Information System Briefing With the changes in the health care industry, we have come to rely on information technology more, and more each day.
When organizations take the time to plan, manage, and develop an information technology program, will make the organization more efficient, better working environment and better decision making processes. There are many steps that need to be put in place when selecting an information system. Taking the time and finding those who will fully understand the system and everyone has the proper training.The process for selecting and acquiring an information system has many important steps.
One of the first steps the health care organization needs to start is to find out what type of system they need. It is important that the organization chooses the system that best fits the organization. The organization needs to decide first if the system will be built in house, leased from an application service provider or an outside consultant. This will take lots of work and planning to get the system up, so that it will run smoothly for the operations. The organization needs to put together a team.
This team will be in charge of the budgeting, planning, coordinating, and managing the process of the new system. The organization will need to have a project leader, information technology professional, system champion, and those who are in charge of clinical and administrative sections. Those that are chosen for the team should have knowledge and the understanding of the new system. The team needs to decide what goal is for the information system such as, what do they want to achieve, what are the goals, and that everyone is committed to the project.When everyone has agreed on what needs to be accomplished they should come up with a plan, and the “plan should include: ? Major activities (also called tasks) ?Major milestones ?Estimated duration of each activity ?Any dependencies among activities (so that, for example, one task must be completed before another can begin) ? Resources and budget available (including staff whose time will be allocated to the project) ? Individuals or team members responsible for completing each activity ? Target dates ?Measures for evaluating completion and success”(HealthCare InformationSystem Pg171) The team should break down the project into sections, and prioritize what needs to be done before the go-live date. When planning the team needs to make sure that the plan is the best fit for the organization.
Major steps that the team needs to follow are: “analyze the workflow and process reengineering, install and configure the system, train staff, convert data, adequately test the system, and communicate project progress using appropriate forums at all levels throughout the organization.Attention should be given to the countless details associated with ensuring that backup procedures are in place, security plans have been developed, and the organization is ready for the go-live date. ”(Healthcare Information System, Pg 186) The organizations goals drive the selection of an information system, because we need to be up-to-date on information technology. Our goal is to have proper electronic health records for patients. With proper health care records for patients it will allow those who need access a more efficient record. When those need access it will also allow those to access the records in a timely manner.
Having the most up-to-date technology will only help the organization, and keep the organization better prepared when it is needed. The role that the stakeholders would play in selection and acquisition process would be to give guidance on the program, such as improvement and possible opportunities. Stakeholders also provide input and reports on policies. Stakeholders can also have recommendations on issues in the organization, and come up with solutions. Stakeholders can provide information that is useful to the organization and what would work best in the organization. The stakeholder group provides input to the Effective Health Care Program to improve the applicability and relevance of research products to health care decision makers.
” (AHRQ, ND) In conclusion, there are many steps that need to be taken to have a proper information system in place. Teams need to be put into place, proper training needs to take place. The proper leaders need to be put in place, so that the process can run as smooth as possible. Having proper electronic health care records that are more efficient and easy to access will fit better in the organization.
Making sure that the stakeholders give their input on all plans, and to have their recommendation will help in having success in selecting an information system. Reference: AHRQ, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Effective Health Care Program, Retrieved November, 18, 2011 http://effectivehealthcare. ahrq. gov/index. cfm/who-is-involved-in-the-effective-health-care-program1/about-the-stakeholder-group/ Health Care Information Systems.
A Practical Approach for Health Care Management Second Edition, Author: Karen A. Wager, Frances Wickham Lee, John P. Glaser, Lawton Robert Burns copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons Inc.
