The Benefits Of Creating Data Stewards

Maybe I’m behind the times, but until today I’ve never heard of the notion of a “data steward” for healthcare organizations. An article I read today from the Journal of AHIMA IGIQ blog has given me some ideas on the subject to ponder, however. The blog author lays out a role which combines responsibility for data structure and consistent data type definitions — in other words, which sees that datatypes are compared on an apples-to-apples basis and that data categories make sense and relate to each other appropriately. In the article, “Data Stewards Play an Important Role in the Future of Healthcare,” writer Neysa Noreen, MS, RHIA, notes that providers are already struggling to categorize and describe types of medical data, much less leverage and benefit from them. But while we need to impose such a level of discipline, it isn’t easy, she notes. “[Creating a workable data structure] it is a complex process with many challenges,” Noreen writes. “There are many data terms and concepts, roles and structures to decipher from information governance and data governance to data integrity,” which is why we need to put data stewards and place in many organizations, she suggests. Though the idea of the data steward isn’t new, “emphasis on data comparison and quality has increased their necessity,” Noreen argues. “Data stewards are essential to ensure that standard data sets and definitions are implemented and used for data integrity and quality....
Source: EMR and HIPAA - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: EHR Electronic Health Record Electronic Medical Record EMR EMR Analyst Health Information Governance HealthCare IT Data Steward Health Data Definition Health Data Organizations Health Data Structure Journal of AHIMA MS Neysa Nore Source Type: blogs