Big Data Changing Healthcare

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Big Data – Changing Healthcare Research Statement This report will examine the impact of big data on healthcare; changing the way hospitals operate, healthcare professionals treat patients, and payment models. Purpose The purpose of this report is to assess how data collection is impacting outcomes, access to care and the ability to sustain services under the new payment models. Background and Significance “Big data generally refers to information that is too large – terabytes to petabytes or even exabytes of memory – to process with older standards of processing power” (Dockster Marcus, 2014, para.2). Data collection for Healthcare can come from a variety of formats and sources. It can be obtained from electronic health records, electronic…show more content…
Patient information is coming in at a startling rate from a variety of resources. The ability to share data will not only improve patient outcomes, but will help control the spiraling costs of healthcare. Big data and the access to that information by those working in healthcare will assist patients receiving care and practitioners of healthcare. The use of big data in healthcare is not without challenges, but the potential benefits are worth meeting those challenges. Big data is defined by meeting certain criteria: volume, variety and velocity. Volume is the rapid rate of growth of data. “In 2020 it is estimated there will be 44 times more data than in 2009” (Fernandes, O’Connor & Weaver, 2012, para. 3). Velocity is the increased frequency of data being produced, processed and analyzed in real or near real time, which is an important factor for health care and decision making. In a field where bad decisions can be harmful to patients, real time data is critical. Variety refers to the type and source of data. It can be structured or unstructured, and come from numerous sources. All this data can help overcome the barriers that are delaying a change in treatment and payment systems in…show more content…
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