This Request for Proposals ("RFP") is an invitation to prospective proponents to submit proposals for the provision of Data Quality and Data Governance Services as further described in Part 2 - The Deliverables (the “Deliverables"). This RFP is issued by eHealth Ontario.
Data quality and data governance, as well as the responsibilities pertaining to these, are important factors to consider when developing a data asset which is fed from multiple, disparate data sources. A consistent approach to data quality and data governance helps to ensure that the integrity and usefulness of data is of the highest esteem. Many definitions of data quality exist, however it is generally accepted that data is of a high quality when it is fit for its intended use in decision making, operations, and planning. As it relates to the data stored in the data assets at eHealth Ontario, data quality refers to the ability to utilize the data for clinical and primary care decision making, as well as secondary use health data analysis.
Currently, a lack of consistency related to data quality measurement and data governance practices exist at eHealth Ontario, as no singular, well accepted definition of these terms is used consistently throughout the agency. Additionally, there are no defined and consistent objectives or targets which are used throughout the agency for measuring data quality or data governance metrics.
The ability to efficiently improve and sustain high quality data in the provincial Digital Health Record (DHR) data assets is compromised as a result of the disparity in existing internal and external data quality and data governance processes/practices. Improved data quality and data governance will play a vital role in the success of eHealth Ontario and its provincial partners moving forward. Additional assurance regarding the quality and governance of the data which is stored in the DHR data assets will enable provincial health providers to support informed clinical decision making for patients in Ontario; as well as support the potential use of the DHR data assets, by eHealth Ontario’s partners, for health system planning, data analytics, geographic hospital and healthcare statistics, disease prevalence studies, and other provincial secondary use opportunities.
As a result of the variation of activities and consistency surrounding data quality and data governance at eHealth Ontario, it was deemed that a formal assessment of these practices should be performed. The expected outcome of this assessment is to identify where significant gaps exist across the various teams and data assets, as well as where data quality and data governance objectives are not well defined. This assessment is expected to last between three and five months and will provide eHealth Ontario with a comprehensive view of current data quality and data governance practices and discrepancies for all data assets throughout the agency. A better understanding of these gaps is expected to identify a need to improve these practices and support internal audit activities.
