The Health Care Data Source Book: Finding the Right Information and Making the Most of It. - book reviews

Health Care Financing Review, Winter, 1992

The Health Care Data Source Book. Finding the Right Information and Making the Most of It, a new American Hospital Association (AHA) book by John D. Fry and Robert W. Young, shows health care executives how to locate current data for strategic planning and the development of new services. At the heart of the book are detailed tables that guide readers to sources of inpatient, outpatient, and financial data in each State. Three introductory chapters show executives how to control data overload by seeking appropriate, organized, and timely information. A fourth chapter presents applications and techniques for information analysis. The appendixes contain addresses, telephone numbers, a bibliography, and further details on sources of health care information.

Chapters 1-3 present information skills as a core competency driven by the velocity of change in health care, the impact of the Medicare program, and legislative reform. The discussion focuses on the development of information skills, including how to determine the value of information based on the level of the decision, the number of departments affected, the difficulty of reversing a decision, and the degree of risk. The discussion concludes with a three-step process for developing a strategy control system, which is used to identify the information to collect, the means for collecting it, and the timetable and people responsible. Chapter 4 presents simple techniques for analyzing Medicare cost reports and utilization rate variances, with particular attention to causes of variation in facility and resident use rates. To conclude, the chapter offers tips on monitoring the activities of lobbyists and legislators for evidence of political changes affecting strategic planning and service development initiatives.