Data Reporting: Not Just “Because I Said So”

By, Margo Kulseth, former Information Specialist

As a kid, our parents made us do things we did not want to do. “Get off the couch and go outside” or “turn off that TV” or “don’t put so much sugar on your cereal” are a few examples from my childhood. When I asked why, my dad often responded with “because I said so.” That did not seem like a valid reason, but because I was the kid and he was Dad, I had no choice, so I begrudgingly complied.

Do I have a problem with authority? I don’t think so. Who among us likes to be forced to do something without a reasonable explanation? Daniel Goleman, author of Leadership that Gets Results published in Harvard Business Review, would call this the coercive leadership style, and in general, it is not the most effective long-term.

With our country’s health care system evolving from a volume-based model to one that is value-based, the ability to demonstrate the value of our health care services is becoming increasingly important. This is commonly accomplished by collecting, reporting and analyzing data and then interpreting that data to identify and improve on target areas. Therefore this process has been incorporated into various requirements for health care providers, which can feel like an imposition on staff time and resources that are already bursting at the seams. Have you ever questioned why all this data is necessary and felt like the answer from an authority figure was “because I said so"?

Recently, I wrote a blog post from the funder’s perspective called “Walk A Mile in your Funder’s Shoes.” Making sense of this confusing world often boils down to imagining ourselves in someone else’s shoes. The numbers in our data spreadsheets represent human lives. In health care, providing recommended care 99% of the time is not good enough. What if that 1% remaining was you, your spouse, parent or child?

Another authority figure from my youth was my 9^th grade English teacher, the late Mr. Larry Schloer. He always used to tell us “close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.” While he was usually referring to a spelling test, this is another example of wisdom from my youth that can be applied to the goals of data analysis in health care.

Until 100 percent of our critical access hospitals are reporting on 100 percent of the quality measures 100 percent of the time and achieving 100 percent of recommended care for 100 percent of the patients, there is still work to be done. Does that sound daunting? As we like to say here in Minnesota, you betcha! But is it necessary? Is it worth it? You betcha!

Most everything we do in health care, including tracking data, has a much higher purpose than “because I said so.” Even when we are tired, stressed, burned out or overworked, we must never forget…”every patient matters.” I challenge you to repeat those three little words to yourself whenever the spreadsheets full of numbers bear down on you and your already full schedule. Those numbers represent people, the very same people most of us got into the field of healthcare to help. Let’s work together toward a better health care system, one that clearly demonstrates “every patient matters.”