Executive summary
With the fast adoption of information systems in many organizations, there is a need to have healthcare information systems integrated in hospitals. This will improve the working of the hospital staff and will enhance the quality of services that will be offered by the staff in the hospitals. The process of integrating information systems to organizations requires a thorough understanding of what the information systems will solve. There is a need to understand the requirements of the organization and how the information system will bring efficiency. There is a need to understand the aligning of the business needs and that of the business. In this paper, focus will be the requirements for acquiring hardware for implementing information systems in a gastroenterology and endoscopy center of a small healthcare facility. The plan will focus on the requirements for this equipment and how it will be acquired.
Introduction
Information systems improve business processes in any organization; this is the reason they should be integrated to most business processes. It has been found out that information systems improve the efficiency of the staff working in an organization. The rest of the paper will focus on a plan in which information system will be integrated to a small hospital. It will focus on the requirements and the cost of getting this material.
Business problem
It is important to understand the business problem that is being solve with the introduction of a given information system. The business problem for the hospital is the lack of information systems in their hospital infrastructure. The hospital is lacking in any form of information systems. All the business processes are done manually. There is no single system of information technology equipment that has been installed in the hospital. All the processes, like clerical processes, reception, and secretarial processes are done manually. There is no network implemented in the hospital. There is a need to have these processes integrated to the hospital for efficiency.
Rationale for project implementation
The implementation of information systems in healthcare facility will improve coordination of the staff in the hospital. There will be better communication of the staff. This is because the plan includes the suggestion to install a local area network (LAN) for the hospital. With the LAN, the various departments in the hospital will have better coordination of services. It is important to understand the internal working and how optimization will be achieved with the implementation of information system.
Another benefit that will be gained with the implementation of an information system is that the accuracy of business process transactions will be achieved, this is through the use of information systems. It is important to understand the requirements of the business and how it will fit the business objectives of the healthcare facility.
The installation of information systems will also improve service delivery. This is because the staff will find efficient ways of working in the hospital. It is important to understand the requirements of the paper and how to enhance the management of information flow. With the installation of information systems in the hospital, there will be better coordination of services.
Hardware requirements
There are hardware requirements that will need to be purchased in the hospital.
- 3 desktop computers. Two desktop computers will be used in the reception while one will be used in the director’s office. The specifications for the hardware will include at least a standard CPU of around 2.5 GHz of processor Intel i3 or Intel i5 configuration with 4 GB DDR RAM.
- Handheld computers – there is also a need to have handheld devices that will be used by three doctors in the hospital. The specifications for the laptops include having a speed of at least 3GHz, RAM of 4GB, and processor model of at least Intel i5 series. They should also be from a reliable brand like HP, Dell, and Toshiba.
- Printers – there will be a need to have two printers. One for the director and one for the reception.
Software requirements
There will be different software that will be required in the healthcare facility. They are listed in the paragraphs that follow.
Network requirements
There will also be the installation of a network in the healthcare facility. The network will provide the interconnectivity for the different offices in the facility. With the installation of the computers in the facility, there is a need to have a networking capability for the facility.
Requirements
The network will require the following network equipment. The equipment will be as follows:
- 2 switches
- 1 router
- 1 network server
- Cabling equipment
- RJ-45
- Crimping tools
- Cable cutters
- Lab coats
Network topology that was chosen - The network will make use of star and bus network topology.
IP network addressing scheme – It will be appropriate to use class C of the addressing scheme. Administration will use /27 mask, and the rest is /28 masks.
Administration will therefore have 25-2 = 30 hosts. The rest of the departments will have 14 hosts (24-2).
Cost benefit analysis
Cost benefit analysis
With the implementation of information systems in the hospital, there will be tangible benefits that the hospital will stand to gain. There will be saving of costs with the different processes and savings that will be achieved. Also, with the new implementations in the hospital, there will be increased revenue realized due to new clients. This is because the new services will attract additional clients to the hospital.
The anticipated cost of undertaking this project will be as follows:
Projected benefits from revenues
Basing on the current system, this paper will assume that the healthcare facility gets an average of 30 patients per day. It is also assumed that each patient pays approximately $100 dollars when they visit. This is equal to $1.095 million annually. This will change when there are new changes implemented to the hospital. This will be seen in the way the systems will increase the efficiency. This is shown in the table below:
The following is the projected cash flow from the implementation:
With the implementation of the information systems, there is bound to be increased efficiency in the hospital. This is because the staff will perform better.
