INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PLANNING
Success in today's environment requires health care organizations to effectively integrate long-range business goals with predictable and affordable information technology investments. The fundamental concept underlying our Planning methodology is that a strategic information systems plan should directly support the business plan at a predictable and affordable investment level. Ours is a participative, team approach that incorporates client staff as well as vendor personnel as significant and integral members of the engagement team. The approach features: A proven methodology, automated tools, experienced consultants, consensus driven prioritization, and the grouping of expenditures into infrastructure, strategic and tactical investments.
We also use a Cost/Benefit Methodology to assist in assessing potential costs and benefits associated with the implementation of new technology and structured working sessions with client team personnel to collaboratively develop strategies and evaluate I/S alternatives. Our clients gain unbiased, objective assistance with HIS planning and a straight-forward plan written in non-technical language which is consistent with and supportive of the organization's business goals. Our IT Planning Services include:
Development of IT Mission and Vision
Creation or Updating of IT Strategic Plans
Assessment of Delivery Alternatives, including Outsourcing options
Development of Tactical Plans, Annual Budgets and IT Organizational Design
Development of JCAHO Information Management (IM) Plans and IM Review Readiness Assessments
Third-Party Review of IT Plans and Benchmarking of IT Cost and Strategy
Creation of IT Network and Telephony Plans
IT REQUIREMENTS DEFINITION, VENDOR SELECTION & CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
We assist clients develop reliable, practical user requirements, we provide historical and technical assessments of vendor solutions and we can help in contract negotiations. Successfully changing information technology business partners is an expensive and complex undertaking. It all starts with choosing the right solution form a viable vendor. Add to this the business demands of health care organizations and new technologies like .web, wireless networks and complex multi-vendor integrated solutions and engaging a third party with knowledge and experience seems as natural as engaging a lawyer when buying a house. Vendors have developed to address many unique niches but may challenge the integration of information most organizations seek. Also, a large number of small, specialized vendors enter (and exit) the market to meet these rapidly developing requirements. We estimate that health care information systems market supports over 1,000 vendors. We specialize in assisting clients in navigating this complex market through requirement definition, sourcing and evaluation of market alternatives, developing consensus on the most cost effective solution, and in negotiating an effective contractual agreement. This is an area where knowledge and know-how are of paramount importance. Our approach features:
Knowledge of the vendors and changing landscape that will help identify the most promising solutions
Electronic tools for requirements definition, vendor selection and contract negotiation that reduce the evaluation time and effort.
Facilitation that helps clients develop organizational consensus on the "right" system based on fit, risk and cost considerations.
The use of an RFI, RFP and/or Scenario evaluation approaches.
The ability to leverage our vendor experience in contract negotiation and in assisting your legal counsel with business and technical suggestions.
IT PROJECT READINESS ASSESSMENT
Many health care organizations experience difficulty with embracing change. A major key to success is the ability to recognize and overcome organizational impediments that will limit achievement of full benefits of new technology. The consultant must not only report findings, but also provide implementable recommendations. We assess technology projects using the following six measures:
Skill – Are the required technical, user and executive skills included in the project?
Commitment – Are the users, management and IT, committed to the success of the project, or are some "waiting to see" or actively opposed?
Resources – Are the required resources available to the project when needed? To how many projects are key staff simultaneously committed?
Technology – Are the hardware, software, network and deployment requirements appropriately addressed?
Process Change – Is there an accepted methodology to address policy and procedure changes during the implementation?
Benefit – Are there specific (and quantified where possible) benefit expectations? If not, the measure of success will be general contentment.
It is our experience that when there is a significant weakness in any one of the measures, the project risks overrun in time or budget. When two elements are weak, the project has a substantial risk of not meeting objectives. If three or more measures are substantially weak, the project will probably not be rated a success, even if the installation is completed.
EXECUTIVE PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Implementation involves more than installation. Our implementation oversight services focus on achieving a smooth transition through effective project management, training & communication.
Our approach features:
A well-defined project organization and reporting relationships among CCI staff, the project team(s) and client management at all levels.
Proven guidelines for status reporting, management review and change management.
Act as a "Problem Solver" when unexpected system or personnel problems appear (they almost always do!).
Senior level consultants who have worked with complex health systems and have experienced differing approaches.
