Using Data to Improve Productivity, Financial Strength, and Telehealth Strategy

The Guidance Center, a Michigan behavioral health network with 23 locations, has been strengthening families for over 6 decades by supporting adults and children with mental health difficulties and other challenges.

Lack of Visualization and Analysis Holds Back Telehealth Efficiency

Although a very data driven organization, TGC was having difficulty visualizing and analyzing their data efficiently. So, taking a cue from Easter Seals Michigan, which had previously deployed a data warehouse and Power BI, TGC set out to increase awareness and compliance around staff productivity, claims, and telehealth strategy.

  • With Covid, many of TGC’s sessions moved to telehealth, resulting in less billable time, increasing the need for accurate and timely claims resolution.
  • Holding staff accountable to performance measures can be delicate in a union environment. TGC needs to ensure everyone is held to the same standard, requiring easy visibility into data.
  • Keeping funders engaged & happy requires factual, rather than anecdotal, reporting.

Power BI Dashboards Expose Key Metrics, Trends, and KPIs

TGC engaged Blue Margin (BMI) to develop the data connections between data sources and Power BI, Microsoft’s data visualization app. BMI then deployed dashboards to expose key metrics, trends, and KPIs around telehealth performance, staff productivity, and claims analysis.

BMI also provided training and support to equip TGC staff to take ownership of their data and reports. Finally, BMI provided training and support to equip TGC staff to take ownership of their data and reports.

“This solution puts us at a big advantage over what we had before . . . We now have our information at our fingertips.”

Telehealth Data Management Improves Efficiency and Effectiveness

“Sessions are shorter in telehealth, and tracking that helped us analyze the impact, and where to deploy resources to improve telehealth and provide more in-office services to navigate the pandemic,” reports Laura Huot, TGC’s COO.

According to Tammy Lewis, Director of EHR Services, “With this reporting, we can assess and manage performance trends across the entire agency, a given program, a staff role, or an individual. We also have a better handle on claims that aren’t going out, and why. Now our Supervisors, Managers, and Directors are all on the same page, same priorities.”