Question: Assignment: Choosing an HIT Vendor Solution

It is very typical for leaders and their staffs to explore market capabilities when it comes to looking for viable and feasible partners who provide health technology solutions. When examining vendor products, be they software, hardware, or other technologies, it is important to examine not only the vendor sales literature but also objective industry analysis as well. This process is collaborative and has many dimensions that include looking at the technical, financial, and functional aspects of technology solutions.

As a health care administrator you will collaborate with other leaders such as CIOs, operations managers, CFOs, and CMOs in the analysis of Health Information Technology (HIT) vendor software solutions. Keeping in mind both the tactical problems that your organization is facing and your organization's overall strategic direction, you will analyze vendors in the marketplace and the HIT products that they sell.

For this two-part Assignment, analyze vendors who compete in the HIT software marketplace using the Independent Physician Office Ambulatory EMR Scenario in your Learning Resources. After assessing the capabilities and limitations of at least three possible vendor solutions, for Part 2, you will make a recommendation to your leadership team colleagues on which one or two vendors you would feel most comfortable progressing toward the next steps of system acquisition. Keep in mind that choosing two solutions allows the organization to have potential leverage in negotiations. If your recommendation is one vendor, how do you justify this recommendation?

To Prepare for this Assignment:

Review the Independent Physician Office Scenario in your Learning Resources.

Select three vendors after reviewing the HealthIT.gov list and the KLAS reports provided in the Learning Resources.

The Assignment-Part 1: Compare and contrast the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of three vendors offering an ambulatory Electronic Health Record to independent physician practices. Construct a table that summarizes your SWOT analysis with an accompanying reference page listing any external resources used in your analysis. Comparisons should include quantitative/evidence-based information as well as qualitative.

Note: The following table is an example of what to construct for Part 1.

Vendor: (Consider Functional, Technical, Operational, and Strategic for each element of the SWOT) A B C

- Strengths

- Weaknesses

- Opportunities

- Threats

The Assignment-Part 2: Write a 2-page executive summary outlining the one or two IT vendors that you recommend engaging for further acquisition activities such as stakeholder demos and request for proposals. The executive summary should be addressed to the members of your fellow executive leadership team. Be sure to clearly outline the strategic, operational, technical (IT) requirements, and market reasons for your recommendation. If you are recommending one vendor, justify your strategy to handle the organizations' anticipated loss in negotiating leverage.