Data Quality in Healthcare.

The pharmaceutical sector is one of the market segments where more products move daily around the world, meet the excess demand for each country for control of drugs and medical devices for healthcare organizations responsible for administering. This increasing demand has put companies create safety measures and on all merchandise that is imported and exported daily, thereby creating a control for proper distribution and prescribing to patients who require.

Every day, in most industrial sectors both in consumables and health, certain information is required, which must be accurate, adequate and reliable is now required for proper traceability within the supply chain to the end user, Using these data often for a final purchase decision. So we can see the importance that the quality of information (Data Quality) represents in each sector, and where we will focus on discussing the current relevance of the accuracy of the information within the sector HealthCare or healthcare.

Recently, GS1 Australia conducted a study in which he explains the side effects of the pharmaceutical industry for mishandling of data and the importance of making efficient information for precision in such a sensitive industry such as the health industry. According to the report prepared, today could be saved annually an estimated 30 the 100 million Australian dollars with accurate information management, which is sometimes very poor or nonexistent (Holmes, L 2014).

Accuracy of data is not only important and useful for industry and its long supply chain, but for proper medication to patients, to avoid errors, either by an incorrect dosage or incorrect medical prescription, and especially, save lives. A study by GS1 US revealed extensive damage generated by presenting fundamentals and errors resulting from poor flow system information. According to this report, an estimated 1.3 million patients suffer any direct or indirect damages due to prescription errors when, either supply or dosage, I had to be prescribed (GS1 US, 2013).

Another important issue is the various situations that arise due to shortages in certain geographic regions. These mishaps occur because in many countries the price of a drug is regulated, which causes the same product can cost up 6 times more in some countries than in others. These products are not allowed to sell in countries where the price is lower because it allows them to cover largely fixed costs involved in areas such as research & Development is necessary to develop new patents. However, Prices inequality is causing much of all these products are diverted from the distribution chain (Herper, M 2014).

Much of this dilemma has forced manufacturers to reduce the range of drugs that are at a lower price, This has caused major problems in the supply and proper placement of a drug in a particular target market, bringing disastrous consequences for all parties, as are the large laboratories responsible for launching the latest formulas, as patients which is not given them a certain drug as a result of shortages presented. That is why the need for certainty when that information travels through the channel of communication between companies and distributors, It thereby achieving an error range well below that currently available on the standards of data quality framework.

Returning to the report prepared by GS1 Australia, we mark some key points to be taken into account and that reveal some practices that affect large-scale data flow throughout the supply chain for the sector HealthCare:

• An estimated 8.8 million Australian dollars resources are spent on manual checking of data and measurement units for purchase orders and about 4.37 million Australian dollars spent on emergency kits for drug delivery to the shortage consequence thereof.
• About 6.98 million Australian dollars used by different partners in the supply chain to collect the weights and dimensions of the same products.
• Maximum 1.26 million Australian dollars are spent for clarification of discount codes for prostheses and medical devices.

Sources of Interest:

Holmes, Linda (2014), GS1 Australia Revealing the High Cost of Bad Quality Data, GS1 Australia. Own Translation, Viewed in: http://goo.gl/5nJPDO
GS1 US (March 2014), HealthCare Traceability, GS1 US. Own Translation, Viewed in: http://www.gs1.org/healthcare
Herper, Matthew (2014), Positive Results of HC Programm, Forbes. Own Translation, Viewed in: http://www.forbes.com/healthcare/