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TECHNOLOGY & METHODS
Connecting the dots
UTILIZING DATA, TECHNOLOGY TO
CUT HEALTHCARE PROJECT COSTS By RONNIE ANTEVY
N 15 YEARS, THE Internet has transformed the way we do business. For example, remember the process to research a new product or fi nd a new vendor before the ability to "Google" it? It is amazing to think about all that has changed in so short a time. Yet, for the most part, the real potential has not been realized such as the potential of connected data.
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The Internet has served to connect companies and peo- ple. The world is getting smaller with the ability to fi nd and contact people and businesses around the world relatively quickly. But the real power of the Internet will come once data is connected in addition to people. In the business of healthcare projects, connected data has the potential to signifi cantly reduce project cost without impacting scope or schedule. Several leading healthcare systems are pushing the innovation envelope. Technology and the Internet are being utilized to connect data and achieve an immediate 1-3 percent reduction in total project costs. These are real, hard-dollar reductions in project costs without any impact to scope or schedule.
CONCEPTUALLY DEFINING CONNECTED DATA
Consider the theory that if the world's available data was neatly organized and accessible, better decisions would be made. For example, think of a man that walks into a doctor's
offi ce with specifi c symptoms. What if his doctor could fi gure out within minutes every person in the world that has those symptoms, every treating doctors' prognosis, every type of treatment that was prescribed, and the pros, cons and success rate of each treatment? The doctor could make better decisions and provide better care. That type of data exists but is not easily accessible. It
46 Medical Construction & Design | March/April 2012
is in a variety of places including databases, paper charts, doctors' heads, books and journals. It is also not orga- nized nor arranged according to a common language. So if the doctor could access the data, it may take months or years to make sense of it all. The good news is, this type of technology is available and accessible in the medical construction and design industry.
HEALTHCARE PROJECTS BENEFIT FROM CONNECTED DATA
Procuring a project — bidding a job — is part science and part art. How do you know if you are getting the best price for a defi ned scope? How do you know what to look for? How do you spot red fl ags? How do you know how much risk you are taking and how much contingency to apply to portions of each project? Today, most professionals rely primarily on experience and to a lesser extent, on limited access to data.
Connected bid data easily accessible to the facil- ity owner will lead to better decisions, better bids and reduced costs. With this in mind, several project-manage- ment systems are partnering with providers of data and services to devise connected data solutions that improve the bid process for facility owners.
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