Category 3 of 12

Data Governance

Data governance is often described in technology terms. For an operator it is simpler: who is allowed to decide what the organization accepts as true, under which definitions, with what record of the decision.

1. What is data governance in senior living?

   Data governance in senior housing & care is how an operator decides what its data means, which sources have authority for it, how disagreements are resolved, and how anyone can trace a number back to where it came from.

2. Why does senior housing & care need data governance?

   Senior housing & care needs data governance because its most important decisions cross systems: census drives staffing, care levels drive revenue, labor drives margin, and all of them drive capital.

3. Who should own data governance inside a senior living operator?

   Executive leadership should own data governance, with each important measure owned by the executive accountable for decisions made with it.

4. How should a senior living operator establish data governance?

   Start with one number that is already disputed, usually census or occupancy.

5. What is the difference between data governance and data integration?

   Data integration moves and connects data between systems.

6. What is the difference between data governance and data quality?

   Data quality asks whether a value is complete, valid and accurate within its system.

7. What is the difference between data governance and master data management?

   Master data management keeps core records such as residents, employees and units consistent across systems, usually by matching them and building a "golden" version.

8. Is a "single source of truth" enough for senior living?

   No.

9. Can multiple systems remain authoritative under a governance model?

   Yes.

10. What should a senior living data-governance framework include?

    A practical framework includes a register of approved definitions with named owners; source-authority rules per measure and decision; a reconciliation process with recorded determinations; lineage from every reported number back to its sources; override and exception procedures; change control for definitions; and a review schedule.