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Using Data for Decision Making: MHA-FPX5064 Assessment 2

Interview subjects will tell you which report they want, not which decision they are trying to make — and the second is the one that determines the data need.

Aug 9, 2026Updated Aug 10, 2026

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Last reviewed · August 9, 2026

Written by

Aaron Bishop

MA, Education

assignment interpretation and research-methods coaching across disciplines

Reviewed by

Dr. Nathan Cole

PhD, Rhetoric & Composition

Argumentation and thesis development

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Interpret the task
Assignment instructions
Deliverables
Proposed outline
Research plan
Reference shortlist
Final review

What people ask for is not what they need

The deliverable is an *executive summary*, and treating that as a synonym for 'short report' is the first and most expensive mistake available here. An executive summary is written for someone who will act on it without reading anything underneath it, so it leads with the recommendation rather than building to it, states what it will cost and what it will change, and puts the supporting detail after the ask rather than before. Five to six pages is generous for the genre, which means the marker expects the structure as well as the length: a statement of the problem, what you found, what you recommend, and what happens next. If your document only reveals its recommendation in the final paragraph, it is a report with the wrong label on it, and the assessment is partly about knowing the difference.

Your evidence comes from interviews, and interviews have a characteristic failure mode you should plan around. When you ask professionals at St. Anthony Medical Center what data they need, most will answer with the *report* they want rather than the *decision* they are trying to make. Those are different things, and the second is what actually determines the system requirement. A nurse manager asking for a daily census report may really be trying to predict staffing two shifts ahead, which is a forecasting need rather than a reporting one. So record what each person asked for, but write up what each person is trying to decide, and note where the two diverge. Doing that visibly is the single clearest way to show analysis rather than transcription. Ask the follow-up question in the simulation wherever it is offered, because the second answer is almost always closer to the decision than the first and the interview content is the only evidence base this assessment gives you.

Group the needs before you present them, because a summary organised person by person forces the reader to do the synthesis you were paid to do. Grouping by stakeholder type — clinical, operational, financial, quality and compliance, executive — works well and maps onto how the organisation is actually governed. Grouping by data lifecycle — capture, storage, retrieval, analysis, reporting — works too and has the advantage of pointing directly at where the system gaps sit. Whichever you pick, the pattern you are looking for is the need that appears in more than one group, because a requirement three departments share is both the strongest business case and the cheapest thing to fix. Say which needs are shared and which are local. Say how many people raised each need as well, since a count turns an impression into a finding and gives the executive reading your summary a basis for deciding which requests to fund first.

The brief gives you the organisational context and it should shape the recommendation: Vila Health plans to use *existing* data to develop a strategy for improving and ensuring communication and continuity within its *growing* system. Two words there do a lot of work. Existing data means the answer is unlikely to be a new collection instrument; it is more likely to be about access, integration, standardisation and trust in what is already held. Growing means whatever you recommend has to survive the addition of sites that are not yet in the system, so a solution built precisely around today's departments will be obsolete on arrival. Recommendations that acknowledge both constraints read as though written by someone who read the case rather than someone who knows about data warehouses. Watch for needs that conflict with one another too, because stakeholders who want broader access and stakeholders who want tighter control are both in this hospital and a strategy has to reconcile them rather than pick a side silently.

Remember which department you are writing from. The brief places you in health information management, which means your recommendations carry HIM-specific obligations that a general management answer will miss: data governance and stewardship, master patient index integrity, data quality and completeness standards, retention schedules, release-of-information processes, and the privacy and security constraints that decide who may see what. Stakeholders will ask for things that cannot lawfully be given to them in the form they want, and saying so — with the alternative you would offer instead — is exactly the professional judgement the role implies. It also protects the recommendation, because a data strategy that ignores minimum necessary access will not survive its first compliance review. Name who owns each dataset as well, because a recommendation that does not say whose decision it is to grant or refuse access has left out the step where such strategies usually stall.

