Santeon harmonizes data to improve patient care

Collectively using data from seven different hospitals to improve care and services: that was the mission of Santeon, the largest healthcare network in the Netherlands. Using the Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform, the modern Santeon Health Intelligence Platform—or HIPS—was created. Macaw supported Santeon on this intensive journey toward data-driven care, aimed at improving patient outcomes.

Santeon’s seven top clinical hospitals are spread throughout the Netherlands and have one thing in common: they all strive for optimal care quality and maximum patient satisfaction, guided by the VBHC theory. They do this both as individual hospitals and, above all, by collaborating and continuously learning and improving. Together, they comprise the St. Antonius Hospital in Utrecht, OLVG in Amsterdam, the Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital in Nijmegen, the Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven, the Medisch Spectrum Twente in Enschede, the Maasstad Hospital in Rotterdam, and the Martini Hospital in Groningen, which together account for about 11 percent of hospital care in the Netherlands. With more than 36,000 employees and 3.1 billion in annual healthcare revenue, Santeon is a major player in the healthcare landscape.

Sharing Data Across Seven Hospitals

Like other healthcare institutions, Santeon also faces its share of challenges. An aging population, staff shortages, a growing number of chronically ill patients, and limited budgets: the pressure on the Dutch healthcare system is mounting. In 2020, Santeon came up with the idea of tackling these challenges in smart ways, for example by collecting data from its seven hospitals on specific conditions. However, the Santeon hospitals had disparate data management structures. Each hospital had its own datasets in its own format and its own type of governance. As a result, the vast amounts of available data could not be consolidated.

Recognizing patterns, innovating, comparing

With Santeon’s“ ” motto—“Better Together”—in mind, the plan quickly became clear: to find a way to collectively connect all the data so that healthcare providers could make processes more effective and efficient. “If you bring together data on conditions and treatments from all seven hospitals, analysts and healthcare providers can recognize patterns, make comparisons, and propose innovations,” explains Michel Hankel. As a Client Manager at Macaw, he was involved in the Santeon project. “This provides incredibly useful, relevant insights into medical conditions that contribute to better patient outcomes.”

Blended teams, Azure, and the Macaw framework

However, data harmonization on such a large scale is no simple task, especially in healthcare, where issues like compliance, security, and governance are of paramount importance. A multidisciplinary team of both technical and medical specialists from Santeon locked themselves away for a week, and that’s how the foundation of theSanteon Health Intelligence Platform ( , HIPS) was laid. “When Macaw subsequently came on board as a partner, Santeon had already completed a Proof of Concept, and thanks to the preliminary research, a solid foundation was in place to start working together on the data platform,” said project leader René Verhaag of Macaw.

From Data Platform to Continuing Education

Macaw’s proposal was to set up an Azure-based Smart Data Platform for processing and analyzing data on the eventual central platform. “This included interoperability standards for collaboration, change management, and continuing education for Santeon employees,” says Michel. During the year of implementation, the program expanded further to include an Azure Foundations Landing Zone, the Santeon Training Academy on Azure, Data Architecture, and Adoption & Change Management. Eventually,th , Azure DevOps , along with Teams and SharePoint, were added to facilitate even better communication within the Santeon healthcare network.

Smooth Implementation

“The Macaw Data Platform framework we use aligned seamlessly with Santeon’s needs,” says René. “So we were able to get by with a standard implementation, which went very smoothly. Where we needed to provide custom solutions, we collaborated with Santeon’s data analysts and identified which tools on Azure would be most useful to them. At every step, we paid close attention to security; an extra layer of security ensures that the data is not only encrypted but also anonymized. Data analysis takes place within the HIPS environment, and the data within HIPS never leaves the platform.”

Pulling Together

According to Michel and René, the blended teams of Macaw consultants, technical professionals, and Santeon healthcare providers were key to the successful launch of HIPS. “We were a good match. Macaw doesn’t send in people in suits and ties, but instead builds connections in an approachable and accessible way. That was a good fit for Santeon. By rolling up our sleeves together in a down-to-earth, understanding way and having our consultants on-site a lot, the path to HIPS was relatively smooth,” says René.

Relationship and Agile Approach

“Macaw places great importance on a one-on-one relationship with clients. At Santeon, we therefore opted for a collaborative model in which we maintained short lines of communication with Santeon, and Santeon itself with all seven hospitals across the country,” explains René. “Santeon did a fantastic job. Whenever there were conflicting needs, we were always able to find common ground together. Macaw’s agile approach ensured a controllable and predictable process, from the drawing board to the creation of the data platform.”

Demonstrate, Collaborate, and Do It Yourself

To help all employees understand the value of the new, bold HIPS, Santeon partnered with Macaw to launch a training initiative: HIPSpiration. In inspiration sessions, employees had the opportunity to explore how HIPS could support them in their daily work and learned how valuable data-driven healthcare is. “Macaw believes in the principle: first demonstrate, then do it together, and finally do it yourself. Santeon embraced this effortlessly; they’ve since continued to develop HIPS on their own and hired people with the right skills. We played only an advisory role in this. We believe it’s important to make ourselves redundant, though we’ll naturally remain involved in the management,” says Michel.

“When you bring together data on conditions and treatments from all seven hospitals, you can identify patterns, make comparisons, and innovate.” Michel Hankel, Client Manager at Macaw

Improved patient outcomes

Collaboration between multidisciplinary specialties has improved, the organization’s capacity for learning has increased, and the patient’s treatment experience has improved. Patient satisfaction has risen.

Want to adopt a data-driven approach too?

Santeon is proud of the changes it has undergone, thanks in part to HIPS. The hospitals frequently utilize data-driven healthcare and are encouraging other hospitals across the country to adopt this approach as well. The Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform makes this possible. Does your healthcare organization also want to be innovative, forward-thinking, and relevant? And in doing so, offer the best patient experience and use data and technology smartly to drive continuous improvement? We’d love to help! Contact us.