Information Governance

Information governance (IG) is the way in which information is used and managed. It’s an important practice which seeks to limit the risks involved in the management of data and ensure compliance.

IG speaks to the accountability framework or who is responsible for what. As well as who can make decisions about the information asset. Its goal is to make sure that all information resources and investments support the business goals effectively and efficiently. That they enable the healthcare organization to accomplish its strategic goals. Information governance is led, not just sponsored, by executive leadership at the enterprise level.

A strong information governance program mitigates the information management crises by assessing risks and understanding gaps.  Doing some advanced planning and putting policies, procedures, and tools in place that let professionals proactively manage data and information.

Your organization should be able to exploit new ways of working more effectively, such as changes in information access channels and office automation, or new business or service delivery models.

Good Governance

Good governance will also help to address all the interfaces between the customer, your organization and other providers. For example, imagine you are a broker of services between a number of providers and the end customers. You must be able to coordinate service delivery, possibly from a number of partners and providers, to achieve a seamless range of services from your customers’ perspective.

Lastly, and importantly, IG provides a way of ensuring that good information management practices can be sustained over long periods of time. For example, ensuring that procedures, and other Records Management Instruments, are maintained as the business requirements around them evolve and change.

So, basically, good governance boils down, pretty much, to being a fashionable term for good management – and information governance is, therefore, looking after information properly.