HFMA VIEWS

Dan DeLay
Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Analytics, VHA Inc.

It’s October and college students across the country are hitting the books. It reminds me of my own youth, which I spent on various college campuses in the greater Chicago area to earn multiple degrees so I would have the credentials to be successful in the corporate world.
 
My college years and my professional life came crashing together this week when I picked up a recent BusinessWeek and read the cover story entitled, "The Best Places to Jump Start Your Career.” What caught my eye was not that the top three businesses listed were accounting firms, nor that companies across the country are launching Facebook campaigns to attract new employees. Rather, it was a column next to each of the top companies labeled "most desirable trait." 
 
Listed next to the obvious traits of leadership and communication skills was .... drum roll please .... analytical skills or the ability to think critically. In fact, 10 of the top 50 places for college graduates to launch their professional careers listed analytical skills as one of the most sought after business traits for new employees.
 
The article shows that the business world needs more than blocking and tackling – it is searching for analytical minds to think outside of the box and tackle industry obstacles. According to a report earlier this year by the National Leadership Council for Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP), college graduates need cross-disciplinary knowledge and advanced communication and analytical skills to apply their knowledge to real-world problems. And it's not just technology companies asking for analytical aptitude. These skills are needed for a wide variety of industries, from investment banking and financial services to retail, insurance and telecommunications.
 
The need for analytical data in health care has grown substantially over the past few years, but it continues to have optional buy-in for most health care organizations.  If other industries are eagerly seeking out young analytical stars to join its ranks, why isn't health care?