Question

How can there be more unity in information systems healthcare protocols?

Answer 1

Unity is a multifaceted tool that connects us to you deeply and broadly by putting all customer information in one easily accessible data warehouse.

The Unity project will roll out in phases, with each phase adding capabilities that help us do a better job of assisting you. For example, the first phase, which has been launched, included a new telephony system that identifies the caller. When you call our Help Desk, Varian support staff will know who you are and have immediate and complete access to essential customer information, such as your service history, any training or flex credits to which you are entitled, your current technology configuration, your open service tickets and in-process work orders, and information about your last quotations. With the new system, our Help Desk agents will always have the latest history of your interactions with Varian, and vital information such as the versions of software you are running and when they were upgraded.

The Unity project has also empowered our global Help Desk agents with a knowledge management system designed to help them troubleshoot issues more effectively, with fast access to relevant information. They also have improved access to contract information, so they understand your entitlements at the time you are asking for service.

In addition, our customer portal, MyVarian, has been integrated into our Unity platform so that you now have direct access to case order and work order information, including up-to-date status on all your projects. You can also create cases directly in MyVarian without even picking up the phone.

As new Unity capabilities come on line, I predict you will experience a more united and proactive Varian that knows you—and can better understand, anticipate, and meet your needs. In the next phase of the Unity project, we will launch a new quoting tool that simplifies and accelerates the quotation process, leverages your installed base information to improve the accuracy of upgrade quotations, and more. These new capabilities will help ensure that orders you place with Varian will meet your operational needs.

While the paper by Anderson and Agarwal examines t he factors driving the propensity of patients to share personal health information, Bandyopadhyay et al. (in this issue) analyze the propensity of healthcare providers to share patients’ records. Sharing of elec- tronic health records (EHR) by providers can increase her activities as administrative irritants. Given the h ierarchical nature of healthcare, technology aversion by an influential physician or nurse is likely to affect other caregivers.