589 Who you gonna call? The Data Group: Creating a team and process for responding to evolving data needs of a limited health benefits program

Objectives/Goals: The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program (Program) Data Group was formed to address the increasing volume and complexity of analytics requests and to improve the Program’s data management capacity. Over time, the Group’s role expanded to include comprehensive data leadership and providing data-based support for decision-making. Methods/Study Population: The Program provides medical monitoring and treatment for WTC-related conditions to those directly affected by the 9/11 attacks. These activities generate an abundance of administrative and surveillance data. The Data Group was formed to establish structures and processes that would be adaptable and efficient in leveraging these data. We created a unified workflow including a shared inbox, a standardized request form, and a request-managing tracker. We established communication channels to distribute requests efficiently. We designed a request form to balance the administrative burden on requestors with the need to gather useful information for analyses. We also developed a documentation system to extract key details from forms and incorporate other relevant data to support evaluation and record-keeping. Results/Anticipated Results: From November 2021 through the end of 2023, the Data Group processed and fulfilled 93 data requests. These requests covered a multitude of functional areas essential to the administration of a limited health benefits program. The following top five functional areas made up two-thirds of all requests: Contract Management (n = 30), Research and Quality (n = 15), Operations (n = 11), Medical Policy (n = 10), and Communications (n = 7). Leveraging data collected through our request tracker, the Group conducted annual evaluations and developed visualizations to analyze trends in these requests. The evaluations helped us identify knowledge gaps, highlight areas for improvement – across the Program and within our own processes, and continue to guide and support future Program priorities. Discussion/Significance of Impact: The creation of the Data Group and unified workflow fulfilled the Program’s increasing analytic needs, enhanced oversight of data quality and usage, and facilitated data-driven Program decision-making. Continual optimization of the group’s processes enables opportunities to identify gaps in and support a range of health care delivery initiatives.