1. Context: hospital/clinic name, details
The article entitled “Kansas Hospital’s Failed EMR Project Shows Peril of Vendor Relations Gone Bad” written by Joel Schectman and published online in the CIO Journal presented issues relative to EMR implementation in Girard Medical Center, reportedly a hospital in Kansas. According to Schectman, the hospital planned to implement the EMR in 2010 and contracted the Cerner Corporation in September that year. It was acknowledged to supposedly be one of the biggest vendors of electronic medical records . However, the article revealed that the hospital was apparently alleging that the failure in successfully implementing the EMR was due to failure to adhere to the original conditions of their contract; including raising charges and eventual abandonment of the project. As such, the case is currently being filed formally in court.
2. EMR implementation strategy: phased, big-bang, other and how EMR implementation was handled
The EMR project was supposed to “provide an all-in-one fix that would allow doctors to prescribe medicines and order tests electronically, and for administrators to fulfill HR functions like tracking time and attendance” . It could therefore be perceived that the proposed EMR implementation strategy complies with the big-bang phase where upon installment of the program, synchronized access to promised features could have been made available. Apparently, it was disclosed by Frankie Forbes, the identified attorney for Girard that Cerner Corporation provided “many products to buy” .
3. Outcome: success or failure
The proposed EMR implementation was an evident failure. The details of the complaint reported by the hospital included the vendor’s apparent raising of charges, and non-conformity to the contract provisions. As such, when the hospital complained, it was noted that Cerner eventually abandoned the project despite being paid the disclosed amount of $1.2 million in fees . Upon the date of the article, the case was filed in the court with due formal legal complaints submitted by Girard Medical Center, as the complainant; against the vendor, Cerner Corporation. The reasons for the failure were noted under the lessons learned as discussed below.
4. Lessons learned.
Work Cited
Schectman, Joel. "Kansas Hospital’s Failed EMR Project Shows Peril of Vendor Relations Gone Bad." 26 June 2012. CIO Journal/The Wall Street Journal. 25 April 2013 <http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2012/06/26/kansas-hospitals-failed-emr-project-shows-peril-of-vendor-relations-gone-bad/>.
