Model system resulted from close cooperation.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Information Systems Management
• Healthcare Administration

Background:

• Developing comprehensive information systems tailored to specific healthcare needs presents significant challenges.
• Traditional system acquisition often results in suboptimal solutions that do not fully meet unique organizational requirements.
• The need for adaptable and user-centric information systems in healthcare is paramount for efficient operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore an alternative strategy for acquiring and managing healthcare information systems.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a collaborative development model between a hospital and an information system supplier.
• To demonstrate a method for achieving a customized and efficiently managed information system.

Main Methods:

• Engaged an enterprising information system supplier to utilize the hospital's facility as a development site.
• Established a partnership where the supplier was responsible for system development and ongoing management.
• Focused on a co-development approach to ensure system alignment with specific hospital needs.

Main Results:

• Successfully implemented a comprehensive information system tailored to Roanoke Memorial Hospital's specific requirements.
• The collaborative development model facilitated a system that met the hospital's unique needs effectively.
• The supplier, based locally, continued to manage the developed system, ensuring ongoing support and optimization.

Conclusions:

• Partnering with an enterprising supplier for co-development can yield highly customized and effective information systems.
• Utilizing a facility as a development site fosters a deeper understanding of user needs, leading to better system outcomes.
• This model ensures a system that is not only well-suited but also continuously managed and supported by the developer.