I came up with these two stories for the magazine yesterday and I am PSYCHED! Can't wait to get started on them and if you have a strong opinion or want to share your side of the picture, drop me a line if yo're a CIO, analyst or consultant. Thanks, Lindsey!
1. Inside or Out? Clinical Implementation Staffing
Enterprise EMR implementations are long and complicated, usually taking place over the course of a few years. Though vendors offer project management staff to work onsite at the hospital during implementations, some hospitals choose to forego that talent in favor of a consulting firm. Still others rely more on their in-house staff. We’ll take a look at the pros and cons of each approach—vendor, consulting or in-house--and talk to CIOs who have experience with each. We’ll also find out what happens to that staff when the implementation is over — do some CIOs bring them on board? For EMRs implementations, does staffing come down to cost, experience, or a mix of both? Contact: [email protected]
2. Can You Afford to Let Them Fail?
According to guidelines for the HITECH act, meaningful use for hospitals will include exchanging information electronically with physician practices. And though a hospital may be well positioned on meaningful use with its own EMR, its affiliated but independent physician practices may not be. Can hospitals afford to leave it up to the practices—and risk losing stimulus money due to a lack of information exchange? We’ll find out what tools some CIOs are using to support their physician practices demonstrate meaningful use —in an way that doesn’t alienate them. Contact: [email protected]