Financial Transactions
Financial transaction is a basic part of any health care system as funds are necessary for the viability of health care facility. Financial transaction can be incorporated into health care system so as any payment is made by the patient it is updated and so allowing patient to proceed further. This financial transaction can also be done through online systems such as Master card and Visa service cards. Another way is to perform transactions through internet which required a high level of security, if a hacker get access to servers through internet it could hurt financials of health care system. So health care organization should take online transaction through secure gateway and trust only secure services such as PayPal, Moneybookers, etc. It’s a best practice an organization should use same online facility account to take funds so that it is easier and rapid for patients to transfer funds.
Another aspect of using online transaction is to secure patient credit card information, this could be achieved by using many other services, such as PayPal to receive funds so no credit card information would be storing on health care organization system, just patient ID and amount would be shown on the webpage and it should be updated on data server so patient can gain access to other facilities. On the facility center administrator should make sure to follow these given practices for financial transactions.
- Defend all computer against Internet threats such as viruses, malware, or Trojan
- Algorithm should be implemented to create strong passwords
- The internet access should not be allowed to all systems; only concern persons dealing with online financial transactions should have access to the internet.
- Use proxy server layer in order to restrict access to all files and financial data.
Marketing
In today’s world almost all business need marketing, same is for health care organizations, more and more people visiting and getting health care facilities would benefit health care organization. There are several ways for marketing such as online marketing that is the basic type of fast and rapid increasing way. In first steps health care organization needs to develop a website, this should give a brief introduction and a basic idea for the facilities available. Marketing in terms of advertisement is also a major factor to drive peoples looking for such facilities. Facebook ads could be a good help; another step is through making a fan page that will attract people interested in health care tips and facilities to join the page and they will be updated on any changes or addition of any facility in health care center. Another way of marketing is to use a Blog on the website so if people need to consult they know that doctors can initially guide them on their issue and bring them into the right place. Another way for marketing is through Google advertisement program that allows to place add at the most visited and similar websites to target peoples looking for better health care facilities. Many television programs allows to include health care specialists and takes online calls, participating in these programs through specialists could be a marketing tool for health care organization. Marketing should also focus particular audience so that money invested could be most beneficial. Another way of marketing is through billboards which could not be neglected specially area around health care facility
Archiving electronic records
Electronic records are valuable for every health care organization in terms of security and integrity. There is also a requirement to define electronic records transfer standards, terminal and individual access, encryption methods, smart card usage, data backup and interference alerts. Multiple risks involve in electronic records that must be dealt. Managing the risk associated with electronic records is a complex method, it needs major investments. There are an interaction between finance, line of business and legal teams for electronic records. The objective of the electronic records security management is to secure information that is critical while achieving business goals. Secure Electronic records contribute to the overall business which helps the business to be a trustable and manageable business. Following steps are required in the process of securing electronic records in health care organization
Start with the implementation of a data classification policy which describes the processes to classify, identify, store, monitor and secure access to electronic records. There is a need to implement a method to detect any potential data breach to any data file and electronic records. In the next step; there is a need to implement a notification standard to identify affected parties in case of any electronic record breach. In third step implementation for processes, policies and procedures are required for security awareness. Electronic records should be encrypted before any data transfer. As the number of electronic records will be increasing rapidly so there is a need to archive these records so it could be used if required and backup space could be minimized. A daily backup for financial transaction and medical current situation of the patient’s record and all other data could be backup and archive on monthly basis. Another loophole is that the system administrator should keep in mind that backup should not save in the same server. This is so that incase of server crash backup data will also loss, backups should be taken and then move to another server that should be on a different place so that data redundancy could be achieved.
Conclusion
The implementation of the new systems in the hospital will improve efficiency both in the administrative and core business processes. There will be an enhancement of the services to the clients. There will be a return on investment from the implementation of the changes and integration of the information systems to the hospital. The process to set up small health care systems involves many steps which depend on the change in health provider roles, organized information management delivery systems, accountability and increasing consumer responsibilities and shifts in care delivery sites. Marketing is one of the most essential parts of establishing a success for health care business and in today’s world internet is the main source for it. Financial transaction is another step forward to help patients to access health care facility and pay through online transaction, although security for such transaction should be kept in high priority. Information systems in health care organizations are playing major role in helping a better way for our life. Securing health care electronic records, the backup plan and data integrity is required in every health care system. Currently, there are multiple challenges to health care business which could be minimized through Information access control, Information security risk management and data backup plans.
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