A couple of years ago, when the world was in ruins during the COVID-19 pandemic, we all knew of the scientists and healthcare professionals who sacrificed their time and lives to fight off the virus.

But what we didn't realize was we had another hero on the sidelines: the data engineers.

Bharath Srinivasaiah, a Solution Architect with nearly 15 years of experience in Health Care Business Analytics and Reporting, is one of them. In this article, we will explore the ways data engineers like Bharath helped in the recent pandemic, and highlight the importance of data analytics for better healthcare.

The Unsung Heroes of the Pandemic

During the pandemic, data engineers were the heroes of providing critical insights to the government and the public, helping to disseminate health-related information, and enabling better-informed policy decisions and communication by governments and media outlets alike. They also supported the healthcare industry by tracing outbreaks, predicting health outcomes, personalizing healthcare, and accelerating vaccine research through AI and analytics tools. Their tools showed where the virus was spreading, how many people were getting sick, and where hospitals needed more help. 

The Impact of Bharath's Work

Bharath was part of a team that made the C19 Navigator. This dashboard combined public and private data at the federal, state, and county levels in order to support citizens and leaders in deciding a region's readiness to reopen.

The dashboard contained the latest figures on infections, forecasting tools identifying future hot spots for infections based on state. An interactive map of the US also allows users to track community mobility, hospital bed utilization, unemployment figures and the amount of testing in a given area. They provide the supposed "recovery level" of a locality, measuring its progress toward recovery.

Bharath led the data foundation work in integrating different sources of data and built summary metrics in almost real-time to enable reporting for leaders. The C-19 Navigator specifically delivered insights and visualizations that allow employer customers, including states and other governmental entities, to see how many people in their health plans have been impacted by the virus and may be affected in the future. The data was properly secured, adhered to appropriate privacy policies, and provided clinical insight and predictions as these organizations considered their next steps on how to reopen.

"It was a challenging time, but being able to contribute to the fight against this global health crisis was incredibly rewarding," Bharath stated. The work they did on these tools allowed them to predict future hotspots for infections, track community mobility, and monitor testing and utilization figures in each area. Through their efforts, they effectively managed the health crisis on a national scale. 

Bharath's accomplishments in their C19 projects only motivated him to continue making a positive impact in healthcare through data. After the pandemic, he has led different data analytics projects, such as cutting-edge data analytics and business intelligence tools to comprehensively support his company's employer groups' data and reporting requirements, in-house data quality tools, and cloud migration projects. These projects aim to improve health outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, keep up with technology trends, maintain efficiency, and improve data security. Since then, Bharath has been honored with 10 company awards and 3 global awards, such as the Global Recognition Award 2024, Young IT Leader of the Year 2024 from Business Fame, and International Achievers Award 2023–24 from Indian Achievers Forum.

Lessons Learned from the Pandemic

The pandemic showed the importance of having access to real-time, accurate data. Health officials, policymakers, and the public relied on this data to make informed decisions about lockdowns, social distancing measures, and vaccine distribution. The work done by Bharath and his team on tools like the C19 Navigator showed how vital such data is in understanding and responding to a rapidly evolving situation.

And as data-driven tools became more central to pandemic response efforts, the importance of data literacy also became crucial. People need to be able to interpret data visualizations, statistics, and forecasts, from government officials making policy decisions to individuals assessing their personal risk. This shows the need for better data education and more user-friendly data visualization tools.

Future of Healthcare Analytics

In the future, data analytics will be even more important in healthcare. The work of professionals like Bharath Srinivasaiah during the COVID-19 pandemic has only scratched the surface of what is possible when data is used to its full potential. For instance, predictive analytics will analyze patterns in health data, significantly reduce the burden on healthcare systems, and improve the quality of life for individuals. Data analytics will also focus on more personalized healthcare and is expected to improve the efficiency of healthcare operations.

The path to a more resilient healthcare infrastructure is paved with data. As we move forward, the lessons learned from Bharath's contributions and the broader data analytics community will undoubtedly influence how we prepare for and respond to future health crises. By continuing to embrace and innovate healthcare data, we can aspire to a future where our responses to health emergencies are more informed, effective, and efficient.