iDashboards urges healthcare organizations to update their Information Technology systems

The debate surrounding the current state of US healthcare and its impending reform should not detract healthcare organizations from their ultimate goal of providing superior care to their patients. According to iDashboards, the leader in Business Intelligence (BI) dashboard software, healthcare organizations and providers can leverage this "time of change" to ensure that their Information Technology (IT) systems are not only capable of measuring and supporting their current needs -- but also well equipped to provide long term support.

iDashboards asserts that all organizations may benefit from a routine check-up aimed at measuring the overall health of their organization to determine what current systems and processes are working well, and those that are feeling "under the weather." Shadan Malik, CEO of iDashboards, works with some of the top healthcare organizations in the US and has the following list of five tips for providers looking to get their business in good health:

1) Set clear objectives and measure against them: With the influx of new regulatory and compliance issues affecting healthcare, it is important to have a clear understanding of your company's objectives and establish a set of key performance indicators (KPIs).

2) You can't fix what you can't see: It is critical that every healthcare organization have the insight and ability to track the KPIs that matter most. Implementing BI tools that are specifically designed to track and measure progress against preset metrics will ensure complete visibility into all data, enabling organizations to gain access to real-time analysis of the metrics that affect their business.

3) Keep your employees engaged: Organizations that clearly identify and articulate their strategic goals to employees, and track if and when these goals are being met are positioned well to compete and succeed in today's highly volatile marketplace. Additionally, when employees know that their performance is tracked and measured they are more inclined to be productive.

4) Make it intuitive and visually appealing: No one wants to comb through a load of spreadsheets -- if your data is impossible to decipher, what good is it to your company? While these tools are generally set up by IT workers, it is often the line of business users, who are less technically adept, who will be reading reports and making decisions based on the results. Make sure data presentation is intuitive and visually interactive.

5) Real-time reporting is critical: It doesn't do your company any good if you are reporting on data that was impacting your organization last year, last month, or even last week. Organizations need access to real-time information to ensure prompt corrective action and timely feedback.

"iDashboards works with healthcare organizations across the country to provide the business intelligence dashboard solutions they need to gain access to more detailed, actionable data that facilitates quick, easy and well-informed decision-making," said Shadan Malik, CEO, iDashboards. "Healthcare organizations are responsible for their patients' health, but in order to be effective, their organization needs to be running as efficiently as possible. The tips above highlight just a few steps healthcare organizations can take to ensure they are running as efficiently as possible."

Organizations can perform a quick "healthcare IT check-up" and see how they stack up against their peers by filling out a brief survey at: iDashboards Health Meter.