The benefit of our approach is a predictable project that allows management control of timing and customization while providing end users the opportunity to integrate the new capabilities into business operations. We can also function in an advisory oversight role. The client, vendor, and other consultants may staff the project. The value we offer is in bringing focused experience at an executive level to a critical project. Our effort can range from full time as the executive project manager to monthly attendance at key project meetings.
CIO PEER NETWORK
Today’s Chief Information Officer faces daily challenges in the evolution of health care and technology. Technology introduction and integration into the business and clinical processes, infrastructure management, balancing access and security and increasing cost pressures are but some of the current issues. In addressing these challenges, we believe CIO’s would benefit from a knowledgeable focused resource to help address these issues in support of the CIO. CCI has developed a program of assistance that provides a proactive organized peer resource focused on your needs and circumstance. You decide on the makeup of the peer team and the focus. CCI provides the knowledgeable resources and facilitation to meet your schedule and objectives. In essence, you extend your own capabilities with experienced peer executives focused on your key leadership goals. They can assist you while remaining in the background, or they can take an active role in communicating your strategies. Rather than managing crises, you organize progress. This is a new way to use senior consulting resources to your advantage. There are four elements to the Peer Network:
Selection of the permanent and rotating peer team members. CCI has a significant team of resources from which to select your permanent peer team members including physicians, nurses and a former CEO of a major health system. In addition, rotating team members can often be selected from peer organizations (hospitals, physician groups or even vendor organizations). CCI will assemble, focus and facilitate the development of your personal peer network team.
Initial familiarization and strategy development phase. Your permanent team members come to you to learn your current circumstance, issues, plans and objectives. The deliverable for this phase is an understanding of your environment, (so that assistance and suggestions can be made in context), immediate suggestions, leadership objectives and timing for the year, and the identification of any additional or supplemental resources. A summary of the effort will be provided in writing.
Quarterly institutes or roundtable discussions. This phase of activity encompasses the quarterly meeting or activities to be accomplished over the course of the year. You, in conjunction with your peer network team, decide on the topics, format, invitees, location and duration. CCI will prepare the materials and facilitate the events. The range of formats include day long institutes, roundtable discussions, focus groups, management retreats, white paper presentations or brainstorming sessions. The topics can be as varied as the issues you confront. Some potential topics include:
IT Return on investment
Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
Out-sourcing or right-sourcing strategies
Vendor Partnerships, alliances and strategies
Aligning IT to business needs, goals and priorities
Managing pervasive computing (wireless, PDA’s, tablets, kiosks, internet/intranet)
Recruitment, mentoring, retention and accession strategies
Privacy, security and HIPAA
Supply chain management
Customer relationship management strategies
Telehealth
On-call telephone support. We believe that some activities can be accomplished without being on-site. In addition to the organized and scheduled quarterly activities best suited to your location, your peer network resources are also accessible by telephone and email. Research, position papers, budget analysis, benchmarking, annual report development, position descriptions and many other activities can be performed remotely and organized by ad-hoc conference calls.
EXECUTIVE CIO SERVICES
Recently the Institute of Medicine (IOM) established a set of performance expectations and ten new rules to guide patient-clinician relationships. While the IOM does not outline a specific IT solution pathway, it points out that technology is a critical ingredient to any solution for crossing this quality divide. The need to remain abreast of important new information technologies, while gaining the most from those to which you have already committed, is a challenge that causes many healthcare organizations to employ a Chief Information Officer. However, that resource can be extremely difficult to attract at an acceptable salary level. CCI has developed a program of assistance to provide a Chief Information Officer on a part time contract basis.
How the Executive CIO Program Works
CCI works with you to identify the resources and effort required. We perform an initial assessment and follow up with both on-site and telephone support to address your management IT needs. We believe the selection of a successful Chief Information Officer include following.
Fit to Your Organization
The best way to make the right choice of resource for you is to meet and work with them in your environment. We accomplish this by beginning the project with an on-site review of your current circumstance, including a review of staffing, technologies, infrastructure, applications, plans and management expectations. We will work with your management team as well as IT staff, selected department heads and vendor resources, if appropriate. We work effectively with outsourced IT departments to provide independent IT management, oversight and direction on your behalf. At the conclusion of the initial review, we will meet with your executives to review our findings and recommendations, as well as our fit with your management team and style. We will provide both an oral and written report. You decide, at the conclusion of the initial work, if the resource we offer adds sufficient value to your team to warrant an on-going role. In effect, we perform before you commit.