Finish by making the recommendation actionable, since that is what an executive summary is for. Name what should be done first and why it is first — usually the shared need with the lowest implementation cost, because early visible value buys the credibility that later work needs. Say roughly what each recommendation requires in people, systems and time, even if only in orders of magnitude, since a recommendation with no cost attached cannot actually be decided on. Say how you would know it worked, which means naming a measure. And follow the APA template the brief supplies rather than a format of your own, because in a course where every assessment builds on the last, consistency of presentation is part of what is being taught. Keep the appendices for the interview detail, since the body of an executive summary should stay readable at speed while the evidence remains available to anyone who wants to check the reasoning behind a recommendation.

What a stakeholder says	What they are usually deciding	The data need underneath
'I need a daily census report'	How to staff the next shift	Short-horizon forecasting
'I want access to the whole record'	Whether this patient was seen elsewhere	Cross-site continuity, not full access
'Our numbers do not match finance'	Which figure to trust	A single agreed definition
'It takes a week to get a report'	Whether to act now or wait	Self-service retrieval
'We cannot see the referral outcome'	Whether the referral worked	Closed-loop tracking
'I need it in a spreadsheet'	How to do their own analysis	Export and tooling, not a new report
'Quality keeps asking for the same data'	How to stop duplicating work	Shared definitions and one source
'I do not trust that figure'	Whether to use it at all	Data quality and provenance

Likely learning objectives

Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.

01
Write in the executive summary genre rather than as a short report.
02
Distinguish a requested report from the decision that generated the request.
03
Synthesise interview findings into grouped organisational needs.
04
Apply health information management obligations to a data strategy.

Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Assessment 2 Using Data for Decision Making MHA-FPX5064 Assessment 2: Using Data for Decision Making MHA-FPX5064 Complete a Vila Health interactive simulation in which you will interview health care providers and other professionals at Vila Health’s main hospital about their data needs. Then, write an executive summary, 5-6 pages in length, explaining the data needs of the organization and how they can be met. Introduction Note: The assessments in this course build upon the work you have completed in the previous assessments. Therefore, complete the assessments in the order in which they are presented. It is important to understand how data is used to connect with stakeholders and how managers use it to make decisions. Health care organizations must interpret data for their stakeholders to successfully meet their needs. Consider how and why a health care organization operating in a community would need to explain, to stakeholders, the type of patients it treats and the results of its treatments. It is also important to understand how health care organizations use data mining, gathering, and storage systems to support decision making. This assessment provides an opportunity for you to examine the data needs of a health care organization and determine how they can be met. Overview and Preparation Note: Complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented. The following resources are required to complete the assessment: APA Style Paper Template [DOCX]. Use this template for your executive summary. Vila Health: Using Data for Decision Making. This multimedia simulation will enable you to query health care providers and other professionals at Vila Health’s main hospital, St. Anthony Medical Center, about their data needs. You will use the information you gather to recommend strategies for meeting the overall data needs of the hospital. Vila Health plans to use existing data to develop a strategy for improving and ensuring communication and continuity within its growing system. As a member of the health information management department, you have been asked to help by proposing strategies for meeting the data needs of Vila Health. Complete the Vila Health: Using Data for Decision Making interactive simulation. Interview employees in various departments and develop an understanding of their data needs. Requirements Write an executive summary explaining the data needs of the organization and proposing strategies for meeting those needs. Note: Remember that you can submit all—or a portion of—your draft executive summary to Smarthinking for feedback, before you submit the final version for this assessment. If you plan on using this free service, be mindful of the turnaround time of 24–48 hours for receiving feedback. Document Format and Length Format your executive summary using APA style. Use the APA Style Paper Template [DOCX]. An APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX] is also provided to help you in writing and formatting your executive summary. Be sure to include: A title page and references page. An abstract is not required. Appropriate section headings. Your executive summary should be 5–6 pages in length, not including the title page and references page. Supporting Evidence Cite at least two sources of credible scholarly or professional evidence to support your executive summary. Executive Summary Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Be sure that your executive summary addresses each point, at a minimum. You may also want to read the Using Data for Decision Making Scoring Guide to better understand how each criterion will be assessed. Describe the types of internal data available within a health care system. Consider the data needs of decision makers, such as unit managers, department heads, and hospital administrators. Describe the types of external data available within a health care system. Consider the data needs of decision makers, such as unit managers, department heads, and hospital administrators. Propose strategies for accessing and analyzing available data. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy. Provide a high-level summary of the data needs within the Vila Health system. The summary should be suitable for leaders and high-level stakeholders. How would you prioritize those needs? Propose strategies for meeting the data needs of Vila Health. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy. Propose communication strategies for disseminating strategic information to end-users. What evidence do you have to support your proposed strategies? Write clearly and concisely, using correct grammar, mechanics, and APA formatting. Express your main points and conclusions coherently. Proofread your writing to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more difficult for them to focus on the substance of your summary. Competencies Measured By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria: Competency 2: Apply data classification and management techniques to decision making as a health care administrator. Describe the types of internal data available within a health care system. Describe the types of external data available within a health care system. Propose strategies for accessing and analyzing available data. Summarize the data needs within a health care system. Propose strategies for meeting the data needs of a health care system. Competency 6: Communicate effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with applicable organizational, professional, and scholarly standards. Propose communication strategies to disseminate information to end users. Write clearly and concisely, using correct grammar, mechanics, and APA formatting. Using Data for Decision Making Scoring Guide CRITERIA NON-PERFORMANCE BASIC PROFICIENT DISTINGUISHED Describe the types of internal data available within a health care system. Does not list broad categories of data available within a health care system. Lists broad categories of data available within a health care system. Describes the types of internal data available within a health care system. Describes the types of internal data available within a health care system needed to support high-level decision making. Identifies areas of uncertainty and information gaps detrimental to effective decision making. Describe the types of external data available within a health care system. Does not list broad categories of data available within a health care system. Lists broad categories of data available within a health care system. Describes the types of external data available within a health care system. Describes the types of external data available within a health care system needed to support high-level decision making. Identifies areas of uncertainty and information gaps detrimental to effective decision making. Propose strategies for accessing and analyzing available data. Does not propose strategies for accessing and analyzing available data. Proposes strategies for accessing and analyzing available data that are insufficient or impracticable. Proposes strategies for accessing and analyzing available data. Proposes strategies for accessing and analyzing available data. Provides a concise, unbiased assessment of the advantages and disadvantages inherent in each approach. Summarize the data needs within a health care system. Does not summarize the data needs within a health care system. Provides a superficial summary that overlooks data needs that decision makers must be cognizant of. Summarizes the data needs within a health care system. Summarizes the data needs within a health care system. Provides a concise, accurate summary and proposes suitable criteria for prioritizing data needs. Propose strategies for meeting the data needs of a health care system. Does not propose strategies for meeting the data needs of a health care system. Proposes strategies for meeting the data needs of a health care system that are insufficient or impracticable. Proposes strategies for meeting the data needs of a health care system. Proposes strategies for meeting the data needs of a health care system. Provides a concise, unbiased assessment of the advantages and disadvantages inherent in each approach. Propose communication strategies for disseminating strategic information to end-users. Does not propose communication strategies to disseminate information to end-users. Proposes communication strategies to disseminate information to end-users that are insufficient or impracticable. Proposes communication strategies for disseminating strategic information to end-users. Proposes communication strategies for disseminating strategic information to end-users. Presents sound evidence to support the contention that the proposed strategies will be effective. Write clearly and concisely, using correct grammar, mechanics, and APA formatting. Does not write clearly and concisely, using correct grammar, mechanics, and APA formatting. Writing is unclear and disorganized, includes errors in grammar and mechanics that inhibit effective communication, or contains incorrect or improperly formatted source citations and references. Writes clearly and concisely, using correct grammar, mechanics, and APA formatting. Writes clearly and concisely. Grammar, mechanics, and APA formatting are error-free.

