The shift to modularity promised something big: more flexibility, better technology, and faster innovation for public healthcare programs. Instead of relying on one massive application to manage everything, agencies can now plug in a range of specialized tools, each designed to handle a specific task. But with that flexibility came a new challenge - data is now scattered everywhere.
Each module comes with its own data structures, its own dashboards, its own limitations. The result? Leaders are left struggling to get a clear, accurate view of what’s actually happening across the program. And when insight is fragmented, performance suffers.
This is where an Operational Data Store or ODS makes all the difference.
Why the ODS is the Key to Making Modularity Work
If modularity is about breaking things down into specialized systems, an ODS is what pulls it all back together. It connects the dots across modules so you’re not flying blind. It surfaces what’s happening right now, not last month, so you can manage operations with confidence and speed.
It’s not just a “nice to have.” It’s the glue that holds a modular strategy together.
As the thought leaders at AWS note, “As states continue to transition towards more modular architectures and look for efficiencies, adopting an ODS is vital in maintaining cohesive and effective data management.” And they’re right. Without a centralized operational view, modularity can feel more like chaos than progress.
What About the Enterprise Data Warehouse?
You might be thinking: don’t we already have a data warehouse for this?
It’s a fair question. But here’s the short answer: an EDW and an ODS serve very different purposes.
Data warehouses are great for compliance reporting and long-term analysis. They help you look at trends over time, support CMS requirements, and provide strategic insight. What they don’t do well is help you answer real-time operational questions.
Need to know if claims are getting stuck? Or if prior authorization requests are piling up? That’s not what an EDW is built for. For that, you need something more immediate.
It’s Not Either/Or. You Need Both.
An EDW still plays a critical role, no doubt. But relying on it alone won’t help you manage daily operations. An ODS complements the warehouse by giving you that up-to-the-minute visibility. In fact, it can even serve as the staging ground for the EDW.
Together, the two give you a complete picture - strategic and operational.
Amorphic: Built for the Job
If the goal is to build a strong operational foundation across a modular system, Amorphic fits the bill. It’s an AWS-native data platform designed with this exact use case in mind. And it checks all the boxes for a modern ODS:
- Easy-to-Use Interface
No clutter, no complexity. Just a clean, intuitive way to manage data discovery, quality, governance, and analytics. - Automated Data Catalog and Discovery
Amorphic finds and organizes data from all your systems automatically. That means less time wrangling and more time analyzing. - Smarter Metadata with GenAI
It uses generative AI to standardize data definitions and tagging, so teams aren’t stuck deciphering field names or formats. - Entity Resolution That Works
Duplicate records across systems? Amorphic can spot them, merge them, and give you a clean, unified view. - Governance You Can Trust
Built-in tools help define and enforce policies, keeping data secure, private, and compliant with regulations like HIPAA and NIST. - FHIR-Enabled Health Data Support
Supports formats like HL7 JSON, CCDA, and ELR HL7 v2, because clean interoperability should be a given. - 100+ Connectors, Out of the Box
Whatever system you’re using, chances are Amorphic can connect to it and fast.
(As a Medicaid ODS, Amorphic ingests, cleans, and transforms data from multiple modules to provide actionable insights from data you can trust.)
When you’re running a large-scale program, speed and clarity matter. You can’t afford to chase down reports or stitch together data across half a dozen tools. You need the whole picture, right when it matters.
That’s what the ODS delivers. And that’s what Amorphic is built to do.
For more information, visit www.cloudwick.com or contact us at sales@cloudwick.com.