The fifth issue relates to the inconsistencies of the cellular connection used t
The fifth issue relates to the inconsistencies of the cellular connection used to connect to the information system in some of the patient’s homes. This issue is related to the site preparation and integration testing not being performed by the implementation team. Site preparation “requires making any needed changes to the physical locations where the computer workstations, printers, or other hardware will be installed. In addition to the physical plant, the healthcare organization network may need to be updated to accommodate the extra traffic resulting from the new information system” (p. 94). Considering Home Health of America is using a cellular connection to connect the IS in some of the homes they could determine through site preparations and integration testing that there needs to be improvements. The improvements may be stronger networks and additional hot spot options. According to Sayles and Burke (2020), integration testing “ensures that all hardware, including computers, printers, and scanners work together as they should” (p. 100). This testing would display the errors of connectivity that works and those that do not. The issues could initiate the conversation of reengineering to support the users while traveling from patient-to-patient homes. According to Sayles and Kavanaugh-Burke (2020), “the implementation of a new IS is a perfect time to critique the tasks performed to try and improve efficiency, costs, and effectiveness” (p. 98). Critiquing the cellular connection not connecting to the IS will determine what areas need to be reengineered or modified to support the need for remote access when traveling between patient homes.
In conclusion, multiple steps within the implementation process must be taken to ensure the information system runs smoothly and effectively. These steps are insisting on a different method and date for go-live, data conversion through interfaces, user preparation, user interface design, training, policy, procedure development, documentation, and test planning. Home Health of America did not perform these steps which resulted in multiple issues such as the CEO’s choice to go-live on a Monday using the Big Bang model, some of the information system’s functionality not working, slow documentation, the inconsistencies with a cellular connection in patient homes, overtime to get caught up on documentation being more than expected, patients not being seen, and the decision to go back to paper records.
Reference:
Sayles, N., & Kavanaugh-Burke, L. (2020). System Implementation. In Introduction to Information Systems for Health Information Technology (4th ed., pp. 93–112). American Health Information Management Association.