The need for information system (IS) has increased progressively for health care organizations. Information systems designed for the health care industry help organizations meet the quality, patient care, and communities’ needs if planned properly. Acquiring, implementing, and selecting an information system can be difficult, but when doing so the organization goals need to be taken in account. It is important to include all major stakeholders in choosing an information system in trying to achieve organizations goals.
Technology acquisition process is essential in developing an information system for organizations. There have been many articles and stories written about organizations failures in acquiring an information system. This briefing will discuss how to properly select and acquire an information system. Process and Selecting Selecting an Information system can take some time to research and decide depending on the health care organizational needs.
When choosing a system and IS strategic team should be form, goals made, and research to find the system that will be able to handle the organizations needs. Like baking a cake, before starting you find out what kind of cake should be baked, obtain the ingredients, read the directions, measure, mix it together, and bake it on the proper temperature. If directions were followed a perfect cake will be frosted. The process in choosing a system entails planning, selecting, implementation, and evaluating also known as the systems, development life cycle (SDLC).
Although the SDLC is most commonly described in the context of software development, the process also applies when systems are purchased from a vendor or leased through an application service provider (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, Chapter 6, 2009). An ASP is a company that deploys, hosts, and manages one or more clinical or administrative information systems through centrally located servers. The first steps are developing a project steering committee. This committee responbilities plan, organizes, coordinate and manage the acquisition process (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, Chapter 6, 2009).
Next is defining the project goals and objectives. One of the most important steps is to determine the staff needs, wants, and expectations. Research various vendors whether it is local or national companies. A Certification Commission for Health Care Information Technology (CCHIT) product is best as this will ensure all required standards are met (Lyles, 1979). Once goals are established requirements of what is needed in a system is reviewed next. This process can start by conducting a survey of current needs of each user group, getting their individual needs, what is working well, and what improvements are needed.
User’s want always know what is needed, therefore holding product demonstrations, seeing the product in production in a facility setting, and meeting the consultants will help with the decision making. Once requirements are known the organization gives them to vendor to package into the product chosen. Some of the last steps to the acquisition process are contracts, interfaces, workflow changes, meetings, deadlines, training, implementation, and go live date is set.
Whatever acquisition process an organization peruses patient care, employees, and the health care organization as a whole has to be taken into account in choosing an information system. How goals drive the process Once an Information system is needed project committee must established goals to ensure the right system will be chosen. Goals will be derived with pinpoint questions such as, by implementing an information system what accomplishment is expected? What does the organization want in a system? Can the system interface with the existing system and current processes?
With these questions and more the goals should start to be clearly defined. When goals are defined this will help ensure the right system is chosen, interfaces working correctly, no additional cost increase (personnel, billing issues and lost revenue), enthusiastic employees, efficiency, and effectiveness. Stakeholder’s roles. Stakeholders are important in the selection and acquisition process in choosing an information system. A stakeholder in a health care system is a person or group that will impact or be affected by the system or new process.
Stakeholders in this process are indentified as clinical staff (physicians and nurses), patients, managers, health plans, payers, and consumer groups. Some example of the stakeholder’s roles: * Patient/Employers: patients want good health care variety and providers want cost control. * Provider/payers: Provider want to give provider good service using the most news test and treatments. Payers want providers to provide evidence bases, diagnostic plan, and accurate diagnosis.
Stakeholders are not always easily indentified and they will have disagreements as each stakeholder may see processes differently. Stakeholders can have hidden agendas that will influence the selection and acquisition efforts. Acquisition teams or project teams need to uncover motives and move through the acquisition process and guide all stakeholders to the best solution. Stakeholders set the stage for what system to acquire as they are usually the users’ of the system. Getting their input and buy in can determine the new system and process changes success or failure.
