Question

The Assignment: Write a 3- to 4-page (excluding title and reference pages) APA style paper, addressing the following elements for the scenario that you choose. For this Assignment, address the elements of a project Charter used to plan the acquisition of a HIT solution for the setting of choice. The Charter should include Problem statement. A specific statement of the problems that you intend to address in this scenario using technology solutions. Scope of the HIT solution to be acquired. This includes both the technical elements of the scope and the business and clinical functional elements of the scope. Stakeholders analysis including the needs of both internal and external stakeholders. This analysis includes a summary of the business and clinical system functions that the technology should address for each of the executive stakeholders. Risk Analysis. A specific statement of the financial, technical, legal, ethical, and operational risks involved in introducing HIT into this setting and the feasible mitigation strategies to address these risks.

Final Project Scenarios

Long-Term CareBethanyPlaceis a 40-bed independent long-term care facility in the Pacific Northwest.They have existed for over 50 years having come from a faith-based background.With good investments and sound financial management, Bethany's place has grown and is executing a capital strategic plan.They are expanding their 40-bed facility to purchase a nearby residential facility and expand into rehabilitative care, adding another 30 beds.They are approximately six months away from receiving the appropriate certificates and regulatory approvals as a rehabilitative care facility for both chronic care patients and recovery of acute head injury.The rehabilitation facility and renovations to the independent long-term care facility are scheduled to begin in the next six months and be executed over an18-month period.Currently, Bethany place has no electronic medical record.There is a third-party service that is used to scan and send automated claims to Medicare and private insurers.A local desktop IT services company was recently contracted to provide managed services to Bethany's place and provides the website email and local desktop applications for staff. As part of this initiative, a robust new network design was implemented for both Bethany's place and the anticipated rehabilitation facility. The lack of an electronic health record at Bethany place has created quality issues and risk management issues particularly related to medication reconciliation with patient transfers.The board and senior leadership have asked Bethany place management to evaluate information technology options in the form of an electronic medical record, and patient management application(s) for both Bethany place and the rehabilitation extension facility as part of executing the strategic plan.

Answer 1

Introduction:-  The form of innovation used as one of the distinctive fields of telemedicine has an exceptional influence on the quality of treatment in modern health. Regular research in telemedicine is a way to help or deliver treatment, or is used in combination with numerous innovations as a fundamental factor of advanced medical treatment. Telemedicine uses PC, camcorder, and telephone communication systems to connect patients with physicians or other medical experts. Telehealth has been praised as a particular state-of - the-art solution for giving people living in remote areas better and enhanced treatment. Within the structure of telemedicine, because patients and their doctor can communicate with distant experts, they can use diagnostics they would not otherwise have access to. Telemedicine's creative scope can range from a particular store-and-forward innovation to a two-way television network or a complete teleconsultation program.

Week Three - Problem Statement:- Canon hospital is currently serving an extensive area. However, the facility’s efforts are hampered by the lack of efficient telemedicine infrastructure. The resulting inefficiency has adversely impacted service delivery in its neurology and critical care divisions. To make matter even worse, the facility has not been able to make follow-ups. As one measures to avoid the recurrence of such unfortunate events in the future, Canon hospital intends to introduce a rehabilitation program for stroke patients to bolster follow-ups. However, this is not enough; the facility must introduce a robust telemedicine infrastructure that includes the implementation of electronic stethoscopes as well as instituting strong telephone connectivity with its tertiary center as well as to facilitate the booking of appointment with its patients. Therefore, in order to improve service delivery, the facility must implement an effective teleconsultation, electronic stethoscopes framework, increased telephony connectivity to improve referral to tertiary centers as well as bolster medical follow-ups.

The scope of the IT solution:- Implementing an effective telemedicine framework is very demanding in terms of technical and clinical requirements. The staff needs to be trained in order for them to be able to handle the new technological aspects. For instance, a couple of the electronic stethoscopes available are referred to as digitizing stethoscopes since they change over the sound to an advanced sign. Such stethoscopes can transmit serialized sound information that can partake progressively or in synchronized forms. As such, trained staffs who know how to read such signals are able to interpret the data.

Since Canon hospital does not have this equipment ready in place, the facility will have to procure the hardware and software components from local HIT vendors. For instance, teleconsultation framework is facilitated by using emerging trends such as teleconferencing. As such, the facility must procure computers to support this process as well as establish a robust network that will power faster and secure communication with the tertiary critical care centers and the patients.

The facility must also establish a central server. This will serve the facility and its environs. The server will receive signals from the remote patient devices and transmit it to relevant divisions within the facility. However, in order to facilitate an efficient and smooth functioning, patching must be applied to the serves on a continues basis. As such, it demands that the facility must hire the services of IT expert whose responsibility is to carry out system maintenance.   

Stakeholder analysis:- Successful acquisition includes including the various stakeholders in the process of transition. The mechanism for the Canon medicinal services is an interlocking network of patients, physicians, administrators, controllers and numerous partners. An enormous change affecting one section would reshape the entire system. The view of patients on the progressions will rely to a large degree on how they impact their evaluation, their specialist and their paycheck. Translating and demystifying buyers ' progressions will seem like a relentless obstacle for interchanges.

The latest technology would improve patient contact with the doctor in the sense that the doctor will schedule an appointment with the patients with great ease. Since the facility covers a wide area, some of the patients may have to drive further to access the facility. Under the new system, however, patients who are far from the hospital can only book an appointment with a specialist and the doctor can treat the patients at home.

