Reference no: EM13783176

Introduction

Technology is also an important factor in health care industry. In health care sector technologies are incorporated into organizations rather rapidly compared to health information systems, presenting us with an infrequent difference (Teich JM & Seger D, 1999).

Importantly information technology systems intervene with health care employee customary practice routines. These specific effects were far attractive, from role and structure of health care organizations, the quality working life of health providers within the organization, and finally technology improve the cost and quality of the health services (Teich JM & Seger D, 1999).

This research paper will describe the ins and outs of when information technology fails within a health care organization. Also this paper described what the important contributing factors are when the failure occurs, and how this failure impacts the organization's whole operations. In this paper the Author demonstrate team's reaction in the failure with such measures taken by the health care leaders in dealing with the several stakeholders.

In this paper discussing about organization's custom application and proprietary systems with view of project metrics and portfolio management's efficiency and effectiveness.

Finally the author describes how government intervenes in health care businesses for patients care. In this paper the Author describe information technology failure in a Florida based health organization i.e Martin Health System (MHS). In this organization IT network failure that make organization's $90 million medical record system to fail and this health organization located in Stuart.

A study report shows that a hardware failure in this organization that caused an unexpected downtime for the health system's Epic EMR and some other business IT applications.

1. Determine the key factors contributing to the failure in question. Next, analyze how the failure impacted both the organization's operations and patient information protection and privacy.

In hardware the key factor was a failure that mainly affected the EMR, but it was distinguished that the EMR was not the origin of the problem (Teich JM & Seger D, 1999). In a system hardware includes all substantial devices i.e storage, machines, input and output devices that represent a computer system. The CPU is the main core and heart of the computer.

In the computer system the primary storage mainly holds program data and instructions directly before or after the providers and registers the CPU with a running storage area for data and program instructions (Ball MJ, Garets DE & Handler TJ, 2003). After that secondary storage complement the main memory by holding such instructions and data in the format of machine-readable outer the computer.

In a system entering data and input can be done by a specific number of devices. In the same way for larger computer systems such as key to disk, the one above, and key to tape devices have been used. They allocate data to be keyed diametrically onto a device of secondary storage (Ball MJ, Garets DE & Handler TJ, 2003).

When the health system had to resort to charting and physical documentation, in the year 2011 when the EMR system was installed, by MHS the processes were developed to provide accurate documentation and make sure patient safety to during a lengthened downtime. Business continuity is one of the good processes of computer systems.

Scott Samples the spokesperson of MHS stated that, those processes were precisely followed and the team of patient care continued operations as programmed, with minimum delays (Ball MJ, Garets DE & Handler TJ, 2003). But, at the facility service patients constantly reported that some appointments of outpatient could not be planned, atmosphere was very hectic or chaotic, and meals were received later than standard. No health treatment and medication was jeopardized (Ball MJ, Garets DE & Handler TJ, 2003).

2. Analyze the leadership team's reaction to the failure, and indicate whether the leadership took sufficient measures to deal with various stakeholder groups impacted by the failure. Provide support for the rationale.

The reaction of the leadership team regarding information was limited.

In the specific article it was reported that physician, hospital staff, and nurses access the useful computer system to read medical information and patient record. Without this valuable system in place they were gone to dig through paper records. Only one was reported while other procedures may have been taken, and it must follows, extra some health care personnel such as administrative staff and nurses were brought in to assist with the rise work load (Romano PS & Davies S, 2003).

As per the medical spokesperson the treatment and medication program were not affected, on the other hand if these specific items were element of the EMR one would feel that a minor delay would happen (Romano PS & Davies S, 2003).

In the hospital setting stakeholders are the doctors, Clinical providers, nurse staff, venders, patients, hospital itself, and third-party payers (Romano PS & Davies S, 2003). From this stakeholder each has a stake in what advantage it might obtain from the hospital. In this particular example the leadership team of hospital known as aided staff by bringing in extra nursing and administrative personnel, however if meals were served late, then the patient was at a disadvantage.

A special action such as this could have caused crucial problems for the diabetic who has a controlled eating plan that coincided with medication. At MHS the outpatients were troubled due to being unable to arranged appointments.

