Oscar Marroquin has a lot on his plate. As chief healthcare data and analytics officer at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, he's tasked with providing oversight and direction for the whole of the data and analytics area of his organization.
It's a big role, but one that's central to a modern enterprise like UPMC. Without a holistic approach to this sector of the enterprise, it can be difficult to get the most out of your data.
"And that's where the chief data and analytics officer becomes critical," Marroquin said. "So that there can be a team that is dedicated to actually paying attention to all of the extra responsibilities."
When it comes to data and analytics, enterprises have realized the need for centralized oversight. Having a model where CIOs balance IT responsibilities with the modern demands of data is just not realistic anymore.
That's why some enterprises have turned to chief analytics officers and chief data officers to relieve the burden on CIOs. As the amount of data increases, it is crucial that organizations make the right call and hire the right position for them.
Looking across organizations, data and analytics can bring significant Business value, but they may require investment in a unified data leadership structure.
One major aspect of Marroquin's role is to act as mediator and facilitator when it comes to working with clinical partners. Having a unified position has helped UPMC ensure that the right questions are being asked and that the needs of the organization are being supported when it comes to data and analytics. But that's not all. He also has some responsibilities that are traditionally thought of as being in the realm of data management. "Another big part of my role is making sure that we have the right governance and prioritization processes," Marroquin said.
Gartner analyst Andrew White said the CIO has been given too many responsibilities. Handling everything from technology development to vendor relations and data management and analytics, CIOs are unable to dedicate the amount of time required to handle each task. "They ended up being so busy with technology and vendors that they didn't have time to do the data and analytics strategy," White said. Typically, making the CIO responsible for an organization's data and analytics strategy presented one of two problems. Either CIOs would be overwhelmed with the amount of data, or the organization had a good handle on data governance and privacy but realized they were not getting as much value out of their data as they wanted. Ultimately, both problems led to the same outcome.
