by John Sucich | May 28, 2020 | General BI, Manufacturing & Supply Chain
Whether or not they are in a part of the country that is slowly opening back up and resuming day-to-day activities, everyone is grappling with the adoption of a “new normal” post COVID-19. That applies to most industries as well.
Though supermarket shelves are better stocked and it appears the supply chain is recovering, it is possible the global supply chain will never look the same. Here are some changes that have already been put in place, as well as more changes that are on the way. (more…)
by Kathy Sucich | May 26, 2020 | Healthcare
We’re still getting in a lot of data about COVID-19, but one thing is already clear: the disease has disproportionately affected people along racial, ethnic, and income lines. The phrase “social determinants of health” has been widely discussed in healthcare circles over the last year or so, and nowhere are the implications of where one lives and works on such stark display as when it comes to COVID-19 outcomes.
In this blog post, we’ll examine some of the racial, ethnic, and income data around COVID-19 outcomes and look at how the data can inform healthcare providers moving forward. Let’s take a look. (more…)
by George Dealy | May 21, 2020 | General BI
The “Practical Analysis” blog series is dedicated to answering the questions: “So what is analysis anyway?” and “How can I apply it in my world?” The first installments focused on the fundamentals from which modern computer-aided analysis and decision support have evolved. They featured topics like visualization, exploratory data analysis, and statistical process control.
In the next posts, we’ll explore the emergence of what we now know as “data science” from those beginnings. Let’s examine. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | May 20, 2020 | Wine & Spirits
Last summer, it was hard to get a reservation at Wolffer’s Vineyard in Long Island, NY. As this summer approaches, the tasting room remains empty because of COVID-19, but the party is still going on.
Wolffer’s winemaker Roman Roth, whom The Wine Industry Advisor named as one of wine’s most inspiring people, now hosts virtual wine tastings for the Hamptons’ elite and beyond. It’s a trend that’s picking up across the wine industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Let’s take a look. (more…)
by Kathy Sucich | May 18, 2020 | Healthcare
There have been some disturbing new developments as it relates to children and the COVID-19 pandemic, with several children in North America and Europe coming down with an inflammatory response to COVID-19. That development is now top of mind when it comes to how children’s hospitals are treating kids during this pandemic.
We previously examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected operations at children’s hospitals. It has also changed several aspects of clinical care to children. And analytics is helping children’s hospitals better navigate the challenges. Let’s examine. (more…)
by John Sucich | May 14, 2020 | Manufacturing & Supply Chain
There are certain products that have seen an increase in demand in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Canned goods, for example, have been flying off store shelves, meaning that the companies that produce the cans for those goods have been ramping up production.
Just as important as the places producing the cans are the trucks getting them from the plants to the food companies, and then from there to the grocery stores to be sold. Here’s a look at some of the adjustments the transportation industry has had to make in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. (more…)
by Parker Jones | May 12, 2020 | Healthcare, Wine & Spirits
Distilleries across the country have stepped up their production in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the increase is not just due to a rising demand for alcoholic beverages. These distilleries have begun producing sanitizer products to help prevent the virus from spreading.
While this might sound strange at first, it actually makes a lot of sense. Ethanol, the type of alcohol used in beverages, is also the primary ingredient in most sanitizers. The stills that are used to distill the liquor are also capable of brewing up large quantities of sanitizer at once.
Many companies are facing difficulty due to complications in the process or regulations on sanitizer products. But even in the face of economic uncertainty, they are willing to take on these expenses and challenges for the good of the public health. (more…)
by John Sucich | May 7, 2020 | Manufacturing & Supply Chain
With some states lifting stay-at-home orders and allowing certain businesses to reopen, focus has shifted to the supply chain. What will be available and what will be missing because of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic?
The meat processing industry has been one of the industries most affected by the coronavirus. In a late-April full-page ad in the New York Times, the chairman of Tyson Foods Inc. warned that the United States “food supply is breaking” due to plant closures. That same week, President Trump declared meat processing plants “critical infrastructure.” But it will take more than that government order for the industry to stay ahead of demand. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | May 5, 2020 | Wine & Spirits
Most of America has been under a “stay at home order” for the last six weeks because of COVID-19, the Novel Coronavirus. While Americans are confined to their homes, they’re coping by cracking open a few more bottles of wine or pouring more than just a few extra cocktails.
