Truth be told, in a health system or private office setting, we buy more systems than build. The good news is that there is an endless desire for systems. We can augment and enhance practices. However, there is the constant question of how much resources to expend to determine if this solution is something we want to implement throughout or just trial.
This decision is normally made in funding the initiatives. The reward of successful adoption balanced with the risk of failure relates directly to how much money is to be expended in the deployment. The deployment strategy tells whether you are just tipping your toe in the water, wading, or jumping into the lake for a swim.
The Prototype
The first deployment strategy is truly prototyping. This is often done with bleeding edge technology solutions. For example, an investigation of prototyping the citrix iphone client with Cerner Millenium PowerChart would be considered a prototype. The reward would be large. There is a high probability that it is too much information to display on the iphone. So the organization will prototype, perhaps with a couple of the true iphone physician advocates.The Pilot
Next on the line is piloting a solution. This deployment strategy was often done with trialing mobile computing equipment. The idea is to go long term with the solution, but determining which route to go. As the clinical computing environment grows, it has often expanded beyond the nursing floor with the mid 80's facility design. Given these tight quarters and how wireless is setup in your facility, it is often a good idea to pilot various tablets, barcode readers, and computer on wheels.The Housewide
Finally, we come to often a full deployment. This deployment strategy is where we are just diving on into the lake for a swim. Often these are capital investments to rollout functionality, like barcode administration with positive patient id. For example, the strategy may be to provide healthcare which is safe. A program will be funded to reduce adverse drug events through technology enhancements. This program will have several projects, and the rollout maybe service by service for some, full blown for the others. There will be a lot of redefining workflow, and effort expended in rolling out this solution. In most instances, the funding is capitalized, a donation, or grant. Obviously, a large investment for great benefits is anticipated.The Take Away Point
In summary, the deployment mechanism is decided based upon the reward balanced with the risk. It is a business decision for how much to be invested in the desired benefits and outcomes.Further Readings on Healthcare IT
- Technical Excellence, Service Excellence, and Excellence in Care
- Develop 3 or 4 real life scenarios for the vendor to demo
- Understanding the technologies which help reduce adverse drug events
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Welcome to the Healthcare IT Project Management Blog of Elyse Nielsen. This is the place where I share the ideas I have learned, the things I’d like to remember, and my thoughts for a brighter future. Find out more.
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