Cultivating clarity: Building data analytics from seeds to measurable success

At the 2025 HIMSS Global Conference in Las Vegas, Rhiannon Harms, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at UnityPoint Health, framed the story of her 15-year journey in evolving the Midwest-based integrated health system’s analytics through her favorite Beatles songs.

But at the risk of editorializing, a more fitting analogy — one more reflective of the incremental progress and long-term commitment required (unlike the instant smash-hit Fab Four) — came to mind as I was listening to Harms speak: it being early March, marking the impending arrival of spring, I was thinking about the patience of a gardener. Like planting seeds and nurturing growth, UnityPoint’s analytics team transformed scattered data fragments into a flourishing ecosystem of insights.

Over the years, this meticulous cultivation has yielded significant results: thousands of hours saved and unnecessary medical interventions prevented, along with substantial reductions in avoidable hospital admissions, collectively amounting to more than $100 million in operational improvements.

Early challenges

When Harms joined UnityPoint, the organization was already rich with executive support but grappled with critical gaps. According to Harms, the organization faced inconsistent operational workflows, fragmented analytics teams, and insufficient data literacy.

“We didn’t have great analytics acumen or data literacy,” she candidly acknowledged. “We said one phrase, one word, and it meant different things to everyone.”

Recognizing these gaps, UnityPoint prioritized strategic data governance to build trust in analytics outputs, forming a foundational charter built around four key areas:

• Strategic data management
• Operational leadership
• Strategic analytics and insights
• Continuous improvement