Budget constraints and skill set gaps are the main challenges that prevent healthcare organizations from being able to support dedicated analytics and business intelligence teams, according to a new survey from CIC Advisory, a clinician-led healthcare informatics consulting firm.

From May 8 -22, CIC Advisory conducted a survey--"The State of Healthcare Analytics: Fifty Top Leaders Offer Their Perspective of 50 CIOs--and healthcare executives at non-profit and for-profit hospitals, multi-hospital systems, and academic medical centers across the United States. Respondents were asked about the tools provided by vendor organizations, quality and use of data, emphasis on strategy as compared to tactics, and availability of necessary skill sets. Although the leaders represented a variety of organizations, there was significant agreement on many issues.

Half of the respondents reported being satisfied with the tools they use to improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of patient care—meaning the other half of respondents were lukewarm or disappointed with the tools at their disposal. Respondents commented that the standard reports coming out of the major EHR systems are not providing good analytical or trending value, thus requiring both purchase and support of a hodgepodge of systems lacking enterprise focus.

Almost all of the respondents reported using multiple tools to help them achieve their HIT objectives. The most commonly referenced EHRs were EPIC, McKesson, Cerner, Meditech, and Medisolv. Integration of disparate systems was listed as a major reason for not having a single enterprise solution for business intelligence and analytics.

Moreover, with the exception of non-profit, most organizations who responded have not embraced supporting dedicated analytics/business intelligence teams resulting in additional responsibilities for department resources