UNOS Tools transform data overload into clear insights

When Abbey Olsen, transplant quality manager at University of Utah Health, entered the transplant field five years ago, she recalls how overwhelming it was to navigate numerous data sources. Despite her clinical background as a nurse, she initially found the complex data difficult to interpret. Once she started using UNOS Tools, her outlook changed.

“One of the difficult things that we encounter in an environment where there’s a lot of data is trying to connect the data with purpose,” she says. “These dashboards that UNOS has created really help connect those dots so we can make actionable decisions.”

Supporting confident decisions in real time

She points to the University of Utah Health’s lung transplant program, which has grown over the past few years, partially thanks to the insights gained from examining its acceptance practices using the UNOS CARE Tool and organ outcome report. 

“It allows our providers to review their decision-making, gain confidence and then possibly expand their tolerance for risk,” she says. 

Olsen says the weekly updates to the Key Insight Dashboard enable her to track her team’s performance in real time and compare it to the same period in previous years to make sure they are on track. 

She highlights the recent improvements to UNOS Benchmark reports, which now refresh monthly instead of quarterly and allow centers to easily adjust comparison groups. This flexibility helps her team evaluate how their outcomes compare to similar programs, identify areas for improvement and model future growth by benchmarking against aspirational centers.

She says the tool’s real-time, multipurpose functionality makes it far more useful and responsive than earlier versions. Overall, the Benchmark Report “has definitely helped us expand our donor criteria and transplant more patients,” she says.

Faster insights, less manual work

Olsen estimates that UNOS Tools save her more than 20 hours of work per month. “It takes out that manual process and automates it so we’re able to utilize our time better,” she says. “We’re able to make decisions faster and then it saves time on our part for preparation [for meetings.]”

“The good thing with … these dashboards is that you don’t have to create your own visualizations to get the story through to your decision makers,” she says. “We’re able to identify trends and then we can readily share that information in a way that is easily digestible and actionable.

“UNOS has provided us with an amazing framework and foundation as they continue to evolve these tools. I would be at a loss [without them.]”