The verdict in three sentences
For a group of 5 clinics consolidating 14 Excel files a month, the real cost is not the licence but integrating 6 data sources and trusting the numbers. Power BI is unbeatable on licence price and fits if your systems export cleanly and an in-house analyst maintains the models. A custom dashboard becomes the better deal once sources are heterogeneous, doctors and site directors need their figures on mobile, and the team needs to enter corrections or comments.
The KPIs a clinic group CFO expects
In Dubai, a private group of 5 facilities (a day-surgery hospital and outpatient clinics, roughly 120 beds plus consultation rooms) tracks about a dozen core KPIs. The ones most requested at board level are these.
| KPI | Definition | 2026 target order of magnitude | Typical source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed occupancy | Patient days / available days | 65 to 85% | Hospital information system |
| Average length of stay | Patient days / admissions | 1.5 to 3.5 days | Hospital information system |
| Revenue per doctor | Billed procedures and consultations per clinician | Highly specialty-dependent | Billing |
| Insurance claim rejection rate | Rejected claims / submitted claims on DHA eClaimLink | Target under 5% | Revenue cycle |
| Days sales outstanding with insurers | Days from claim to payment | 60 to 120 days | Accounting |
| Operating theatre utilisation | Used hours / staffed hours | 65 to 80% | Theatre scheduling |
| Consumables cost per encounter | Pharmacy and device spend / encounters | Monthly by department | Pharmacy, procurement |
| Payroll / revenue | Staff cost / revenue | 40 to 50% | Payroll |
The 6 typical sources are the HIS at each site (often two vendors in a group built by acquisition), billing and claims, accounting, payroll, pharmacy and theatre scheduling.
Power BI vs custom: the numbers
Power BI Pro costs USD 14 per user per month in 2026. For 25 users (executive team, 5 site directors, finance, department heads), the licence comes to about USD 4,200 a year. But licences are only part of the budget.
| Item (over 3 years, 25 users) | Power BI with a partner | Kolonell custom dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| Licences | about USD 12,600 (USD 14 × 25 × 36 months) | No per-user licence |
| Connectors to the 6 sources | UAE BI partner: USD 20,000 to 60,000 (2026 order of magnitude) | Included in the project |
| Data modelling and first reports | Partner: USD 15,000 to 40,000 | Included in the project |
| Development project | Not applicable | Medium: 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (EUR 6,100 to 10,670); complex: 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA (EUR 10,670 to 22,870+) |
| Maintenance and changes | Partner time, often USD 120 to 200 an hour | 35,000 / 75,000 / 120,000 FCFA a month (EUR 53 / 114 / 183) |
| Data entry, comments, sign-off | Limited, needs Power Apps or a third-party tool | Native |
| Mobile access for doctors | Power BI app, a licence per doctor | Mobile web access by role, no licence |
| Health data hosting | Microsoft UAE cloud regions | On quote, UAE hosting possible |
Rule of thumb: under 20 users, sources that export cleanly and an analyst comfortable with DAX, Power BI is the right call. With 40+ potential viewers (doctors included), HIS platforms without APIs and a need for data entry, custom becomes cheaper over 3 years and more reliable.
Health data: the UAE framework
In the UAE, Federal Law No. 2 of 2019 on ICT in health fields requires health data to be stored inside the country unless an exemption applies, and in Dubai the DHA sets additional health information security standards. For a management dashboard, good practice is to load only aggregated or pseudonymised data: admissions, lengths of stay, amounts, never patient names. This reduces risk and simplifies compliance reviews.
Mini case study
Khalid, CFO of a 5-clinic group in Dubai, consolidates 14 Excel files every month with two financial analysts. Consolidation takes 5 days and the board receives month M figures on the 12th of month M+1.
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- Consolidation time: 2 people × 5 days × 12 months = 120 person-days a year, reduced to about 12 days of checks.
- Power BI option over 3 years: licences USD 12,600 + connectors and modelling USD 60,000 + 120 partner hours × USD 160 = about USD 91,800.
- Custom option, medium level: project at 6,500,000 FCFA (about EUR 9,900) + Standard maintenance EUR 114 × 36 months (EUR 4,104) = about EUR 14,000 over 3 years.
In his case, with two HIS platforms lacking APIs and 45 doctors to give access to, the custom option costs far less over 3 years, and figures arrive on the 3rd of the month instead of the 12th.
FAQ
Can we start with Power BI and move to custom later?
Yes, and it is sometimes wise. KPI definitions validated in Power BI are reused as they are, which shortens the custom project's scoping phase by about 2 to 3 weeks.
What if an HIS has no API?
We set up a scheduled extraction (file export or direct database read with the vendor's agreement), usually nightly. That covers about 90% of cases.
Does the dashboard need DHA approval?
A dashboard holding only aggregated, de-identified data has limited exposure, but source systems remain subject to DHA standards and Federal Law No. 2 of 2019. A 1 to 2-day legal review before launch is recommended.
Can doctors see only their own figures?
Yes, rights are role-based: a clinician sees their own activity, a site director their facility, the executive team the whole group.
How long until a first dashboard?
Allow 10 to 14 weeks for a medium build covering all 6 sources, with a first version on 2 clinics after 6 weeks.
Let's scope your project. We will define with you the KPIs, the 6 sources to connect and the go-live plan for your clinics. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
