive history region shows clearly, for example, that first they selected the line of "business," then they selected the "date of service" time period, then the "paid" time period, and then the "medical services" category, to arrive at a particular number. As people explore the multidimensional Models, they may think of a data element or a calculation to enhance their queries. The Diver Solution™ allows users to modify or create new Models as needed."

Deliverables

For the first time, business users are able to dive into a range of critical health care indicators such as bed occupancy, reason for admission, ALOS (average length of stay), trends in admissions, and rates of referral. They navigate through data in a way that makes sense, without having to determine the navigation route in advance. Having access and the ability to manipulate data helps improve the quality of services, and ensures that appropriate care is provided in the appropriate setting.