The options for information technology (IT) in healthcare are as varied as the reasons for selecting a specific type of solution. How many stories have you heard about a system that was a complete failure in one location but an outstanding success in another facility? There has to be a reason other than the software.
I have found that there are four parts to any decision on selecting IT that will help ensure a successful implementation at your facility. The problems seem to arise when one or more of these considerations are missed in the selection and implementation process.
Who
is the first big decision you will have to make. I don’t mean which vendor, but who within your organization is the primary stake holder that will be affected by the technology. Too often the decision process is left up to the IT department and the people who are going to be most affected by the new system are not involved early enough in the process. Is this an IT project or are the users better suited to manage the project?
The second step will be how to decide what you need. This step is missed by many organizations and causes considerable disruption. Without fully identifying the need you are trying to fulfill, it will be impossible to look for the correct solution. The more time spent analyzing what problems you are trying to solve will make the results all the more rewarding. Simply saying I want a billing system or an electronic medical record system and turning the decision over to the IT department is a manager looking for disaster.
The third step is which vendor will meet your requirements. Prospective buyers often ask, “How do I know that I won’t be abandoned after the final payment is made”? Doing a little homework and talking to current users of the system is always important. However, it is also critical to ask to speak to clients who were unhappy with the vendor at some point and have since turned around in their opinion. In almost every relationship there will be an occasional problem — how those problems are solved relates directly to the ultimate success of the relationship.
The final step in the process is how do you implement the system in a manner that ensures success. This is the most overlooked of the steps within the process. The decision is made, paperwork signed and an almost euphoric feeling of completing a substantial task is felt. However, it is not over — it is just beginning. This is where many success stories are written and many failures are begun.
The implementation is a complex process that requires enthusiastic oversight by management and diligent compliance by the staff. In many cases, this is the step that explains the why a system can be a success in one organization and a disaster in another facility.
Other areas are just as important such as the differences between types of systems, client server, hosted and ASP and other configurations. What are the best ways to prevent data loss or accidental release of PHI? What is the current status with standards and CCHIT and other organizations and other topics related to IT? Those will be easy answers if you first complete who, what, which and how in your IT decision.
Craig Veach, senior vice president of operations with Waterbury, Conn.-based Amkai, Inc., provider of the AmkaiCharts electronic medical record system and AmkaiOffice management system for ambulatory healthcare, is a 14-year veteran in the outpatient healthcare market. He can be reached at (866) 265-2434 or craig.veach@amkai.com.
The options for information technology (IT) in healthcare are as varied as the reasons for selecting a specific type of solution. How many stories have you heard about a system that was a complete failure in one location but an outstanding success in another facility? There has to be a reason other than the software.
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