Knowledge and Experience
CCI is made up of only senior individuals. The most junior CCI resource would be a manager in a large consulting firm. Most also have CIO, and vendor employment experience. Your resource has the knowledge and experience to address technology issues ranging from the implementation of outsourcing, to managing HIPAA compliance, to vendor contract and performance negotiations and improving resource utilization. They also have the ability to mentor your existing staff so you can create a career path for internal IT talent. Most importantly, they have the business acumen to become productive members of your management team, the ability that often eludes most junior CIO’s. Too often, a technologist knows everything but how they fit into the world around them.
Committed Deliverables
Although advice and counsel is important, long term satisfaction requires that there should be specific productive value from the service we provide. During the initial meeting, we will jointly identify the work products and time frames for the initial agreement period. Some of the potential work products could include:
• IT capital and operating budget development, review or analysis
• Contract negotiation or renegotiation
• IT education for the board, management, physicians or service areas
• Technology analysis in such areas as Wireless, Personal Data Assistants, Information Integration, Physician Order Entry, Automated Call Directories, Security, Outsourcing, etc.
• Staff coaching and encouraging, promising future leaders
• Departmental reviews of IT system utilization and productivity improvement recommendations
We believe that there will be significant benefits to your organization resulting from this new service. These benefits should include improved IT decision making, cost avoidance, improved IT staff productivity and morale, as well as peace of mind for you and your management team, knowing that your IT decisions are technologically relevant, practical and cost effective.
Cost
We tailor the support to meet the needs of your organization. All projects begin with an initial review and familiarization phase, which is priced separately, to allow you to decide if you want to proceed. We can provide weekly to quarterly on-site support. Since you are engaging an organization, we also provide on-call telephone support from your executive CIO and other specialists as required. You can draw on medical informatics, physicians, revenue cycle, PACS, recruiting and telephone and network specialists for your team from CCI.
DECISION SUPPORT SERVICES
We bring knowledge of the major vendor products combined with trained management engineers who have implemented and used these powerful tools. Our assistance can range from reviews and analysis to selection and implementation with the associated development of cost standards. We have also assisted our clients review data warehouse technologies that enable broader and more sophisticated manipulation of data.
BEHAVIORAL CARE SYSTEMS
The Behavioral care market encompasses a variety of both inpatient and outpatient service settings. The data and billing requirements are quite different and often more complex than the acute care or ambulatory physician settings. We have one of the leading IT specialists in this market segment and a selection of high profile client references. We offer the full range of consulting support from IT planning, to requirement definition and selection services, to implementation oversight and project management.
OUTSOURCING VALUE ANALYSIS
The best way to make the right choice and understand the real value and appropriate focus for outsourcing is to engage a resource with significant experience and a thorough understanding of the nature and potential pitfalls in such relationships. CCI has staff that have assessed, contracted, developed, implemented and managed outsourcing relationships for some of the most complex health care organizations in the country. Our services can range from a quick review of alternatives, to a detailed cost benefit analysis, to an ongoing oversight relationship.
REVENUE CYCLE IMPROVEMENT
CCI through it’s affiliate MacFarlane & Associates we can offer a full range of services to address improving the front and back office operations. We have extensive experience working with clients who have powerful information technology tools for the business office that are not effectively utilized. CCI works in conjunction with our affiliate to address all sides of the circumstance. Policies, procedures, skill and resources as well as IT support and capabilities are each elements that play a part in a revenue cycle solution. We have decades of experience working as a team.
NETWORK ANALYSIS, ARCHITECTURE, INTERFACE DEVELOPMENT AND TELEPHONY
CCI through our affiliate Computer Network Architects, we undertake projects to assist clients address the analysis and implementation of technology infrastructure. This added dimension allows us to work with our clients on the technical aspects of IT delivery which is often a critical component in our strategic assignments. We do not have preferred relationships with IT supply companies nor do we develop software.
PACS and DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
CCI utilizes the services of our affiliate DAK Systems Consulting who specializes specializing in the analysis, planning and design of electronic patient record component technologies and systems such as Document Imaging, Document Management, Output / Print Management, PACS, Telemedicine, Intranets, e-Health Solutions, Portal Frameworks and Web Services. DAK is one of the leading consulting providers for these specialized services and acts as staff to CCI Principals engaged to assess, evaluate the cost benefits of, select or implement these information technology tools.
http://www.daksystemsconsulting.com
