Critical Healthcare M&A Strategies: A Data-driven Approach

Historically technology and talent were primary assets used to weigh the value of M&A activity, but data is an equal pillar. Buyers (the acquiring organizations) face enormous responsibility and risk with M&A transactions. C-suite leaders have a lot to consider—enterprise-wide technology, finances, operations, facilities, talent, processes, workflows, etc.—during the due diligence process. But attention is often heavily weighted toward time-honored balance sheet and facility assets rather than next-generation assets with the long-term strategic value in the M&A process: data. The model for conducting due diligence around data involves four disciplines:

• Establish the strategic objectives of the M&A with the leadership team.
• Prioritize data along with the standardization of solutions and the design of a new IT organization (i.e., a co-equal effort for data, tools, and talent).
• Identify the near-term data strategic priorities, stakeholders, and tools.
• Assess the talent and consider creating an analytics center of excellence (ACOE) to harness organizational capabilities.

The Key to Healthcare Mergers and Acquisitions Success: Don’t Rip and Replace Your IT

Healthcare mergers and acquisitions can involve a lot of EMRs and other IT systems. Sometimes leaders feel like they have to rip and replace these systems to fully integrate organizations. However, this is not the answer, according to Dale Sanders. This report, based upon his July 2017 webinar, outlines the importance of a data-first strategy and introduces the Health Catalyst^® Data Operating System (DOS™) platform. DOS can play a critical role in facilitating IT strategy for the growing healthcare M&A landscape.

Outcomes Improvement Governance: A Handbook for Success and Achieving More with Less

For healthcare organizations looking to achieve outcomes improvement goals, effective governance is the most essential must-have. This leadership culture ensures success by enabling health systems to invest in outcomes improvement and allocate resources appropriately toward these goals.

This executive report is an outcomes improvement governance handbook centered on four guiding principles (and associated helpful steps) health systems can follow to achieve effective governance and start achieving more with less:

1. Stakeholder engagement
2. Shared understanding
3. Alignment
4. Focus

With these four principles, organizations can build a foundation of engagement and focus around the work, where they maximize strengths, and discover and address weaknesses. They establish an improvement methodology, define their goals, and sustain and standardize improvement work.