The Process of Selecting and Acquiring an Information System The aim of information systems, as Takvorian (2008) states, is to help in the reduction of medical errors by health care institution in the process of administering medication. In essence, an information system assists the health care organization to realize maximum efficiency in its operations. However, healthcare officials are yet to fully embrace the utilization of information systems supported by IT. The main reasons that have been cited for this hesitation include, but are not limited to; high implementation costs, especially for small healthcare institutions; suggestions that the initial implementation of an information system might hinder patient medication; and the million
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Before arriving at the decision to acquire a new system, the healthcare executive team or management of the organization should participate in strategic planning. At this stage, the team considers the manner in which the information system will impact on the goals and objectives of the organization. As Wager et al. (2009) state, the team also considers the opportunities for improvement in regards to current existing systems. In regards to the new system, the question of whether it is financially, technologically and operationally feasible also undergoes analysis at the planning stage. Over and above, this stage allows for the organization to critically evaluate the workflow process so as to determine areas of …show more content…
At this stage, the work team considers questions relating to whether or not the information system will be designed in-house, whether it is viable for the organization to contract an outside developer, or whether or not the organization should purchase the system from a health information system merchant. Over and above, this stage is characterized by a cost-benefit analysis in solving the business problem, the consideration of all alternatives, the selection of a preferred system and the finalization of negotiations (Wager, et al., 2009).
The next stage after the design phase is usually the implementation. At this stage, a system has already been selected and negotiations have been concluded that have yielded the signing of a contractual agreement. This stage is distinguished by the allocation of resources such as manpower and funding to conduct workflow and process analysis, installing of the system, testing of the system, training of the staff, data conversion and finally, the operationalization of the system (Wager et al.,
Before arriving at the decision to acquire a new system, the healthcare executive team or management of the organization should participate in strategic planning. At this stage, the team considers the manner in which the information system will impact on the goals and objectives of the organization. As Wager et al. (2009) state, the team also considers the opportunities for improvement in regards to current existing systems. In regards to the new system, the question of whether it is financially, technologically and operationally feasible also undergoes analysis at the planning stage. Over and above, this stage allows for the organization to critically evaluate the workflow process so as to determine areas of …show more content…
At this stage, the work team considers questions relating to whether or not the information system will be designed in-house, whether it is viable for the organization to contract an outside developer, or whether or not the organization should purchase the system from a health information system merchant. Over and above, this stage is characterized by a cost-benefit analysis in solving the business problem, the consideration of all alternatives, the selection of a preferred system and the finalization of negotiations (Wager, et al., 2009).
The next stage after the design phase is usually the implementation. At this stage, a system has already been selected and negotiations have been concluded that have yielded the signing of a contractual agreement. This stage is distinguished by the allocation of resources such as manpower and funding to conduct workflow and process analysis, installing of the system, testing of the system, training of the staff, data conversion and finally, the operationalization of the system (Wager et al.,