Eemland: a regional data platform as the foundation for better care
Rianne Dijkema, Sjoerd Boogaard and Daan Commandeur of Huisartsen Eemland share their experiences
Huisartsen Eemland supports 200 general practitioners in the Eemland region in providing high-quality care. The organization facilitates care programs, neighborhood partnerships, urgent care, continuing education, and centralized information services. In a healthcare sector under increasing pressure due to an aging population and staffing shortages, the need for a new, data-driven approach was clear.
“Within six months, we had a complete picture of the entire region.”
The existing systems and work methods were no longer sufficient in the long term. There was a need for better regional management information and the integration of data from multiple healthcare domains. A specific catalyst was the desire to return to recording data at the source—the HIS system—rather than in a separate system. This would reduce administrative burdens, ensure more reliable data, and allow for expansion into new projects.
A regional data platform as a starting point
Together with EscuLine (part of SureSync), Huisartsen Eemland implemented a Regional Data Platform (RDP) that connects systems such as HIS, NIS, ERP, and telephony and provides data insights via dashboards for various users. To get off to a flying start, HE utilized existing basic dashboards from EscuLine that had already been developed for other clients. Specific dashboards for integrated care were developed separately, with tailored inclusion criteria, KPIs, and alerts.
The implementation began with a pilot at six leading practices. The pilot phase was followed by a controlled rollout in coordination with the rollout of the new NIS system. A key pillar was the establishment of a data governance council: a group of general practitioners with the mandate to grant permission for specific data applications on behalf of all practices. This increased trust throughout the region.
More Than Just Management Information
The benefits are wide-ranging. The Practice Monitor provides immediate insight into patient populations and practice processes. The Alert Dashboard helps identify patients who need checkups, such as a kidney function test or a foot examination. The Chronic Care Dashboard enables comparisons between practices and supports regional care programs.
Thanks to a direct link to the HIS, data quality has greatly improved. Patients now demonstrably meet the inclusion criteria for integrated care, which previously could only be verified on a random sample basis. Healthcare providers no longer focus on quality goals only at the end of the year but work toward them throughout the year.
The process also presented challenges: data quality required close coordination with practices, the gap between healthcare and technology proved to be an ongoing concern, and the volume of data was greater than initially estimated. The agile approach proved to be a crucial success factor in this regard.
Ready for What’s Next
The RDP positions Huisartsen Eemland well for future changes. If national guidelines are abolished or revised, HE has a platform that allows them to continue measuring and steering on their own. Future plans focus on further expansion: new care programs, data exchange with care chain partners and the social sector, and strengthening preventive early detection.