Data drives Monash IVF transformation

Reliable, transparent and sourced data 

Monash IVF holds a proud pioneering history in the development of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and tertiary-level prenatal diagnostics. The company achieved the world's first IVF pregnancy in 1973 and Australia's first IVF birth in 1980. Its network of 43 clinics across the country handles around 15,000 patients. Its staff of more than 700 people, of which 150 are clinicians, support the fertility journey of those patients.

Monash IVF helps its patients on the complex cycle from the first contact with a clinician or a nurse all the way through to a successful pregnancy. That human journey is accompanied and supported by some leading-edge technology.

The company is a major presence in this highly regulated sector. Part of its expansion progress has included acquiring several different small IVF providers. This meant the organisation was absorbing many disparate reporting systems. The technical challenge was the volume of data produced through complex systems, many of which did not talk to each other. The resultant inconsistencies made it difficult to get holistic, vigorously audited or accurately reported outcomes.

Establishing two key strategic objectives 

Monash IVF CIO Pierre Haila says: "The ease of accessing reliable data, the transparency of the source and accountability are all important factors in a regulatory environment."

It prompted two strategic objectives. First, to simplify how the data was captured, handled and integrated before moving data from where it naturally lived in the IT function into the business operation. Second, to gain additional insight from a marketing perspective.

The organisation installed the Qlik Sense data analytics platform. Data transformation and analytics consultancy, Notitia, was involved in the training, data literacy and upskilling of Monash IVF personnel.

"Notitia really helped the smooth deployment of the Qlik solution. We need to gather evidence-based science to track patients across our diverse systems. That was critical in understanding all the touch points in the process of creating a human life. Qlik Sense ensured we achieved that goal," says Haila.

Eliminating the guesswork in sound decision making 

Qlik revolutionised the selection of new clinic sites. "In a highly competitive industry sector we consider several key factors before committing to build a multimillion-dollar clinic. We want to know where our current patients are located, our potential patients, how are demographics changing, where do employees come from and what might be the tradeoff regarding accessibility. We put it through Google Maps and plot the postcodes that deliver the most convenient distances for our patients."

"We feed all this data into the Qlik platform, and the dashboard is very visual, including showing a map. This eliminates the guess work. Qlik has been very instrumental in the decision making of three sites so far. We know we're putting clinics in the right place and expanding in the right way," reveals Monash IVF finance improvement projects manager, Sloane Karlson.

Six months into the deployment, Monash IVF is moving to greater adoption of the Qlik Sense platform. "The Qlik Sense platform is an ideal middle layer. Because, as our systems or applications change, no data is lost. Nor do we lose the ability to access the power of the analysis and insights," says Haila.

The fine-tuning of the marketing function is the second element exciting Monash IVF executives. "Measuring improvements in our marketing effectiveness reach, and its cost, is a good tool for us," says Monash IVF digital design manager, Matthew Storer. "With Qlik we can now map lead data which comes from spreadsheets and patient management systems. A deep dive analysis on our leads data in the last half a year shows we've managed to reduce our cost per lead across the board by 10%."

"Qlik helps make sure that our services are always meeting our production requirements and in the right locations. We have a huge amount of historical data. We are very much at the beginning of a journey, and I see the engagement between Qlik and data only delivering more insights to aid, in turn, our goal of improving engagement with our patients," concludes Haila.

Article by Qlik - for more information visit Qlik here.