Americans already enjoyed drinking at home, but now that they’re forced to stay in, they are buying more alcoholic beverages online than ever before. In fact, online alcoholic beverage sales increased 387% for the week ending April 11, according to CNN. The week prior, sales were up a whopping 441%.
Online sales are not booming solely because restaurants and bars are closed. Total alcohol sales grew 26.2% compared to the same week last year, according to Nielsen. (more…)
by Kathy Sucich | May 4, 2020 | Healthcare
Over the last several years, many EHR vendors have rolled out analytics components. What we had anecdotally heard from hospitals and health systems was that these components were lacking in their robustness and ability to provide an executive-level look at data touching all areas of the organization. Was that actually the case? We decided to survey hospitals and health systems to see if this assertion was backed by data.
In Q1 of 2020, Dimensional Insight sponsored a survey by Definitive Healthcare in which it asked 108 healthcare leaders about their experience with EHR analytics. What the data shows is that users of EHR analytics are less satisfied with their analytics solution than with in-house solutions or analytics-specific platforms, and that they face some significant challenges with the software. Here’s a closer look at some of the key data points.
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by Parker Jones | Apr 29, 2020 | General BI
Now more than ever, video meetings are an essential part of doing business in almost any field. Online conferencing was already on the rise with expanding international trade and increasing technology, but with millions of workers around the world staying at home due to the Covid pandemic, it is hard to imagine any company running smoothly without it. However, participating in a video conference call is not always as easy as simply meeting in person. Even the most experienced executives are prone to making some common mistakes while conferencing which may come across as distracting or unprofessional. Luckily, Dimensional Insight’s Alison Nicoli made this helpful video offering tips for better teleconferencing etiquette. Let’s examine some of her advice in detail.
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by John Sucich | Apr 23, 2020 | Manufacturing & Supply Chain
FREJA’s story might sound familiar to any number of organizations in any number of industries: for a long time, the company had a business intelligence solution in place, but it wasn’t using it to its full potential. When FREJA took steps to develop a clearer business intelligence strategy, the benefits of Dimensional Insight Platform with Measure Factory became increasingly clear to many of its employees.
FREJA is a privately-owned transportation company specializing in road transport, but offering sea and air freight as well. The company owns 2,600 trailers and handles two million shipments a year with the trailers driving 270 direct routes every day or every other day. Here’s a look at how it’s using analytics and the power of Measure Factory in its business. (more…)
by Kathy Sucich | Apr 21, 2020 | Wine & Spirits
Bars and restaurants – once the center of social activity for millions of Americans – have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Restaurant Association estimates that the restaurant industry has lost more than 3 million jobs and $25 billion in sales since March 1, and the numbers keep growing.
Many in the industry have tried to adapt by converting operations to take-out only, but clearly, this is a stop-gap measure. Other bars and restaurants are taking it a step further, hoping that their innovative approaches lead to higher sales than the takeout-only approach and foster customer loyalty that extends post-pandemic. Let’s examine. (more…)
by Kathy Sucich | Apr 17, 2020 | Healthcare
We’ve all heard that COVID-19 generally does not affect children as much as it affects adults. Which means children’s hospitals aren’t as affected by the pandemic as adult acute care hospitals are, right? Wrong.
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the good work being done at pediatric institutions across the country. In this blog post, we’ll examine some of the challenges children’s hospitals are facing, and see how healthcare analytics can help out. (more…)
by Alison Nicoli | Apr 16, 2020 | Culture
For many people in the software industry, working remote is to some degree conventional and even encouraged. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies within various industries have shifted their employees to the “home office” which has quickly become the “new normal.”
Many businesses have worried about the productivity of their employees working remotely. So we wanted to see what the data actually shows about the benefits or drawbacks of working from home. Let’s examine. (more…)
by Lindsey Berke | Apr 13, 2020 | Healthcare
The world is currently experiencing one of its largest pandemics with at least 248 million Americans in at least 29 states advised to stay at home. But modern technology such as artificial intelligence has become a promising tool in the fight against COVID-19. As humans do their own part to protect each other and “flatten the curve,” AI offers a few benefits itself that may help decrease the severity of the coronavirus. Let’s examine. (more…)
by John Sucich | Apr 9, 2020 | Manufacturing & Supply Chain
In the best of times, a disruption to the supply chain can cost an organization valuable time and money. In the current climate, the repercussions are not only clear to the organization, but also to people who may have never heard the term “supply chain” before.