The tertiary communication would increase thereby improving referral levels to these facilities. Telemedicine seeks to improve the quality of healthcare. Stakeholders and the facility's credibility will benefit due to higher referral rates, improved appointment booking system, and quality health care provision. As a result, hospital management will reap the pure benefits arising from the increased income. Once client knows that the facility is involved in meeting their needs, the facility may develop higher loyalty. As such, the Canon Hospital is likely to benefit from a loyal customer who feels that the Canon Hospital recognizes their needs and is able to act efficiently on them

Risk Analysis:- Acquiring this system will cost the facility to the tune of $8.7 million. It is projected that Canon hospital will incur a total capital and operational expense of $3415000 and $5300000 respectively. This means that the facility will have to spend $8715000 during the first five years as indicated in the pro forma below. Although the initiative might seem expensive, it will be profitable in the long run. Adopting the initiative is in line with Canon’s mission and vision that seeks to establish the facility as the leading health care provider in the entire rural Texas.

From a technical perspective, the facility will benefit from the implementation of a robust telemedicine infrastructure that will see the hospital improve the delivery of its services. The rate of missed or canceled appointment that results out of poor patient/ doctor correspondence will reduce drastically. Generally, the benefits associated with the implementation of this new HIT outweigh the anticipated risk. Therefore, the facility should consider implementing the Telehealth project.  

Week four

Week four

HIT Program Pro Forma Template
Scope of Technology Implementation:
Software Licensing Terms:
	FY '01	FY '02	FY '03	FY '04	FY '05	Totals
Capital Costs (one time costs that can be depreciated)
Consulting Services Vendor or Third Party	$         10,000.00	$ 10,000.00	$ 10,000.00	$       10,000.00	$ 10,000.00	$      50,000.00
Implementation Salaries	$       200,000.00	$150,000.00	$100,000.00	$       80,000.00	$ 75,000.00	$    605,000.00
Database Software	$       300,000.00	$200,000.00	$150,000.00	$     100,000.00	$ 80,000.00	$    830,000.00
Hardware Costs—Servers & Devices	$       200,000.00	$150,000.00	$100,000.00	$       80,000.00	$ 75,000.00	$    605,000.00
Network Costs—Additional Network Needed	$       300,000.00	$250,000.00	$200,000.00	$     100,000.00	$ 95,000.00	$    945,000.00
Licensed Software—Vendor & Third Party Software	$       100,000.00	$ 85,000.00	$ 70,000.00	$       65,000.00	$ 60,000.00	$    380,000.00
Capital Totals	$1,110,000	$845,000	$630,000	$435,000	$85,000	$3,415,000
Operating Costs (annual recurring costs)
Software Maintenance/Support	$         50,000.00	$ 60,000.00	$ 65,000.00	$       68,000.00	$ 70,000.00	$    313,000.00
Hardware Maintenance/Support	$         10,000.00	$ 20,000.00	$ 30,000.00	$       40,000.00	$ 50,000.00	$    150,000.00
Physician Salary Support	$       600,000.00	$600,000.00	$650,000.00	$     650,000.00	$700,000.00	$ 3,200,000.00
Support/Post Production Salaries (IT & Other)	$       100,000.00	$200,000.00	$300,000.00	$     400,000.00	$500,000.00	$ 1,500,000.00
Travel/Training	$         20,000.00	$ 20,000.00	$ 20,000.00	$       20,000.00	$ 20,000.00	$    100,000.00
Other	$       100,000.00	$100,000.00	$100,000.00	$     100,000.00	$100,000.00	$    500,000.00
Operating Totals	$880,000	$920,000	$1,070,000	$1,170,000	$1,320,000	$5,300,000
Grand Totals (Capital & Operating)	$1,990,000	$1,765,000	$1,700,000	$1,605,000	$1,405,000	$8,715,000
FY - Fiscal Year

In order to maintain a positive accounting practice, accountants must be able to make certain accounting assumptions. Without these assumptions, experts warn that firms will not be able to make predictions that are quantifiable in the long run.  As such, with assumptions, Canon will be able to predict of the HIT is worth adopting or not.

The key assumptions seek to state how Canon hospital operates. As such, they provide fundamental structures on how the facility will record the particulars in the pro forma. In the event that these assumptions are not to be treated as the absolute truth, then the figures in the pro forma need to be adjusted to fit into the assumptions as outlined below.

The same accounting method has to be used throughout the entire evaluation process. Consistency assumption seeks to maintain uniformity during accounting practice. If consistency assumption is no maintained, then the financial functions in the pro forma are fluctuating. As such, it is not a good accounting practice to prepare financial statements that are not uniform.  

Treating Canon as an economic entity is another fundamental assumption made here. This assumption seeks to state those transactions that belong to Canon as well as its owners. In good accounting practice, it is not appropriate to mix the two. A financial statement such as a pro forma will only feature those transactions that belong to the business alone. These transactions are in financial terms.  

Another assumption made is the reliability assumption. In this regard, all the figures regarded in the pro forma are treated as reliable transactions. A reliable transaction refers to those expensed that are justifiable in the long run. If reliability assumption is not factored in, then it means that the accounting procedures adopted by the facility artificially accelerate profitability by bolstering revenue in the short run.

The period assumption is another fundamental assumption. The capital and expense figures are recorded over a consistent and uniform period. However, it is anticipated that capital expenses will decrease as time progresses. To the contrary, expense, on the other hand, will be increasing on an annual basis.  

Other miscellaneous assumptions include;

(i) Consulting Services Vendor or Third Party, traveling fee and other expenses are constant throughout the fiscal year.

(ii) The rest of the capital expenses except Consulting Services Vendor or Third Party Fee reduce progressively.

(iii) All expenses except for travel and another miscellaneous fee will be increasing progressively.