Having the data is not the problem — knowing what it is for is
By Chris Beckage, Procom Technology Solutions
BOTTOM LINE
Having the data is one thing. Having it structured well enough to trust is another. Having someone with the time and the mandate to turn it into a decision is a third.
More data is not the shortage
For any healthcare data or analytics leader — a Chief Data Officer, VP of Analytics, or CIO holding the data mandate: the problem showing up in more conversations lately isn’t a shortage of data. It’s the opposite. The data exists. What’s missing is a clear answer to what it’s for.
Every system produces its own version of the truth
Healthcare organizations generate an enormous amount of it — clinical documentation, claims, scheduling, supply chain, remote monitoring, patient engagement platforms — often across systems that were never built to talk to each other. Each system produces its own version of the truth. None of them were designed with the question “what will leadership need to decide next quarter” in mind.
One problem that is really three
A common failure point is treating this as one problem when it’s really three. Having the data is one thing. Having it structured well enough to trust is another. Having someone with the time and the mandate to turn it into a decision is a third. Each of those is solvable on its own. None of them are solved by buying another dashboard.
The maturity gap is the last mile
According to a 2026 peer-reviewed analysis of HIMSS’s Analytics Maturity Assessment Model, only 39 healthcare organizations worldwide had reached the model’s top maturity tiers as of late 2024. (Source: peer-reviewed analysis of HIMSS AMAM data, 2026.) That’s not a comment on effort — most organizations have been investing in data platforms for years. It’s a comment on how hard the last mile is: governance, structure, and staffing that can keep pace with turnover.
What monetizing data actually requires
“Monetize” is the word coming up more often in these conversations, and it’s worth being precise about what it means. For most healthcare organizations, monetizing data isn’t about selling it. It’s about using data well enough to capture value that’s currently being left on the table — more accurate risk adjustment, better-supported value-based care contracts, fewer denied claims, a new analytics-backed service line built on data the organization already owns. That kind of value creation depends on the same foundation as everything else: data that’s governed, structured, and trustworthy enough to build something on top of. Skipping straight to monetization without that foundation usually just produces a slower, more expensive version of the same reporting problem.
It rarely starts with one more analyst
None of this usually starts with hiring one more analyst. Sometimes the immediate need is a specialist in a specific reporting environment or data model. Sometimes it’s a small team of complementary specialists — data engineering, governance, and analytics working together on a defined initiative. And sometimes, before any of that, what’s needed is a time-bound assessment: what data exists, what shape it’s in, and what it’s realistically worth before anyone commits budget to a platform.
QUESTIONS TO TAKE BACK TO YOUR TEAM
Before funding another dashboard or platform, ask:
- Is the gap in the data itself, in how it’s structured, or in who has the time to make sense of it?
- What decision is this data actually meant to support, and is anyone making that decision differently because of it?
- Has “monetizing data” been defined as a specific, governed opportunity, or is it still just a phrase in a strategy deck?
Next steps
Procom Consulting Services works with healthcare technology leaders to work out what kind of gap they are facing, then matches the right approach: a specialist, a team of specialists or a defined project.
To talk through an initiative on your plate, use the form below.
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About the author
Chris Beckage, Vice President, Consulting Services
With over 25 years in the staffing industry, Chris drives Procom’s Consulting Services efforts to expand market opportunities and partnerships across North America.