It is important to offer health services and some of patients are uncooperative when they are present. In this case, for notifying the patient the hospital must have been responsible, once the particular system was restored but this was not focus any of the study articles. In this event many were failed because stakeholders are many.

The doctor or physician could not have be timely or quickly available information due to having paper use. The hospital was at a serious difficulty, for two days the system was down impacting the flow of the daily operations.

In the long run the application vendor could undergo because the hospital may make a decision to go with another application vendor.

The payer of third-party would see an interruption in the posting of bill payments, or to approve specific procedures the hospital being able to access needed information.

3. Take a position on whether the health care provider that you identified should either develop a custom application or select a proprietary system. Provide support for the rationale.

From beginning to end the life cycle of systems development represents a procedure in project managing an information system project development: it first cover the analysis point in which existing systems are considered so as to uncover gaps that have to be packed, secondly needed or new components are planned to tackle the challenges that have been recognized; the ultimate result is that of training of staff members, real programming, and the implementation of a recently developed system. This newly system will required some changes, improvement, and maintenance over the years (Romano PS & Davies S, 2003).

A business system is one designed particular to an organization's requirements, in cost it can be very effective in that way you find only what you require. The particular custom software is:

Upgradeable and flexible.
Designed particular for your organization or department
Owned by you
Can incorporate quality from other software

On the contrary a proprietary system is a product or technology that is owned completely by a specific company that watchfully guards knowledge about the product or technology inside workings.

Some of technology or products will only work owned by the similar company. In that the knowledge it is a usual approach how a business enterprise makes its special products are guarded as an important secret and such legal methods as the patent, brand, and patent are invented to safeguard the company's intellectual property (Romano PS & Davies S, 2003).

In this system the MHS could mostly benefit from a proprietary system.

For the failure the main cause is hardware as completely discussed above. Their computers would come from one central place by using this valuable system, and the equipment would be very familiar and needed to the company that sold the hospital for their computers. For a hospital a custom system would advantage if their failure had happen only because of the EHR.

Recommend at least three (3) best practices that any organization could adopt in order to avoid such a failure in the future.

Provide support for the recommendation.

For failure technology always often blamed, only such fact that a product of bad management. For avoid some useful and beneficial ways are Systems Design Characteristics, Organizational Characteristics, and User Characteristic.

Systems Design Characteristics: It include decision-making support and the important characteristics of information to the user, performance of hardware and software, characteristics of systems interface, such as the incorporation or accessibility of easy to find out features into the HMIS. For the system the information needs to be clear, documentation in the early scheduling stage and acted upon using implementation of modified techniques. Also a certain amount of consistency, truthfulness, flexibility, completeness, validity, regularity, and appropriateness or timeliness of information to be supplied to the user (Upperman JS & Friend K, 2004).

Organizational Characteristics: The change or influence of top management can affect success of implementation. Perfect project control must be exercised, in a time manner issues are resolved, part of resources correctly, and the evading of short-lived changes in significant areas. A good action plan must be developed, a practical assessment along with perfect identification of basic resources.

Top management should be supportive, and end users must be involved and committed. All of the users should say in the execution and planning in order to make a system that is satisfactory and adopted (Upperman JS & Friend K, 2004).

User Characteristics: Some differences in individual such as user belief, learning style, cognitive behavior, and attitudes of user, of what the HMIS can perform for them. In the implementation and development stage from the beginning organizations personnel should be involved in all organizational units. If this is complete in less resistance will be present because the concern of the unidentified lessens (Tan & Payton, 2010).

5. Suggest how health care leaders can use project metrics and portfolio management to ensure operational efficiency and effectiveness. Provide specific examples to support the response.

Project Metrics help for improving organization's decision making ability, help in building expectedness, and plan what is perfectly working and what is not working inside the organization and it must help to guide project management to focus in the right way. Performance metrics of project management can facilitate or enable the health care leader to the following ways:

Evaluate status of enduring project- In terms of planning, cost, prosperity, and productivity.

