Ming Chu
Healthcare IT and Machine Learning Researcher
Bozeman, Montana
by
If you want to become a good Epic Healthy Planet Analyst, start here.
Start now. Start today.
Do not start by trying to look impressive.
Do not start by trying to know everything.
Start with the little things.
Start with the quiet work.
Start with the work other people may overlook.
Clean up the details.
Ask one more question.
Follow the workflow all the way through.
Take time to truly understand what the end user actually needs.
That matters more than people think.
In population health, small changes can lead to big results over time.
One patient.
One task.
One initiative.
One thing at a time.
That is how real improvement happens.
It is often in the small things.
In the little details.
A good Epic Healthy Planet Analyst is not forced to help.
They want to help.
They do it willingly and whole heartily.
That is the first thing.
Care about making things better for patients, care teams, and the people doing the work every day.
When you see a workflow, do not only ask how to build it.
Ask what problem it is trying to solve.
Ask what is getting in the way.
Ask what would make the work easier, clearer, and more useful.
A good analyst does not rush to build something new right away.
First, look at what is already there.
Then ask, how can we make this better with what we have now?
Be confident, but ready to learn.
Stay curious.
Own the mistakes.
Own the accomplishments too.
Do not hide from either one.
Try to understand what connects with Healthy Planet.
That part matters because Healthy Planet does not stand alone.
Population health touches every level of the healthcare system.
A small change in one place can affect many other areas.
One of the most important skills is learning to ask good questions.
If we change this, what else will it affect?
How will the clinician use it?
How will the care manager use it?
Will this help reporting?
Will this create more work somewhere else?
Will the end user understand what it means?
Will they know what to do next?
Those questions matter because a registry alone is not enough.
A risk score alone is not enough.
A metric alone is not enough.
If the care team cannot understand it or act on it, then the build is not finished.
That is why this work is not only technical.
Also about workflow.
Also about people.
Learn how to listen.
Learn how to work with clinicians and care managers.
Learn how to explain things clearly.
Learn to test carefully.
Learn to admit when something looks good on paper but does not work well in real life.
It also helps to understand the bigger picture.
Health Maintenance.
Outreach encounters.
Episodes.
ACO work.
Clinically integrated networks.
Quality programs.
Care gap workflows.
These things connect.
We don’t know everything at once.
But we should try to see how the parts work together.
That will help us support care in a wiser way.
To me, a good Epic Healthy Planet Analyst is not only someone who knows how to build.
It is someone who is always ready to help.
Someone who respects the little things.
Someone who keeps learning.
Someone who turns data into action.
Someone who helps the care team know what to do next.
That kind of person can make a real difference over time.
tags: Epic - Healthy Planet - population health - healthcare IT - work“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”