Question

Health Information Technology (HIT) has become a top priority in the US. The use of technology to electronically use and exchange health information securely between healthcare stakeholders will improve the overall quality, safety, and efficiency of health care delivery. 1) What is the difference between strategic planning and tactical planning? 2) Why is it important to HIS and technology planning for a healthcare organization to have developed its strategic business plan? If the organization or business does not have a strategic business plan, what should HIS planners do? 3) What do the four quadrants of the conceptual HIS planning framework presented in chapter 3 represent? Why are the quadrants organized as they are, and what does it mean to have a balanced HIS architecture? 4) Identify the key HIS and technology elements that need to be contemplated as part of HIS and technology planning.

Answer 1

1. Strategic planning is structured around three pillars; mission, vision, and values. It deals with where organizations need to put its efforts and resources towards, and where the quality, initiatives, and objectives are all equally accounted for. Tactical planning deals with building information technology capabilities and systems necessary to enable organization strategies. To ultimately interpret organizations strategic plan into IT language of systems, infrastructure, data, expertise, information, and connectivity.

2) It is important to HIS and technology planning for a healthcare organization to have developed its strategic business plan because it serves as a roadmap for HIS strategic plan. So that HIS strategy does not stray from one iota from enabling organization to move in desired direction and allows HIS strategy to mirror organizational strategy. Also, if separate or isolated, HIS strategy would be wasteful and counterproductive. If the organization does not have a strategic business plan, HIS planners should simply create one using the four essential themes; HIS foundation, framework, decision making process and consumer expectations and services.

3) The four quadrants of the conceptual HIS planning framework represent the types and categories of healthcare software systems. The quadrants are organized as they are because it improves data integrity, the efficiency of workflows, and quality of information that's produced through these systems. To have a balanced HIS architecture everything must be aligned in order to achieve its future state vision, if it is misaligned, significant organizational resources will be misdirected .

4) The key elements are improved patient care processes through master patient index (MPI), improved quality care through development of quality management system, improved patient safety through closed-loop medical administration, and improved efficiency and stewardship of resources through implementation of enterprise resource planning system (ERP)