ORGANIZING IT SERVICES AND PERSONNEL (PART 1) Lecture 7

Introduction The IT department is an integral part of most hospitals or health care systems. If the health care facility was large and complex and used a fair amount of information technology, you will find IT staff “behind the scenes” developing or enhancing applications, building system interfaces, maintaining databases, managing networks, performing system backups, and carrying out a host of other IT support activities. IT department is becoming increasingly important, not only in hospitals but in all health care organizations that use IT to manage clinical and administrative data and processes.

IT Department Responsibilities 1. Ensuring that an IT plan and strategy have been developed for the organization. 2. Acquire and implement needed new applications. 3. Providing day-to-day support for users fixing broken personal computers, responding to questions about application use, training new users, and applying upgrades to existing applications. 4. Managing the IT infrastructure performing backups of databases, installing network connections for new organizational locations, monitoring system performance, and securing the infrastructure from virus attacks.

Core Functions IT departments have four core functions: 1. Operations and Technical Support 2. Applications Management 3. Specialized Groups 4. IT Administration

1. Operations and Technical Support 1. Manages the IT infrastructure such as: servers, networks, operating systems, database management systems, and workstations. 2. Installs new technology 3. Applies upgrades 4. Troubleshoots and repairs the infrastructure 5. Performs “housekeeping” tasks such as backups, and responds to user problems, such as a printer that is not working.

Subgroups Depending on the size of the IT group and the diversity of applications and responsibilities, a function may require several secondary departments or subgroups. The subgroup of Operations and Technical Support: Data center management manages the equipment in the computer center. Network engineers Manage the organization’s network technologies Server engineers supervise the installation of new servers managing server space utilization. Database managers add new databases support database query tools respond to database problems

Subgroups Security ensure that virus protection software is available disaster recovery plans are current manage application and system passwords Help desk provide support to users who call in with problems such as: broken office equipment trouble with operating an application a forgotten password, how to perform a specific task on the computer. Deployments install new workstations and printers move workstations when groups move to new buildings Training train organization staff on new applications and office software,

2. Applications Management 1. Manages the processes of acquiring new application systems 2. Developing new application systems 3. Implementing new systems 4. Providing ongoing enhancement of applications 5. Troubleshooting application problems 6. Working with application suppliers to resolve these problems.

Subgroups for example, a financial systems group and a clinical systems group. Groups that focus on major classes of applications for example, a group to support the applications in the clinical laboratory or in radiology. Groups dedicated to specific applications this is found in organizations that perform a significant amount of internal development. An applications development group for example, a Web development group. Groups that focus on specific types of internal development

3. Specialized Groups Groups that have very specialized functions, depending on the type of organization or the organization’s approach to IT. For example: Groups that support the needs of the research community in academic medical centers Process redesign groups in organizations that engage in a significant degree of process reengineering during application implementation Decision-support groups that help perform analyses and create reports from corporate databases

4. IT Administration Depending on the size of the IT department, there are groups that focus on supporting IT administrative activities. These groups perform tasks as: Overseeing the development of the IT strategic plan Managing contracts with vendors Developing and monitoring the IT budget Providing human resource support for the IT staff Providing support for the management of IT projects such as training Managing the space occupied by an IT department or group

Senior IT Leadership Roles Chief information officer (CIO) Chief technology officer (CTO) Chief security officer (CSO) Chief medical informatics officer (CMIO)

Chief Information Officer (CIO) Chief information officer (CIO) manages the IT department lead the organization to apply IT to advance its strategies.

Chief Information Officer (CIO) Responsibilities: 1. Sets vision and strategy by determining how technology can best serve the organization. 2. Integrates information technology for business success. 3. Makes change happen. Able to lead the organization in making processes changes. 4. Interacts with internal and external customers to ensure continuous customer satisfaction. 5. Creates a work environment and community that draws, develops and retains top IT talent. 6. Builds networks and community. Develops and maintains professional net- works with internal and external sources and effectively controls those network.

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Chief technology officer (CTO) The primary responsibilities and functions of the CTO are: 1. Guide the implementation of the organization’s technical architecture 2. Defining the operating systems and network technologies. 3. Ensuring that the technical infrastructure is upgrade. 4. Ensuring that all the technologies are suitable. The CTO role is not found in smaller organizations but is increasingly common in larger ones. In smaller organizations, the CIO also do the CTO job.

Chief Security Officer (CSO) Chief security officer (CSO) The primary role and functions of the CSO are: 1. Ensure that the health care organization has an effective information security plan. 2. Ensure that information systems are secure and safe from damaging or misuse, and disaster recovery procedures exist.

Chief Medical Informatics Officer (CMIO) The CMIO is usually a physician This role may be filled through a part-time commitment by a member of the organization’s medical staff. The primary role and functions of the CMIO are: 1. Leading clinical information system initiatives such as electronic medical record (EMR) implementations 2. Engaging physicians and other health care professionals in the development and use of the EMR system 3. Being highly responsive to user needs, such as training, to ensure widespread use and acceptance of clinical systems

CMIO Characteristics The CMIO should be: Credible as a good clinician and not be viewed as a “techie doctor” who is only knowledgeable about computers An effective communicator across services and disciplines, An effective consensus builder Knowledgeable of hospital operations

IT Staff Roles System Analyst Determine what computer hardware and software will be needed. They prepare specifications, flowcharts, and process diagrams for computer programmers to follow. Determine what computer hardware and software will be needed. They work with programmers to debug, or eliminate, errors in the system. Programmer Applications Programmers Write programs to handle specific user tasks revise existing packaged software or customize applications. Systems Programmers Write programs to maintain and control infrastructure software, such as operating systems, networked systems, and database systems. Database Administrator work with database management systems software to organize and store data. Identify user requirements, set up computer databases, and test and coordinate modifications to these systems. Ensures the performance of the database systems, understands the platform on which the databases run, and adds new users to the systems. database administrators plan and coordinate security measures.

IT Staff Roles Network Administrator Design, test, and evaluate systems such as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), the Internet, intranets, and other data communications systems. perform network modeling, analysis, and planning they may also research related products and make hardware and software recommendations The telecommunications specialist Manage the organization’s telephone systems: for example, the central phone system, cellular telephone infrastructure, and nurse call systems. Design voice and data communication systems provide maintenance and other services to staff throughout the organization after the system is installed

References “Health Care Information Systems: A Practical Approach for Health Care Management” By Karen A. Wager, Frances W. Lee, John P. Glaser “Information Systems and Healthcare Enterprises” By Roy Rada