A Data Failure Adds to a National Tragedy

One of the greatest tragedies of the new millennium has been the American Opioid Crisis. As the settlement of lawsuits proceeds, the level of corruption and greed that has been uncovered is staggering. And sadly, once again, the data needed to help solve a critical problem is 'unavailable.' So writes Greg Slabodkin, managing editor of "Health Data Management" in a recent article.

For those of us who have spent considerable time in healthcare the problems are as predictable as they are depressingly familiar. No uniform way to identify a beneficiary, missing and non-standard NPIs (National Provider Identifiers) and missing or incorrect diagnosis codes.

Nothing steams our tea kettle here at Datahüst! more than a mountain of priceless data going to waste because organizations do not have the capabilities to manage, source and analyze that data. Adding a life-an-death crisis that ravages whole communities has us reaching for our blood-pressure medication.

Here is a link to the article: Data lacking for national review of Medicaid opioid prescribing

Health Data Management, by the way, is not an oxymoron, but an excellent journal that has been covering the field for twenty-seven years and has always had pride of place on, first my desk, and then my desktop. Edited by the sagacious Fred Bazzoli, HDM is one of those publications that tends to pile up in the corner of the office because you don't want to throw them away. A must read for healthcare professionals and a good read for data professionals outside of healthcare as well. Here is a link: healthdatamanagement.com