Better Data, Better Decisions: Using Business Intelligence in the Medical Practice

Medical practices are swimming in data. Data flows into medical practices daily from practice management (PM) systems, electronic medical record (EMR) systems, accounting systems and many other sources. Too many practices extract only the bare minimum of data required to file claims and meet reporting obligations, without recognizing the value in the flood of data that passes through the practice.

The book Better Data, Better Decisions: Using Business Intelligence in the Medical Practice demonstrates creative uses of data and reveals inexpensive data extrapolation tools, more efficient uses of data and inexpensive tools that will reduce operating costs.

Medical practice managers at all levels can benefit from a greater understanding of the data management tools available. In fact, many of these tools are already present in your computer systems. Give your practice a competitive advantage by learning what data to use, how to mine it and how to organize and report it in order to make better business decisions.

Nate Moore consults, speaks, records, and writes about Microsoft Excel and data mining in medical practices throughout the country. Nate's consulting focuses on implementing the tools and techniques described throughout this book to help a wide variety of practices nationwide. He also creates data warehouses, report servers, and custom code to automatically connect practice management data to reports that mine and then leverage practice data into actionable knowledge. Nate creates a series of powerful Excel Videos at mooresolutionsinc.com, which demonstrate how to use Excel in a medical practice. These have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times by users across the world. Nate also moderates the Excel Users MGMA Community, an online resource for practice administrators to collaborate about Excel. Nate is a certified public accountant, has an MBA and a BA in accounting with a minor in Japanese from the University of Utah, and is a Fellow in the American College of Medical Practice Executives. He lives in Utah with his wife and their three children. To contact or learn more about Nate, visit www.mooresolutionsinc.com.

Mona Reimers is currently the director of revenue services for Orthopaedics NorthEast in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She has a BS in management from Indiana Wesleyan University, is a Fellow in the American College of Medical Practice Executives, and is a Certified Professional Coder(R). Mona has been an active member of MGMA-ACMPE on the section council and as the chair of the Government Affairs Committee. She has served as president and as a Board member for the Indiana MGMA chapter as well. Mona is a past board member for the Indiana Association of Orthopedic Executives and chairperson for the American Association of Orthopaedic Executives' Political Advisory Committee. In 2008, Mona testified to the Small Business Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., on behalf of MGMA members regarding Medicare physician payment rates and Medicare Advantage plan issues. In 2012, she represented MGMA-ACMPE members at a panel discussion hosted by the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS), "ICD-10 - Strategies and Recommended Milestones to Achieve a Successful Transition." And again in 2013, Mona presented to the NCVHS on administrative simplification. Mona has consulted for and worked in a variety of medical practice specialties for more than 25 years and continues her volunteer work as an advocate for administrative simplification. She is a frequent speaker on healthcare issues and regularly meets with legislators and regulators regarding medical practice healthcare reform issues.