The sight of empty shelves where common items like toilet paper are usually stocked, or news video showing a shortage of medical supplies makes everyone aware of what is and what is not available because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some companies took steps after previous supply chain disruptions to prepare themselves for a situation like this. Others were not so prescient. Here’s a look at both sides of that coin, and how everyone can prepare themselves for the next major disruption.
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by Parker Jones | Apr 7, 2020 | Wine & Spirits
A major shift that has been taking place within the alcoholic beverage industry is the rising tendency for consumers to enjoy their drinks at home, rather than at a bar or restaurant. Of course, the current pandemic has eliminated on-premise drinking entirely, for the time being. But even before Covid, drinks consumed ‘on-premise’ have been in a steady decline for several years, while the number of people drinking at home is on the rise.
While every company responds to trends like these differently, the ones who are best able to utilize data to quickly recognize and react to them find the most success.
Dimensional Insight’s case study of Campari America provides a glimpse into this and other changes in the industry, and how one company used data to respond to them. Here’s what we can learn by studying their example. (more…)
by Kathy Sucich | Apr 6, 2020 | Healthcare
For the past few weeks, hospital intensive care units (ICUs) have been at the forefront of conversations surrounding hospital readiness and capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s critical for hospital administrators to understand capacity and resources in order to provide high-quality care to patients.
ICUs have a unique set of challenges due to the acuity of patients, the types of resources needed (such as ventilators), and higher per-patient levels of staffing and necessary specializations. An analytics platform can help give insights into these challenges. Let’s take a look. (more…)
by Alison Nicoli | Apr 2, 2020 | Culture
By now I am sure you’ve heard the term “social distancing” maybe once, twice, or every time you’ve clicked on the television over the past few weeks. Although this truly is critical, you might find yourself thinking, is this the only action I can take?
Right now, the entire world wants the same thing — to kick this virus to the curb and return to normal life as soon as possible. Coming together and helping out any way that you can while practicing safe habits that are recommended by the CDC is essential to fighting COVID-19. Here are 5 ways you might be able to lend an extra hand and stay positive during this health crisis. (more…)
by Parker Jones | Mar 31, 2020 | General BI
Every business organization, regardless of its size, commercial sector, or number of employees, can benefit from properly organized and coordinated data. It’s no secret that access to reliable data can be leveraged to improve efficiency, simplify the decision-making process, and identify obstacles that are getting in the way of success.
However, not every company has a single, unified data tool that can organize and analyze data. According to the tenth anniversary edition of Dresner Advisory Services’ Wisdom of Crowds® Business Intelligence Market Study, more than half of the businesses surveyed expressed their intention to raise their business intelligence budgets in 2020.
Adopting a holistic data management tool can dramatically improve a company’s performance, but only if it is implemented in the right way. In her recent white paper for Dimensional Insight, Jennifer Bresnick explores four of the major challenges that companies usually face when it comes to business intelligence, and how best to overcome them. (more…)
by Jennifer Bresnick | Mar 30, 2020 | Healthcare
Healthcare organizations looking to cut costs and improve patient care are increasingly exploring how the conditions in which people live and work contribute to long-term outcomes.
Research now indicates that the social determinants of health (SDOHs), such as housing stability, access to transportation, and psycho-social safety, have an outsized impact on a patient’s ability to engage with the healthcare system and follow treatment plans for chronic and acute conditions.
Yet healthcare systems are still struggling to understand their patients’ challenges and how to connect individuals with the support they need. (more…)
by Kathy Sucich | Mar 26, 2020 | Healthcare, Product News
As healthcare providers mobilize in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, their data is an important guide in helping them understand where their resources are being used and what their capacity is as new patients come in.
