UNC Health Care Uses IBM Analytics to reduce re-admissions - 1100 Words

UNC Health Care Uses IBM Analytics to reduce re-admissions (Essay Sample) Content: Name:Tutor:Course:Date:UNC Health Care Uses IBM Analytics to reduce re-admissionsIntroductionUNC Health Care is non-profit health organization that is in North Carolina. It is managed and owned by the state of North Carolina. In the recent past, the hospital has witnessed a rise in patients seeking various forms of care. The increase in hospital visits has led to increment in the amount of data handled and stored by the organization. Clinicians in the hospital need to continuous access to patient data in order to monitor their conditions and provide the best care. However, this has been challenged by the fact that most of the data in the organization is unstructured and that makes it difficult for clinicians to gain quick access. That has disadvantaged the organization, as it has been unable to monitor its clients effectively. The foregoing is evidenced by the rise in preventable readmissions. Following this problem, UNC Health Care has resorted to using IBM analytics as a means of reducing readmissions. This paper aims at analyzing the move by UNC Health Care. The paper posits that the advent of Big Data techniques such as IBMs Analytics in health care institutions such as UNC is a great step to prevention of the costly and preventable readmissions.Overview of IBM AnalyticsThe system that UNC Health Care is now using is designed to perform complex and sophisticated analysis on all forms of data. Known as IBM Smarter Care Solution, this technology is said to possess advanced capabilities that help it to process patient data using natural-language techniques. Smarter Care Solution is developed as cognitive technology; meaning that it processes data like a human being. It has the ability to synthesis all forms of data, irrespective of its format or appearance (IBM). For example, it is capable of processing unstructured patient data and presenting output that assists clinicians with crucial decision making. With regards to preventing hospital readm issions, this technology is equipped with systems that enable it to model a 30 day risk assessment on a certain patient. In addition, it is equipped with extra systems that enables clinicians to make recommendations in a language and manner that matches the condition of the patient.How it Prevents ReadmissionsThe primary benefit expected by UNC is avoidance of preventable readmissions. UNC made this move after realizing that most of readmissions witnessed by the hospitals stem from preventable factors. Monegain (1) observes that UNC noted that things as basic as analysis of data account a very large percentage of the hospital readmissions. He, further, processes such as effective and accurate data analysis can help clinicians model the risk associated with a certain patient. The foregoing, consequently, informs them of the best care that should be accorded to the patient. Carefully and systematic analysis of patient data can reveal a lot of things about the condition of the patient. For example, Monegain (2) reveals that the Smarter Care Solution used by UNC can help the clinicians with identifying the high risk patients, understand the underlying causes of their hospitalization and ultimately formulate a preventative method.The major advantage associated with this technology is the speed and accuracy it achieves. Since it processes all forms of data, it is no longer necessary for the hospital staff to convert the raw data into a language that can be understood by the computers. In fact, this technology can easily reveal the trends, patterns and projected future conditions of the patient in question. Such a condition enables accurate and timely decision making. It follows that the interventions adopted by the patient will be adequate to deal with the problem and therefore reduce the rate of readmissions.UNC Health Care officials posit that the goal of reducing readmissions will be reduced in various ways. All these ways are concerned with effective management and utilization of patient data at the hospital. For example, Monegain (3) notes that the system will enable the hospital to respond to abnormal cancer screening tests in a timely manner. The aforementioned author notes that Smarter Care Solution uses mammograms and colonoscopies to pull out abnormal cancer screening results without considering whether the data is structured or not. Such a condition, in return, will enable the hospital to take timely actions that will see the treatment of these patients and thus reduce the need for admission and readmission. The system will also enable the hospital to make meaningful and timely communications with the patients in an attempt to achieve remote management of diseases. For example, the system can quickly collect patient data and inform the patient as to how he can manage the situation to prevent it from becoming worse. All these conditions are crucial in preventing readmissions.Challenges Associated the TechnologyDespite the identified benefits of Smarter Care Solution, there a few challenges that cannot be overlooked. Specifically, there is need to address the ethical issues arising from the Big Data projects that UNC has initiated. Notably, patient data is protected by the law and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is clear that such information should not be released unless in the authorized instances. However, the HIPPA lacks to capture the mantle of the new age of data management and stora...

Ken Robinson And A Documentary About Jane Elliot - 550 Words

Ken Robinson And A Documentary About Jane Elliot (Essay Sample) Content: NameInstructorCourseEducationThe texts presented include the Ted talk video done by Ken Robinson and a documentary about Jane Elliot; a third-grade teacher. The two mainly speak of the education system and the problems the system faces. Jane Elliot after MLK's assassination tries to explain to her third-grade class why their hero' was killed as they come in the next day confused. Racism was a huge problem then, and petite was explained to the young ones. She comes up with the blue eye brown eye experiment where she separates the students in her class with blue and brown eyes then on the first day makes those with the blue eyes feel superior in all perspectives and those with the brown eyes inferior on the second day. She does the opposite and makes those with the brown eyes excellent and those with the blue eyes inferior. On the third day, Elliot does the experiment on the adults. The results gathered are quite impressive with both the children and adults getting to u nderstand the feeling of racism, and at the end, they all stand united. Sir Ken Robinson on the other hand, explains the education systems' bias towards creativity and individuality going into detail on how the system needs to be improved and how children need to be assisted and supported in growing their creativity.Back when I was in high school, my favorite subject was biology because of the fascination it brought and got me thinking so much about life and living things. Getting to learn about my body and the functions of every part of it was quite exciting, and the fact that it was directly relatable and that it could be physically understood made it even more impressive. My worst subject and that which I performed poorest was history mainly because I have never been a person to believe in fiction but facts. I think this is what essentially killed my interest in the subject. Plus there was so much of the past I had to read on.The current education system has been under criticism for a very long time. I too criticize how things have been run in schools for a very long time. In my opinion, the education system has many cons as compared to the pros it offers, hence reforms must occur. According to Robinson, the education system all across the world has been very discriminative against creativity by putting more emphasis on more purposeful subjects such as mathematics and languages. The system still seems to instill the idea that such subjects are the key to a more wealthy lifestyle than topics such as art, dance, and music. Robinson states that creativity is the key to revolutionizing the current world's future. In Elliot's experiment, she gets to learn that those discriminated in her class put out a negative vibe and perform poorly in class. About the current education system, students who perform well in superior subjects (mathematics and languages) are often treated better than those who are not as gone thus putting out some discrimination on the less advan taged, this pushes them down leading to poor performances. There is so much that could be reformed in the system, first of all; creativity from a young age should be built in the children and nurtured into something purposeful as opposed to the criticism most children get when they show interest in something that is not related to education. Parents need to learn that education is not the only path to success. Another reform would be treating all subjects equally whereby the same emphasis put in mathematics should be the same in art and music. Every student should also be addressed equally with all their abilities and talents nurtured.Jane Elliot presents the issue of racism in a quite productive manner by making each stu...