What the executive summary must contain

01
An executive summary of 5-6 pages on the APA template.
02
The data needs identified through the simulation interviews.
03
Those needs grouped and synthesised rather than listed by person.
04
Recommended strategies for meeting them using existing data.
05
A sequenced first step with a stated reason for its priority.
06
Governance, quality and privacy constraints addressed.
07
A measure by which success would be judged.

From interviews to a sequenced recommendation

The recommendation, stated first

Open with what should be done and what it will change.

What the interviews found

Report the needs elicited, separating requests from underlying decisions.

The needs, grouped

Synthesise across stakeholders and identify what is shared.

How existing data can meet them

Propose access, integration and standardisation rather than new collection.

Governance, privacy and sequencing

Set the HIM constraints and name what happens first.

Run the simulation before reading the literature

Recommended databases

The Vila Health simulation transcripts
PubMed Central
AHIMA and HIMSS practice literature
Capella library health administration databases

Search sequence

1.
Work the simulation first and take verbatim notes, because the assessment is graded on what you elicited rather than on what the literature says organisations generally need.
2.
Read on how hospitals actually move data internally, since the brief's concern is communication and continuity within one growing system rather than exchange with outsiders.
3.
Look for evidence on governance, because that is what turns a list of requests into a defensible strategy and it is the HIM contribution the role implies.
4.
Find at least one source on measuring the value of a health IT investment, so your recommendations can be justified rather than merely asserted.

Internal exchange, governance and investment value

These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.

Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.

01
Hospitals' adoption of intra-system information exchange is negatively associated with inter-system information exchange
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association · 2018
Directly on the brief's situation — continuity within a growing multi-site system — and it carries a warning worth citing: solving internal exchange well can make external exchange harder. Useful for the scalability argument.
02
Valuing hospital investment in information technology: does governance make a difference?
Health Care Financing Review · 2006
Evidence that governance arrangements change what an IT investment returns, which is how you justify treating data governance as a recommendation rather than as administrative background.
03
Successes and Barriers of Health Information Exchange Participation Across Hospitals in South Carolina From 2014 to 2020
JMIR Medical Informatics · 2023
A longitudinal account of what actually blocks data sharing between facilities, which gives your recommendations realistic obstacles to address rather than an idealised implementation path.
04
Hospital Investment Decisions in Healthcare 4.0 Technologies: Scoping Review and Framework for Exploring Adoption Determinants
Journal of Medical Internet Research · 2021
Supplies a framework for the determinants behind an adoption decision, which is what an executive summary needs if its recommendation is to be actionable rather than aspirational.

Before the Assessment 2 summary is submitted

Common mistakes

Writing a report that withholds its recommendation until the end.
Transcribing interviews person by person instead of synthesising them.
Recording the report each stakeholder asked for and stopping there.
Recommending new data collection when the brief specifies existing data.
Designing around today's departments in a system the brief says is growing.
Ignoring that you are writing from health information management.
Omitting data governance, stewardship and master patient index integrity.
Promising stakeholders access that privacy rules would not permit.
Making recommendations with no indication of cost or effort.
Naming no measure of success.
Substituting your own formatting for the supplied APA template.

Submission checklist

The recommendation appears early, as the genre requires.
Needs are grouped by a stated scheme, not by interviewee.
Shared needs are distinguished from local ones.
Each need is traced to the decision it supports.
Recommendations work with existing data.
Scalability to new sites is addressed.
HIM obligations — governance, quality, privacy — are covered.
Any request that cannot lawfully be met has an alternative offered.
A first action is named and its priority justified.
Resource implications are stated at least in magnitude.
The document is 5-6 pages on the supplied APA template.

Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read our academic-integrity policy.