Assessment 3 Instructions: Data Integration
Create a data integration strategy map illustrating a strategic framework, accountability, and quality and control
mechanisms. Write a workplace brief (5-6 pages) to accompany the strategy map that provides a data integration
strategy for a health care organization.
Data integration, sometimes referred to as interoperability, involves combining data from different sources. Data
integration allows communication between information systems to occur, and it is foundational to data
management. Despite the widespread adoption of advanced technologies, such as the electronic health record,
data integration remains a challenge for many health care organizations. The use of data from multiple sources
further compounds the challenge.
A seamless integration process is the direct result of design, architecture, and high quality data. Data architecture
defines the policies, guidelines, standards, and models that support organizational data management. Like data
integration, data architecture is a foundational component for any information system. Data architecture defines
what information the organization collects, uses, stores, standardizes, and integrates.
Problems with data quality arise in health care organizations when data architecture and integration are ineffective.
When health information systems do not integrate, the information in those systems cannot be accessed
appropriately. This can have real-life consequences in health care; medical errors and adverse health outcomes can
result from missing, incomplete, or inaccurate information. Developing a data integration strategy map is a way to
organize the plan or approach to data governance. A data integration strategy map is a snapshot, or single-viewdiagram, that illustrates the organization’s data integration strategy. People within the organization use the data
integration strategy map as a reference tool to quickly identify and communicate the data integration plan.
In this assessment, you will continue in your role as Independence Medical Center’s privacy and security manager.
The risk management director, who works to prevent situations of liability for the medical center, is interested in a
tool to support his role in the organization. Specifically, the risk management director anticipates and plans for
potential issues related to privacy and security and is responsible for managing privacy- and security-related hospital
policies and procedures. He has asked that the two of you work together to develop a data integration strategy map
as part of Independence Medical Center’s data management governance plan.
Introduction
Data integration depends on architecture and data standards. Integration, sometimes referred to as interoperability,
is also the ability for databases to interchange or combine information. A seamless integration process is a direct
result of design, architecture, and high data quality.
Preparation
This requires you to create a workplace brief and data integration strategy map that identifies Independence
Medical Center’s data quality issues and recommends strategies to remedy those issues. In Assessment 2, you
examined Independence Medical Center’s core written data sets and identified data quality issues and
recommended strategies to address those issues.In this assessment, you are carrying your work one step further. Here you will not just be relying on written data sets,
but you will have the opportunity to interview users to learn more about the data quality issues that are surfacing at
the medical center. The whole point in this assessment is to gather information from written data and interviews with
users to create a master list of data issues and then to recommend strategies for addressing those issues in total.
To prepare for this assessment, do the following:
View the following media piece. From it you will learn about the perspectives of various Independence
Medical Center’s data users on data quality issues occurring within the center.
Vila Health: Data Integration.
Revisit the work you completed in Assessments 1 and 2. In Assessment 1, you created a DMGP for
Independence Medical Center. In Assessment 2, you created a data discovery report relating to data quality
issues you discovered from examining Independence Medical Center’s various data sets.
Instructions
Your work on creating a new DMPG for Independence Medical Center continues. So far you have created a
framework for a DMPG and have examined Independence Medical Center’s various data sets for data quality issues.
You next step is to formulate a strategy to resolve and support data quality issues. The risk management director has
asked you to work with him to develop, as part of the DMGP, a data integration strategy map and a workplace brief
with recommendations to resolve data quality issues. The data integration strategy map is an overview. It is a visual
representation of the data integration strategy plan. The workplace brief expands on and explains the information
contained in the data integration strategy map.
The risk management director has scheduled interviews with various data users at Independence Medical Center, so
you can continue to collect information for your DMGP. These are included in the Vila Health: Data Integration
media piece. He has provided a template for the strategy map to help you organize the information. This is alsoincluded within the media piece.
This assessment consists of two parts.
Part 1: Data Integration Strategy Map
Create a data integration strategy map for Independence Medical Center that illustrates a strategic framework,
accountability, and quality and control mechanisms.
Use the information you gleaned from the interviews conducted in the Vila Health: Data Integration media
piece and the template provided in the media piece to create your strategy map.
Also refer to the work you did in Assessments 1 and 2.
Be sure to complete all nine cells in the strategy map; you will need to select only the most critical
information to include.
Part 2: Workplace Brief
Often in health care organizations, data management issues, such as data quality, serve as the catalyst for
organizations to develop a data governance and management plan. These issues also can drive strategies to
implement the plan. To support the data integration strategy map you completed in Part 1 of this assessment, write
a 5–7 page workplace brief that summarizes your findings and explains how these findings relate to Independence
Medical Center’s ultimate goal of developing a DMGP.
Your workplace brief needs to address all of the following headings and answer the questions underneath each
heading.
Statement of the Problem (1–2 paragraphs).
How would you summarize Independence Medical Center’s data quality and data integration issues
you have uncovered to date?
Data Management (1 page).
How is a master patient index (MPI) used in patient information integration?
Indicate whether or not a MPI exists in Independence Medical Center’s information systems.
If it already exists, use specific examples to explain how it creates efficiency.
If it does not exist, use specific examples to explain how it could create efficiency.
Quality Issues (1 page).
How do the data quality errors identified in the previous assessment impact data integration with
information systems?
What specific effects do the data quality issues have on Independence Medical Center’s information
systems?
Formatting Issues (1 page).
How do data formatting issues impact data integration with information systems?
What specific effects do the data formatting issues have on Independence Medical Center’s
information systems?
Recommendations (1–1.5 pages).
Based on the strategy map you created, what is the integration strategy you recommend for
Independence Medical Center?
Conclusion (1–2 paragraphs).
What are the key takeaways you want the risk management director to remember about Independence
Medical Center’s data quality and data integration issues from your strategy map and your workplace
brief?
Additional Requirements
Length: 5–6 double-spaced pages for the workplace brief, in addition to your data integration strategy map.
You may use any software to create your strategy map, such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio, et
cetera.
Font and font size: Times Roman, 12-point type.
APA: Follow APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references. Include a separate References
page.
Writing: Create clear, well-organized, professional documents that are generally free of errors in grammar,
punctuation, and spelling.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies
through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
Competency 2: Recommend data integration strategy for multiple sources and data governance.​
Create a data integration strategy map demonstrating a strategic framework, accountability, and
quality and control measures.
Explain the use of a master patient index (MPI) in patient information integration.
Describe how data formatting differences impact data integration with information systems.
Competency 4: Analyze effects of database design and architecture in integrating and using various data
sources.
Assess data quality and integration issues influencing database design and architecture.
Recommend an integration strategy for Independence Medical Center based on the elements outlined
in the data integration strategy map.
Competency 5: Communicate professionally in a health care environment.
Create clear, well-organized, professional documents that are generally free of errors in grammar,
punctuation, and spelling.
Follow APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references.