Ash (Ashoke) Roy is an accomplished performance management specialist who completed a postgraduate certificate in health informatics from George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario, in 2009. Since then, Ash has pursued his passion for health data, accumulating professional experience with the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), National Research Council of Canada (NRCC), Michael Garron Hospital and now at Ontario Health.

Ash describes his time with CIHI as the ‘holy grail’ of his career, stating, “It was a great organization to learn, grow, and understand the Canadian health system and the decision-making process.”

With a solid foundation and a data-driven approach to problem-solving, Ash currently leads Performance Accountability and Funding Allocation Ontario Health. His passion for health data and its applications is evident. He likens data to atoms, explaining, “If atoms are the molecules that build all matter, then data is the atom that constructs all the information, knowledge, and wisdom influencing the decision-making process.”

Simply put: to make decisions, you must understand your data.

Ash believes that health informatics plays a crucial role in the health care system. By managing and analyzing health data, health care professionals can identify trends, make informed decisions, and allocate resources more effectively, following the Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom (DIKW) Pyramid model. “Data is processed to make meaningful information that provides the knowledge that drives evidence-based medicine and evidence-based decision-making. My involvement with data supports decision-makers in enhancing patient care.”

For example, while collaborating with a Ph.D. candidate, Ash identified a more efficient method for emergency medical services (EMS) to transport patients to the nearest hospital. By analyzing drive distances between postal codes versus time, they discovered that EMS could significantly reduce the time from the accident site to the hospital.

The process we submitted was based on the idea that we can expedite patient service delivery. It was about improving and challenging an existing process for a better outcome. Over several months, 335,000 pairs of postal codes were analyzed to determine the fastest route that could directly impact patient outcomes. This data-driven approach highlights the important role of data in effecting change in the health care landscape.

Ash also emphasizes the importance of organizations like CIHI and the Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA). CIHI plays a crucial role in collecting and analyzing health data in Canada, while CHIMA focuses on certifying health information management (HIM) professionals. Explaining further, Ash stated, “Without certified HIM professionals and CHIMA, I cannot do my job. Seventy to eighty percent of my clinical work relies on the coding process conducted by health information management professionals.”

Ash asserts that data is the atom that forms all information. That makes Certified Health Information Management professionals the electrical charges that drive the complexities of health information, ultimately enhancing health care outcomes.

If there is one message Ash would like to leave, it is this: “Data is the atom for everything, and I am fortunate to support the entire health system by providing efficient data to improve health outcomes for all Canadians.”


Biography

Ash (Ashoke) Roy holds a post-graduate certificate from George Brown College and an executive Master of Health Informatics from the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation (IHPME).

Ash’s proficiency in SAS programming has led to features in technical publications and recognition within the health informatics industry.