The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) created this document to provide health centers with a better understanding of data analytics, the current capabilities of these tools, and the critical vendor selection and contracting issues related to the consideration, selection, implementation, and use of a data product. It is written to help health centers make informed decisions when it comes to determining how to build and use this business intelligence capability within their organizations.

It is important to note that both the pace of evolution in healthcare delivery and finance as well as the actual data analysis tools involve significant variables that must be understood and factored into any decision.