Selecting practice management information systems.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Information Systems Management
• Medical Practice Administration

Background:

• The selection of information systems in healthcare has long relied on the request for proposal (RFP) process.
• Current RFP practices often fail to adequately assess system functionality due to vendor circumvention.
• This leads to suboptimal technology adoption and potential user dissatisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate an alternative methodology for selecting medical information systems.
• To improve the effectiveness of system evaluation beyond traditional RFP limitations.
• To enhance user buy-in and achieve more favorable contract terms.

Main Methods:

• Replacing the RFP with a multi-faceted approach.
• Utilizing scored demonstrations (demos) to assess system usability and features.
• Conducting thorough reviews of vendor user manuals for in-depth understanding.
• Implementing mathematically structured reference checking for objective vendor assessment.

Main Results:

• The proposed methodology provided a more comprehensive evaluation of system functionality.
• User buy-in was significantly greater compared to traditional selection processes.
• More favorable contract terms were secured for the medical center.
• The new approach proved more effective in identifying suitable information systems.

Conclusions:

• The described selection methodology offers a superior alternative to the conventional RFP process for medical information systems.
• This approach enhances the evaluation of system capabilities and vendor reliability.
• It leads to improved user adoption and better contractual outcomes in healthcare IT procurement.