“Numbers have an important story to tell. They rely on you to give them a voice“–Stephen Few
Every data set tells a story. This blog is about finding those stories. And starting a narrative–one data set at a time.
Nicholas Thompson, Editor of NewYorker.com tells a story–about how longform journalism is not as ethereal as once believed. Yes it is easy to be distracted in our one click consciousness but there is much to learn when willing to step away from the “bunch of others” and seek unique perspectives, new information, and yes–a data informed longform story.
We the patient…
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I am a writer and a data analyst — not by choice but by necessity. The digital exhaust of big data, machine learning algorithms, and our quantified lives is choking all of us. If you lack the skill to curate or evaluate the evidence — it is at your own peril.
Economic theories in healthcare and in the world in general are expansive and quite complex.But there are a few truths needed for the right level of context. Conversations of free market economics for example, are fundamental to emerging value frameworks being debated within healthcare but existing in the context of capitalistic forces.Listening to political posturing about the role of government and unknown 3rd party political ideologies I often blink in disbelief. So you hate government and want to minimize the oversight and intervention? Okay then, go smash your iphone.Go ahead. I’ll wait. All the innovation you see shattered all over your desk?None of it would exist without wholly subsidized government grants. These are tax payer investments — with Apple receiving the spoils. How do you tease out the role of government when the social economics of the vulnerable are less important than the interests of the wealthy and powerful? The resulting “small government” mentality is rebranded as fiscal responsibility and shifts the tax burden to the middle class. I share these thoughts because it is important to be clear about the benefactors of a policy or yes, even an effort to create alternative payment models within fee-for-value frameworks. I’ve been privileged to see developing in government-subsidized laboratories for decades. MIT, where I’ve been since the 1950s, is one of the institutions where the government, the funnel in the early days was the Pentagon, was pouring in money to create the basis for the high-tech economy of the future and the profitmaking of the institutions that are regarded as private enterprises. It was decades of work under public funding with a very anticapitalist ideology. So according to capitalist principles, if someone invests in a risky enterprise over a long period and thirty years later it makes some profit, they’re supposed to get part of the profit, but it doesn’t work like that here. It was the taxpayer who invested for decades. The profit goes to Apple and Microsoft, not to the taxpayer. — Noam Chomsky |
I listen to healthcare stakeholders discuss incentives where the provider or payer has the opportunity to gain bonuses for value-based care. Again, the end-user is left out of the cost savings. Where is the patient in discussions of value and incentives? The rise of behavioral economics highlights the demise of what was historically described as the ultimate rationality of humans, organizations, and markets. We also primarily neglect the role of time and space in economic theory. If we don’t close off these aspects of the model there would be a system of equations that would extend to infinity thus being unsolvable. Why are we talking about the dismal science? I wanted to close the loop by observing the similar assumptions we make in clinical trials. Attempts are made to homogenize a treatment population to isolate any detected signals as dependent solely on the intervention or therapy. The inclusion and exclusion criteria for a clinical trial population yield a highly selected population not specifically relevant in the real world where the majority of patients seek care. Post-market analyses continue to measure adverse events accumulating in patients prescribed therapies exposed to boundless timelines only evaluated in the short-term. The evolving real world evidence is how we evaluate the efficacy and safety of drugs once they are FDA approved. We need to heed good economic theory — don’t assume the model is relevant and applicable under all conditions. Uninformed consumerism will make irrational choices against their own best interests. |
I use this platform and the blogs I have created to harness transmedia storytelling. Our emerging digital world and how we tell narratives and stories evolved from prehistoric cave paintings. The emergence of spoken and written language eventually launched typeface print and now we are at the digital interface. We need to look back to our roots to balance our senses once again.The stories I write leave openings. Intentional pores for the audience to complete the narrative pulling together non-linguistic elements into the task of expression, complexity, and the modern narrative.So what do we do? We are storytellers. Gathering multi-modal evidence to intensify a linear perspective of the emerging healthcare model both within and beyond the US. The human experience is often distorted along a linear continuum informed by each individual lens. Data & Donuts strives to be cinematic and inclusive.What we DON’T do (so don’t ask): status quo need assessments, manuscripts devoid of complete data sets, manuscripts refusing to report the benefits and harms of interventions, medical education from a singular biased perspective, assembly line HEOR documents–there are plenty of self appointed experts out in the writing universe happy to comply. I am not one of them.
We use one of the most groundbreaking data visualization tools– Tableau
The integration of Tableau data visualization software with Qualtrics Survey Analytics is a powerful tool in helping you to gather the data specific for your research question and visualize the story as it emerges.
You can schedule a free 15-minute consultation by sending me a message on LinkedIn.
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Collaborative partnering…
William is a behavioral scientist/statistician with 25 years of consulting and research experience with an emphasis in the health care industry. As a biostatistician and as a primary care data analyst, Dr. McGill has provided research direction and support to a variety of health care projects using both primary and secondary data.William is expert in the selection and application of a wide array of analytic methods including univariate methods such as chi square and chi-square automatic interaction detector (CHAID), and multivariate methods such as ANOVA, Cluster, Conjoint, Factor, Perceptual Mapping, Regression, Survival and others.
William is a screened peer-recommended authority for ORC expert advisory (formerly INTOTA)–a business-to-business service connecting business, technical and legal professionals to over 10,000 rigorously screened peer-recommended experts in over 30,000 areas of science, engineering, medicine/healthcare, regulation, and business.William has taught undergraduate and graduate courses ranging from social psychology to survey development. He holds a Ph.D. in Health & Behavioral Science from the University of Colorado, an M.S. in Research Psychology from St. Louis University, and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
What inspires me lately? You!“I just want to acknowledge how much I appreciate what you share here. And I find your comments insightful as well.Thank you for infusing some intelligence and sanity into the conversation.” “Your insight/intellect has been a breathe of fresh air for me. Keep up the great work.” “Just read your latest email. Could you please become Secretary of Health and Human Services?” |
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