The US health care industry is always getting a bad rap. It takes heat for being too expensive or not efficient enough or just too complicated. We know we need it, and that living long and healthy lives requires it. But we also know we love to complain about it and offer up our own brilliant ideas about how to change it.
When I hear “health care,” though, I have different thoughts. What I’ve seen is the amount of data the health care industry both receives and generates every day, every week, every year. And I know there’s a perfect match between this industry and all that analytics can do.
It’s time to take full advantage of this data, to bring in analytics to drive social change. I’ve seen it time and again – apply high-performance analytics to any tough problem, and inefficiencies are left in the dust. Solutions become clear. The path to innovation reveals itself. Chalk it up to the power of analytics.
That’s why I’m glad we are involved. This week, the SAS teams are bringing together more than 300 thought leaders from health care, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and insurance organizations at the 11th Annual SAS Health Analytics Executive Conference on May 14. Just based on the experience of these people alone, I’m sure there will be great discussions, and hopefully we can get to the bottom of some of the issues plaguing the industry.
Leading the discussion are two luminaries from the field. Dr. Farzad Mostashari is a visiting fellow of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution and the former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. If anyone understands the issues facing health care and sees a path forward, it’s Dr. Mostashari.
John Crowley is Chairman and CEO of Amicus Therapeutics, a biotech company he formed to develop a drug that could save his children from a life-threatening disease. In 2010, his story was turned into a major motion picture, Extraordinary Measures, starring Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford and Keri Russell. He’ll help put a personal face on topics that are too often considered only in the abstract.
Beyond our keynote speakers, we also have a strong roster of other leaders in the field, and possibly the best part of the day will be hearing real-life best practices from customers and SAS experts. The interactive technology showcase should be pretty cool, and there will even be a special "how-to" session on building an analytics-driven culture.
The event itself is invitation only, but don't feel left out. You can follow the conference proceedings via webcast on May 14 from 8 a.m-4 p.m. ET. Tune in, and see for yourself why health analytics is the right prescription for health care.
