A new model for enhanced information services in an academic medical center

The information base used in the biomedical enterprise, already large, continues to expand at a striking rate. Networking and desktop computing technology is playing a more important role in the operations of academic medical centers. Integration efforts aimed at enhancing information access by using distributed computing are very substantial technical challenges. However, if these integration efforts focus only on the technical aspects, they are doomed to failure. New organizational approaches are also needed. This paper describes an new model for enhanced information services. This model calls for the central information supplier to provide a set of core services. Users, who may be individuals or units and generally have more insight into the nature of their problems, will be encouraged to add value to these core services in the form of specialization or customization to meet their unique and critical needs. This model provides a way to adapt and transform current organizational elements to effectively use the large information technology investments and to meet the increasing challenges of biomedical information use.