According to the most recent survey by the Healthcare Executive Group (HCEG), 'Data & Analytics' is the most pressing concern for the majority of its members. As it has done every year for the past ten, HCEG asked its members to identify their most vexing workplace issues. The group's goal is to understand what opportunities and challenges industry leaders face on a daily basis.

Originally known as the Managed Care Executive Group when it was founded in 1988, HCEG is an invitation-only, limited-member network of healthcare executives and thought leaders.

The results of the annual survey, which are intended to encourage continuous and evolving dialog among member organizations, are derived from HCEG member input gathered during the months leading up to group's Annual Forum. Then, during the forum, which takes place each September, the top concerns are ranked via several rounds of voting.

Here are the Top 5 results from the most recent survey:

1. Data & Analytics

Respondents placed significant importance on leveraging data to manage health and drive payer, provider and individual decisions. HCEG members noted that progress is being made in showing a link between data and analytics and the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare quality and outcomes.

2. Total Consumer Health

Survey respondents acknowledged that a holistic approach to members' overall health is rising in importance. This means providers must have greater awareness of, and visibility into, the social, financial and environmental issues affecting their patients and how those issues contribute to overall health.

3. Population Health Services

HCEG members, and the organizations they represent, are looking to 'operationalize' community-based health strategies, involving chronic care management, driving clinical integration, and addressing barriers to obtaining healthcare. According to respondents, the industry is transitioning from broad medical condition segments of the population to looking at what is called 'barriers to better health.'

4. Value-based Payments

Payment reform or value-based payments has been a ranked issue every year for the last decade. Healthcare leaders continue to feel urgency to transition to value-based payments and target specific medical conditions to manage cost and improve quality of care.

5. The Digital Healthcare Organization

Respondents cited the need for their organization to better facilitate interactions with members through technology. Among the digital tools mentioned were portals, digital payments, customer relationship management systems, patient-generated data from wearables, remote health monitoring, and omni-channel access and distribution.

New Technology for Data Governance and Management

With HCEG members placing such heavy emphasis on 'data,' it should be noted that Curatus (formerly Animas Data Solutions) is working to become one of the industry's leading providers of data governance and management technology. The company's flagship product, ProviderLenz, helps health plans solve the pervasive problem of inaccurate provider data. It curates and disseminates enriched provider data in real-time and behind-the-scenes for ALL payer use cases based on a single 'source of truth' Master Provider Index. This means that all operational areas within a payer's organization are always using the same and most up-to-date provider data available. All this is achieved with a single vendor and with no changes to a payer's current IT infrastructure.

In addition to member-facing online directories, other operational areas that need clean provider data include:

• Network adequacy compliance,
• Risk analytics,
• Quality metrics,
• Shared savings reconciliation,
• Encounter reporting, and
• Claims adjudication.

The benefits to health plans that partner with Curatus are many. Aside from lowering the likelihood of CMS fines for bad provider data, plans that use ProviderLenz will close revenue leakage points and lessen the administrative burden on their staff. Increased member satisfaction and reduced provider abrasion are additional benefits.

Visit Curatus.com for more information about ProviderLenz and how it helps solve the complex problem of inaccurate provider data.