Healthcare Analytics 101: Proverbs to Prediction

A lot of our talks here at Promotable are about the theory behind data, analytics, and internet marketing, but today we have something special. We have a speaker who talks about the application of analytics and Big Data in a specific market. In this case, healthcare.

Pamela Taylor is the Director of Quality and Affordability Initiatives at Wellcare-Meridian Health Plans. She uses analytics in the healthcare industry to help adjust the care, cost, and quality of healthcare for those on Medicaid and Medicare. This talk goes over how she does that, and you can apply many of the models she uses in other businesses.

The Big Takeaways

One of the big things that leaped out at us was how Pamela ties analytics directly to health care outcomes (11:30). Cost, utilization, and quality of care all have supporting analytics, but the numbers are signals pointing to real problems. Too many businesses use analytics in a vacuum or as a score in a game instead of going after the real goal.

Also, she talks about the different levels of analytics maturity (17:50), from basic descriptive analytics all the way to cognitive analytics and artificial intelligence. Each of these levels has its place in an analytics and answer particular questions. Many businesses stay stuck on the level of descriptive analytics, which simply tell you what is going on. The real power of big data comes when you can leverage the other levels.

How do you move from what’s going on, to why, to making a prediction and controlling the outcome, and learning all along the way? Pamela will show you how it’s done in healthcare through her examples. It’s quite a ride, so be prepared to take notes!

If you like this talk, check out all of our past talks from experts in data science and analytics on our website, or find out when we’ll be having an event in your area and be the first to get the scoop on our next presentation.