Industry News & Insights

Modernizing Healthcare Data | Tential

Written by Tential | October 23, 2024

Opportunity 

Our client, a national healthcare provider founded in 2010, has quickly established itself as a national leader in the specialty pharmacy sector.  The provider is dedicated to serving patients with complex and ongoing medical conditions by providing specialty medications, clinical expertise and robust support services. 

As our client expanded its reach and scale, it faced significant challenges with its legacy information and reporting systems. The rapid growth led to increasingly fragmented systems, particularly with the proliferation of SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) reports across various departments. Over time, the sprawl of more than 1,000 reports made it difficult for this healthcare provider  to access and analyze critical data efficiently, creating bottlenecks in operations and decision-making processes. 

Compounding these issues, many of the client’s systems were housed on-premises, making them vulnerable to hardware failures and other disruptions. Recognizing that these challenges could hinder their continued growth and ability to deliver exceptional patient care, the client sought a modern, scalable solution that could streamline operations, enhance data management, and support their ongoing expansion efforts. 

Solution 

Tential was brought in as a partner to transform their legacy SSRS reporting environment into a modern data platform hosted in the cloud. The project focused on: 

  • Migrating to Microsoft Azure: Tential proposed moving the data infrastructure to Microsoft Azure, providing always-on, highly secure and fast access to data from any location. This shift would ensure that  data was protected against potential disruptions and positioned for future growth. 
  • Evolving Legacy SSRS Reports: Tential worked closely with organizational leadershipto evolve their legacy SSRS reports architecture into an Azure-based Modern Data Platform. The goal was to condense the existing hundreds of reports into a streamlined set of 25 to 50 dashboards, reducing redundancy and improving data accuracy by minimizing manual data manipulation. 
  • Hybrid Resourcing Approach: Tential employed a hybrid approach to resourcing this project, utilizing skilled U.S.-based senior talent along with nearshore Power BI developers. This approach kept costs manageable while ensuring high-quality execution. 
  • Proof of Concept (POC): Tential initiated the project with a POC, developing key dashboards for finance and pharmacy operations. The success of this POC demonstrated the value of the transformation, securing further investment and buy-in from corporate leadership. 

Results 

The ongoing transformation to a modern data platform has already delivered measurable improvements in operational efficiency . By consolidating and streamlining reporting into a set of focused dashboards, the organization has significantly reduced the complexity of data analysis. This has led to faster, more informed decision-making across departments, as leadership and teams can now access critical data at a glance without the need for extensive manual data manipulation. This reduction in manual intervention has not only saved valuable time but has also minimized the risk of errors that can arise from handling data manually. 

In addition, the migration to Microsoft Azure has provided the client with a robust and scalable data infrastructure that is both reliable and secure. The cloud-based platform ensures that their critical data is protected against potential disruptions, such as hardware failures or natural disasters, that previously posed a significant risk to operations. With Azure’s built-in security features and continuous updates, our client now benefits from enhanced data protection, ensuring compliance with industry regulations and safeguarding patient information. 

The improved data infrastructure has also positioned this national healthcare provider for future growth. The scalability of the cloud platform means that as they continue to expand, their data systems can easily adapt to increasing demands without the need for costly or time-consuming upgrades. This flexibility is crucial for a company that is rapidly growing and evolving in response to the needs of patients with complex, chronic conditions. 

The success of the initial proof-of-concept (POC) dashboards has also garnered strong support from leadership, leading to further investment in the project. The positive impact on finance and pharmacy operations, in particular, has demonstrated the value of modernizing their data platform, and this has set the stage for broader adoption across the organization. 

Overall, Tential’s partnership with this client has not only optimized current operations but also laid a solid foundation for the company’s long-term success. By modernizing their data infrastructure, they are now better equipped to fulfill its mission of providing specialized care for patients with chronic conditions, ensuring that they remain at the forefront of innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. 

This national healthcare provider has developed a working relationship with Tential, including through their Nearshore Services division, over the past 12-18 months. Throughout this period, Tential has grown into a trusted partner, assisting in the delivery of their strategic goals and objectives. Tential's commitment to "getting things right or making things right" has been a highlight of the relationship. Tential is viewed as a trusted partner, whose dedication to the mission is critical to their success. Contact us today for more information.