1. IT Implementation Cost The under appreciated costs of implementing a IT solution.

2. IT is a resource under appreciated within organizations... All moves no matter how large or small require IT involvement. The expansion or addition of of services require IT involvement even if no new applications are required. All construction requires IT involvement. Almost all changes in business processes require IT involvement to implement. Bandwidth expansion within and between facilities are not understood outside of IT.

3. Internal Labor Cost Possible infrastructure expansion required Server configuration/installation/testing Cost of additional servers for testing and training often required. System backup media and infrastructure costs.

4. Disaster Recovery... 2nd site disaster recover has been added as a requirement for almost all clinical systems since 9/11. IT plays a critical role in planning for a health systems disaster response.

5. Increased Demands on IT... Almost every recommended patient safety improvement process requires an IT implantation on a large scale. Many organizations have not expanded IT budgets due to declining revenues. IT is expected to do much more with the same resources.

6. Priority Shifts dramatically impact IT Changes in organizational priorities require rapid changes to the organization of IT departments. The juggling of facilities and departmental priorities cause inefficencies within IT departments.

7. Unique Role of IT within an organization... All internal IT departments are counted as an expense in the bottom line. No other administrative department effects the bottom line of the organization and departments within the organization as much. IT has a dual role... 1. “Keep the lights on” 2. “Impove the efficiency of the organization”