Greenway Medical Technologies: The Pace-Setting David of Electronic Health
Records
The above case study outlines the potential value offered by electronic healthcare
records (EHR) but also raises a number of issues. The case material is comprehensive
but, in essence, focuses on the improving the management of doctors offices through
the application of information technology and systems. The requirement for this case
study is to analyse the IT value issues of EHR so that a business case can be
developed for management of a doctors practice.
You are required to analyse the case material provided to you and produce a report to
management with the title: The Business Case for Investing in EHR within a
Doctors Practice. You should identify the issues in the case material that have
relevance to a business case and produce a written report from the information
available. To understand the issues associated with EHR you should not only rely on
the information provided in the case study but also conduct your own research. EHR
is very topical and there is much information available through the e-library. A
sample journal article relevant to the topic titled Information Technology Issues in
Healthcare: Hospital CEO and CIO Perspectives is provided with the case material.
The assignment should be completed in two parts:
Part 1: Data collection
You are required to collect data in respect of an EHR vendor operating in Australia
that supplies EHR system solutionsto doctors practices. Establish the solutions they
provide: functionality of systems, IT architecture, risk and security, costs and benefits,
implementation strategy, vendor background information.
It is mandatory that you provide an audit trail of your data collection activities:
sources of data (e.g. Internet URL, brochures), dates when the data was obtained (e.g.
dates Internet was accessed), the data itself (to be attached in the appendix of your
business report).
Part 2: Business Report
Once you have collected the above data, a formal reportshould be produced with the
following structure:
Cover: title of report, to whom it is aIDressed, who has written it, date
Background information: a brief overview of EHR, the EHR vendor and the
nature of the doctors practice (one page)
Executive summary: this summarise the total report. It is neither background
information nor an introduction. By reading this summary, the executive is
given an overview of the how the analysis was done, what was covered, what
were the main findings and recommendations, and what are the limitations of
the report. This section should be about one page long.
Analysis of the investment in EHR
The evaluation approach used in the analysis
Financial benefits and costs
Non-financial benefits and costs
Risks
Organisational change impact
Impact of not doing anything
Recommendations: there should be 2-3 primary recommendations and a
number of secondary recommendationsfor each of the primary
recommendations. They are derived from the analysis that was completed and
the connection should be apparent.
Limitations: this covers the shortcomings of the analysis, e.g. relied on the
information provided in the case material and other sources, missing data that
is needed to complete the business case.
Appendix: include data collected and audit trail and any worksheets.
You should use the material provided in the unit (overheads, readings) to develop the
businessreport. When put together the whole assignment should reflect a professional
standard and the written parts of the report should be between 2400 and 2500 words
long.
This assessment is worth of the units marks. You are encouraged to talk the
lecturer through the report prior to submission. In this way you will obtain feedback
for the completion of the report itself.
Submission information
Weighting This assignment accounts for of the
assessment for the unit.
Max length 2,500 words
Due Date See unit plan
Time At start of lecture
Place Lecture
Format Individual, written
Paper instructions
Concise, written answers to the analysis, demonstrating your understanding of
business/IT benefit management issues contained in the case, are required. In other
words, marks will be awarded for work that demonstrates a clear understanding of the
key issues contained in the case and the application of relevant knowledge you gained
from the unit. Your analysis will be assessed according to the marking schedule