HCS 483 Information System Briefing Essay

Information System Briefing Health Care Information Systems HCS 483 August 25, 2013 Information System Briefing Providing quality health care is rapidly becoming synonymous with health care organizations acquiring technology and information systems that are the most current. Success of the health care organization depends on the implementation of information systems that are designed to meet the standards of quality set by the organization and the health care industry. Acquisition and implementation of new or upgraded information systems pose big challenges. Understanding the organizations goals and the roles of the stakeholders will help in the process of choosing the correct information system for use by the organizations health care providers. Selection and Acquisition Creating a steering committee to start the process of selecting and acquiring is the first step for a health care organization when looking at implementing a new information system. Appointing a project manager to lead the committee to help give the appropriate information and guide the committee in making decision. The steering committee determines the process of implementing the new information system and conducts research to help determine the best information system for the organization’s needs. The steering committee must look at the needs of the organization for not only the current use but also how the system will grow with the organization into the future. Identifying the standards of care that the health care organization will help define the objectives the committee must meet and the scope of analysis to evaluate that the organization system requirements are met. Research Researching the vendors for products that will meet the needs of documentation and records storage is vital in acquiring the correct product. Contacting different vendors and setting up product demonstrations is the best way to compare products. This will provide for hands-on research for  ease of use and real-time questions to be answered by the representative. Collecting predetermined evaluation criteria from the members on the steering committee so that the selection process can begin. Collecting the individual remarks on the product must be done on the day of the presentation. Comparing the different information systems, this way will help with the selection process. Cost Analysis â€Å"The heightened awareness in recent years of the need to live within budgets in the health care sector would seem to create the perfect climate for cost-effectiveness analysis† (Russell, Gold, Siegel, Daniels, & Weinstein, 1996, p. 1). Cost analysis is part of the findings that the steering committee must submit in their findings while researching the different products. Cost is a driving factor in the selection of a new information system. If the new system does not integrate into established systems within the organization, there will be more cost associated with that product. Organizations Goals Upholding the health care organization’s goals in every aspect of the acquisition phase is first priority. Forming strategies that identify with the mission and goals set forth by the organization will help guide the recommendation from the steering committee. Involving other project leads from supporting departments such as Information Technology (IT) will be necessary. IT has the knowledge on the existing systems and will have the insight that is needed when adding or combining system products. It is probable that IT has projects that will need to interface with the new information system. Combining ideas and research may help lead to a better information system choice for the organization. Roles of the Stakeholders The stakeholder’s roles in the organization’s acquisition of new information system are from start to finish. There should be a stakeholder’s presence in the steering committee to put their skills and knowledge of the plans of the organization on the table to help influence decisions. The active stakeholder on the steering committee can report to other stakeholder’s on the progress and changes in the process of choosing the information system. The broad range of stakeholders is identified as anyone who holds interest  in the failure or success of the organization. This can range from Chief-Executive-Officer (CEO) to business managers and administrators, doctors to the nursing staff and even patients. Patients are a vital source of information because the patient is the owner of the data entered in to the information system. Stakeholders should have active input in the entire process of research, acquisition, and implementation of a new information system . For example, â€Å"The medical user may want an easy-to-use system releasing him or her from documentation tasks, while the administrative user wants a system enforcing complete documentation† (Ammenwerth, Graber, Herrmann, Burkle, & Konig, 2003, p. 5). Conclusion When considering the addition or expansion of a health information system the organization must conduct research with several vendors and a steering committee to make recommendations of the product that will best fit with the requirements set forth by the organization. The goals of the organization will help guide the decisions on what information system will fit the needs currently and into the future. The stakeholder’s involvement in the entire project gives unique insight from the different levels of stakeholders. Patients, nurses, doctors, management, and executive management are all stakeholders. Combining all of these elements will help in the process of acquiring the appropriate information system for the health care organization. References Ammenwerth, E., Graber, S., Herrmann, G., Burkle, T., & Konig, J. (2003, June 7, 2002). Evaluation of health information systems—problems and challenges. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 71, 125-135. http://dx.doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1386-5056(03)00131-X Russell, L. B., Gold, M. R., Siegel, J. E., Daniels, N., & Weinstein, M. C. (1996, October 9, 1996). The Role of Cost-effectiveness Analysis in Health and Medicine. Journal of the American Medical Association, 276, 1172-1177. 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