In a health organization leader must have a special time frame to work, the cost and productivity should be regarding what the facility can allow, and the useful project should help or advantage the facility and not be a extra over burden.
Foresee any possible risks- There evaluation at time so that a good picture of future can be predict, if any risks are to come, proper planning can take place to avoid and move forward the step.
settle the particular problems before they become serious- tackle the problems openly or up front.
For project profitability continue to check - Realize that the finances are being used prudently or wisely and it should useful for the organization.
Review team productivity - Expectations and clear cut goals should be assessed, explained and set as an enduring process.
Evaluate quality work must be delivered- Ensure that the specific work that is being done currently is high and good quality and it will be indicate to anyone (Upperman JS & Friend K, 2004).

In an organization portfolio management is required to make sure operational efficiency and effectiveness due to emergent challenge that is happening every day. To maintain standard business operations Healthcare organization are struggling, while they spend in their new and innovative digital records facility. By revolving portfolio management solutions, in healthcare organization most of managers heavily struggling to make the scarce resources can obtain main benefits.

In a healthcare organization competition mainly created by Electronic Healthcare Records (HER), it's very important that hospital systems know their expenditure to make best use of the organizations principal budget in outside areas (Upperman JS & Friend K, 2004).

Following are the some useful ways that portfolio management can be used to make sure operational efficiency and effectiveness:

In the first way you must need to define the proper amount of process severity. This is mainly dependent on the particular organization's reliability and capability. After that you need to describe the valuable strategic drivers. In this way you need to ask: Over the next some years what is the organization's strategy? Organization's usual goals contain improving patient satisfaction, increasing service quality, and improve revenue. These specific factors can then be depending, ranked on where you require to meet your spend (Upperman JS & Friend K, 2004).

The next useful step is instilling and defining a governance structure of cross-functional representatives from the healthcare organization, including physicians, chief of nursing staff, with representatives from IT and business departments. You need to ensure you have best cross-representation of the several running activities that signify the whole organization.

6. Analyze a government intervention into health care businesses, meant to ensure that health care and patient information is secure and thus to minimize information breaches and technology failures. Argue for or against such intervention. Support the position.

A government intervention in a health care business meant to ensure that patient information and health care is assured or secure in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). All those working with a healthcare organization, with particular attention to those who carry responsive personal health information, has the great responsibility of caring the secrecy, confidentiality, and safety of health information or any other such identification.

In the year 1996 American Congress passed the Public Law 104-191, otherwise known as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), in a good effort to help keep confidential information of Americans citizens (Burns LR & Muller RW, 2008). Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, along with such other useful security measures have been introduced for the healthcare industry for protect the secrecy, freedom, safety, and confidentiality of American people.

Those people employed in the healthcare industry must closely adhere to the code of conduct, rules & regulation, and standards. From these some of the covered individuals include, such as physicians, pharmacists, and nursing staff, some healthcare facilities like personal physician organizations, hospitals, private clinics, and nursing homes, private health maintenance organizations, and private health insurance companies. Such valuable Government programs i.e Medicare and Medicaid also must obey and follow the principles (Burns LR & Muller RW, 2008). The valuable information that Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects is any such information find a patient's personal record, i.e progress notes, treatment details, recommendations, identification, diagnosis and conversations with individual caregivers. For the safety of health information there is a better safeguard that is processed into computer systems used by health care providers for clinical reports, medical billing, treatment, medication, radiological reports and images, laboratory examination results, any health information collected by patients or hospital that has a health semantic (Burns LR & Muller RW, 2008).

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) law states that all people who have retrieve to health information must obey with rules and regulations, including the safeguard of anything spoken or written, which must deals with a particular patient's present medical condition and his/her past or present treatments. Disobedience of this valuable law can result in severe fines to health care organizations, and it may result the termination of organizations employees that don't adhere to the law.

Conclusion

Improving patient safety mainly involves learning and analyzing from difficult events and adapting or increasing systems to reduce dependence on individual care. Taking good advantage of advances in networking and computers can help clinical decision support and give best information flow within the systems (Burns LR & Muller RW, 2008). Strategic apparatus design can prevent harm to patients. In health care technology change organizational culture and it promises to be a very effective safeguard against human unreliability. Proper use of technology in health care, particularly medical decision support, introduction of valuable plan for safety, and within the system better information flow, can result in significant improvement in patient safety (Burns LR & Muller RW, 2008). In health care technology also involve how health care professionals and patients can benefit from, and interrelated with, developed equipment, treatment, good environments, and useful information that come across in the health care service.