Dashboards and portals: Tailoring the User's View (and the Users)

Dashboards are a proven means of displaying critical performance management data in the healthcare industry. These reports allow a single view of key performance indicators. The next step in the evolution of these data views is to provide a customized or personalized view of the data dependent on the user's needs, and their access to the data. Contrary to traditional access methods of locking down data sources, dashboard security pertains to the presentation of data and is dependent on specific techniques to hide or display data and information to various users depending on their preferences and a defined security role. The Services Accountability Improvement System (SAIS) captures information on the substance abuse treatment services delivered in the United States. SAIS serves as the backbone for analysis and reporting of all client data from SAMHSA CSAT discretionary grants. Various reports from the SAIS Dashboard are run to track SAMSHA's National outcome measures, intake and follow-up targets, types of services delivered, substance use and other risk factors. To provide users with a customized view of the data, at the appropriate level of access, it is necessary to define user groups and apply multiple levels of security to the information presented on the dashboard. This Customized Dashboard Reports (CDR) feature of SAIS provides a customized series of reports, with information based on role and access of various user groups and conforming to SAIS system security, including allowing users to store customized reports in their own personalized area.