We Guide Data Teams on Patient Centricity on a Daily Basis — Walgreens Boots Alliance Sr Director of Data Governance and Architecture

(US & Canada) Mike Jennings, Senior Director of Data Governance and Architecture at Walgreens Boots Alliance, speaks with David Zhao, Managing Director at Coda Strategy, in a video interview about leveraging data to advance patient centricity, guiding data teams, and managing a complex nexus of a variety of healthcare data from different streams.

Starting out Jennings emphasizes the importance of utilizing a comprehensive approach to data in advancing patient-centricity. By integrating internal data with information from partners and third parties, the goal is to create a 360-degree view of each patient. This holistic perspective allows for a better understanding of patient needs and preferences, enabling the delivery of tailored services.

Jennings also highlights the importance of considering patient preferences regarding communication and consent, which may vary depending on whether the focus is on retail, pharmacy, or healthcare services. This approach must be carefully balanced with regulatory requirements, such as state privacy laws, HIPAA, TCPA, and High Trust standards.

For instance, using pharmacy data for marketing requires explicit patient consent, illustrating the need to maintain strict boundaries on data usage to ensure that patient services are both compliant and aligned with individual preferences.

Speaking on his approach to guiding data teams to focus on patient centricity, Jennings emphasizes the importance of consistently guiding teams, particularly those less familiar with healthcare data. This involves a daily review of use cases to assess data sensitivity and the potential risks associated with data disclosure. By adhering to strict security protocols, the team ensures that data is used appropriately and ethically.

Additionally, Jennings highlights the role of regular training sessions, which not only reinforce the responsibilities of team members regarding data usage but also emphasize the critical importance of protecting patient data. The training underscores the severe implications of failing to adhere to these guidelines, including potential reputational damage.

Further, Jennings speaks about the complexity of managing the vast amounts of data that the organization handles, which includes provider data, pharmaceutical data, and government and regulatory data, among others. He highlights that this requires robust data governance. This also involves engaging with business users to understand their needs and ensuring that the data they rely on is accurate and up-to-date.

One critical aspect Jennings says is maintaining the accuracy of provider data. Even a small error rate, like 1%, can result in hundreds of thousands or even millions of providers with potentially erroneous information, which can lead to significant issues. For instance, if a prescriber under sanctions completes a prescription, the pharmacy could face substantial fines. Therefore, the goal is to achieve as close to 100% data accuracy as possible.

Adding on, Jennings explains that data is often collected from third-party sources and can be enhanced with real-world data gathered in-store during services. This ensures that the most accurate and up-to-date provider information is available, especially important when processing electronic prescriptions.

Similarly, for customer and patient data, pharmacies gather information from various sources and compare it across different business lines to maintain the most accurate and current data. This data is then updated and distributed across all business channels to ensure consistency.

Jennings also highlights the importance of using deterministic business rules and probabilistic logic to verify and maintain data accuracy, particularly in the healthcare sector. Ensuring that the correct customer or patient is identified is crucial, as errors could result in incorrect prescription dosages or other serious issues.

CDO Magazine appreciates Mike Jennings for sharing his insights with our global data community.