In how many jobs can you say data saved a life? Research and analytics in healthcare are starting to catch up on the vast amount of available or unused data. There’s also the development of strategies and technologies to gather data from their patients’ EHRs and import external information that could fill in blanks in their social determinants of health. In this episode of Straight Outta Health IT, Rachini Moosavi, Vice President of Enterprise Analytics at UNC Health, talks about the value of health and environmental data and how their insights can drive transformation in healthcare for better outcomes.

Christopher brings to the table the issue of access to quality care, another challenge related to social determinants of health for many patients. He reads an excerpt from a Wellesley Institute document on how healthcare institutions must build health equity throughout care planning, delivery, and investment that specifically address disadvantaged populations or key access barriers. Rachini mentions the importance of equity and inclusion groups to ensure that the processes, technology, and people working in a health system are doing their best for every patient. She also believes it is vital for the medical workforce to be representative of the communities it serves.

Rachini explains how at UNC Health, data is gathered with an understanding of social determinants of health and how acknowledging them can positively impact outcomes. Its leaders believe in the power of data, enabling its research community with it. They are interested in ensuring that all their entities are supported and that the people and processes in their workforce have the required information to be successful. She speaks of the implementation of UNC Health’s EHR and the construction of a robust data warehouse that allows them to do better research. After COVID, she also realized how sharing data dashboards across health systems can help data-driven leaders to do more.

Rachini began her career interested in the clinical side of healthcare, but after some time, she found a home in healthcare data and analytics. She shares how, for her, a career is a journey with twists, turns, and several stops where one finds their passion.

Tune in to this episode and be open to receiving significant healthcare data and analytics lessons from Rachini!

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