In order to help healthcare providers as they try to gain insight into their operations and capacity, Dimensional Insight is now offering a COVID-19 analytics toolkit. Here are some of the details. (more…)
by Kathy Sucich | Mar 25, 2020 | Healthcare
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers don’t want patients to come into the hospital or go to their doctor’s office unless critically necessary. That means telemedicine is quickly soaring in popularity. Healthcare providers are able to see patients remotely and determine whether they need to be seen in person or if they can treat themselves at home with rest and meds.
Use of telehealth has grown rapidly over the last several years, more than doubling in use since 2010, according to the American Hospital Association. (35% of hospitals used telehealth in 2010 vs. 76% in 2017 – the last year for which data is available.) However, that use within hospitals is not necessarily widespread and there are still hurdles to overcome when deploying telehealth. In this blog post, we’ll examine the current telehealth landscape and how healthcare analytics can help providers in their telehealth efforts. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Mar 24, 2020 | Wine & Spirits
While browsing the latest spring styles in a store, the hottest new accessory is a glass of champagne.
Stores such as Nordstrom, Crate and Barrel, Target, and Whole Foods are partnering up with wine and spirits brands to offer customers a glass of wine or even a cocktail in the hopes of increasing a customer’s total spending. For customers, the shopping experience can feel more luxurious or fun with a drink.
“From a marketing perspective, it’s genius,” Kate Carey, a professor of behavioral and social sciences at Brown University told The Washington Post. “Draw people in [with] the novel pairing of drinking alcohol while shopping, and then lower their inhibitions as you are presenting them with things to buy.” (more…)
by Kathy Sucich | Mar 19, 2020 | Healthcare
There’s been a lot of discussion over the last several months in the healthcare world about social determinants of health – or SDOH. These are factors that relate to a person’s physical environment and social circumstances that impact their well-being.
Social determinants of health account for up to 80% of the impact of an individual’s health, but that data accounts for only about 20% of the information collected in a healthcare setting. That’s why providers are now looking for ways to better incorporate SDOH into population health datasets. There are some easy ways to do so – let’s examine. (more…)
by Kathy Sucich | Mar 17, 2020 | Healthcare
In a health crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic, there’s a lot that feels uncontrollable. And rightfully so. But for healthcare providers and their institutions that are treating COVID-19 patients, there are some steps that can be taken to get a better handle on the situation before them.
An organization’s data is a powerful tool that can be used to better understand patient flow and census – and this is especially valuable during a pandemic. How can you harness that data and present it in an accessible way for your entire care team? Here are some tips for what you should include on your COVID-19 dashboard. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Mar 17, 2020 | Wine & Spirits
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is affecting every industry, and tanking the global economy as a whole. Even in the wine and spirits world, it’s causing profit loss.
Distilleries have canceled tours, whiskey trading is experiencing losses of more than 200 million, bars in Asia are quiet, and auction houses are halting selling their top whiskeys.
According to the World Health Organization, there are 110,029 Coronavirus cases in 105 countries, with 3,817 deaths, as of March 9. Internationally, government officials are encouraging citizens to self-quarantine. (more…)
by John Sucich | Mar 12, 2020 | Healthcare
There is no more important time for health organizations to use all of the data available to them than in a health crisis. The data can help health officials stay informed, but it can also help inform a response – where and how to intervene. As a result, the care that is being provided can improve and lives can be saved.
The way that data is presented can also make a difference. Many different organizations are using visualizations of the current coronavirus that allow the data be viewed and understood more easily in order to improve the response. Here are some of the data visualizations of the COVID-19 pandemic that can help everyone stay informed, from those worried about whether the virus will affect them to the health officials trying to stop it. (more…)
by Meredith Galante | Mar 3, 2020 | Wine & Spirits
States like Texas are slowly becoming award-winning locations for winemaking. While one might associate the Lone Star State with tumbleweeds and dry weather, winemakers are using data to learn lessons that help make hardier vintages there.
Technology helps aspiring winemakers to plant their vines in new places across the United States.
States such as Michigan have seen their wine industry grow 34% in the past five years, with an economic impact on the state of over $4.9 billion.
There’s a lot of work to be done in these regions when unexpected weather changes such as frost can come at any minute. Technology can help predict the changes, which lowers labor costs, and potentially saves the wines from disaster. (more…)
