You can deliver better healthcare with AI

Healthcare organizations create and collect vast amounts of data, including patient records, lab results, and operational information. One healthcare organization wanted to explore an AI-powered data analytics platform to help them minimize information silos, which leads to inefficiencies in patient care and gaps in health research.

In a healthcare setting, delays in accessing data can have serious consequences. For example, if a patient does not receive an accurate discharge date due to incomplete information, they may remain hospitalized longer than necessary. This presents additional risks to the patient and adds unnecessary costs to the system.

The organization was already using Microsoft products and wanted to evaluate Microsoft Fabric, an end-to-end data and analytics platform, to determine whether it would effectively help them unify disparate data sources and provide comprehensive insights to enhance patient care and operational efficiency.

KPMG conducted a comprehensive evaluation to determine if Microsoft Fabric would meet the client’s current and future needs. This looked at how the platform’s capabilities aligned with the client’s requirements, and how Microsoft 365 Copilot, the AI assistant included in the platform, could help different users with their work.

The project included several key steps:

• Learning about the client’s technical and business objectives
• Understanding all the roles that might interact with the technology, their use cases, and the insights each may require
• Identifying policies and processes to maintain the client’s governance and compliance needs – a critical step to protect patient information while making data more accessible.

KPMG also tested the tool directly. From its assessment, the team developed use cases and imported mock data resembling real healthcare data to simulate a real-life environment. Every two weeks, KPMG shared results based on the features they tested, clearly showing whether requirements were met and documenting their findings. If a requirement was not met, KPMG worked with the client to find a solution.

KPMG’s assessment showed that Microsoft Fabric met the client’s needs by eliminating data silos and equipping healthcare providers with insights to improve patient outcomes.

For example, the platform’s built-in AI capabilities can extract vital data from patient records – such as doctors’ notes – and make these observations available to specialists. This improves continuity of care, as all aspects of a patient’s health, including any medications they may be taking, become easily accessible to those who need them.

KPMG's assessment process not only evaluated the technical features of Microsoft Fabric but also highlighted the importance of understanding user interactions with the tool. By mapping user journeys, the client gained key insights into the specific needs of various stakeholders. This helped the organization to plan for the widespread adoption of the technology, providing support to each user group for integrating it into their work.

This project was nominated for a Microsoft Impact Award, marking it as one of the first large-scale assessments of Microsoft Fabric in a Canadian healthcare setting. The next phase involves integrating real data into Fabric’s unified environment and rolling out custom training and user support.

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