IFSM Stage 4:   System Recommendation & Final System Recommendation Report

Overview

Before you begin work on this assignment, be sure you have read the Case Study, and reviewed the feedback received on your Stage 1, 2 and 3 assignments.  Refer to the System Recommendation Report (SRR) Table of Contents below to see where you are in the process of developing this report.

In this Stage 4 assignment, you will identify a certified Electronic Health Records (EHR) system for the Midtown Family Clinic and explain how it meets the requirements, how it will improve the processes at the Clinic, and what needs to be done to implement the system within the Clinic.  You will add the Conclusion to the Report.   In addition, you will provide a complete final System Recommendation Report incorporating feedback from earlier stages.

System Recommendation Report (SRR), Section IV – System Recommendation

Section IV of the System Recommendation Report will propose a certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) system to meet the Midtown Family Clinic’s strategy and meet its operational needs.  In Section IV, you will also Identify and explain the improvements the system will bring and the high-level steps that will need to take place in order to implement the system you have proposed.  For this assignment, you will add Section IV to Sections I, II and III, as outlined below.

Stage 4 Assignment Instructions

The first step is to incorporate the feedback you received on your Stage 3 assignment, making any needed corrections or adjustments.  If you have not incorporated the feedback from your Stage 1 and Stage 2 assignments, you should do so prior to submitting Stage 4.  This assignment requires a complete System Recommendation Report document with revisions made as needed based on the Stage 1, 2, and 3 project submissions and feedback.  Note:  This is a specific grading criteria in the rubric.

Using the case study and the outline listed below, develop your Section IV – System Recommendation.   Approximate lengths for each section are provided as a guideline; be sure to provide all pertinent information.

1. System Recommendation  

1. Introduction – Introduction to this section describing what is included. (4-5 sentences)

1. Proposed IT Solution: There are many certified EHR systems available. Conduct some research on the web and identify a system that will support the Midtown Family Clinic and that meets the requirements you listed in Section I – Organizational Analysis and Requirements (the Stage 1 Assignment).  One easy to use site is http://www.softwareadvice.com/ where you can enter “Electronic Medical Records” as the search term and then select various criteria such as specialty, practice size, price, etc.  From the results presented, you can identify the names of the various systems and then search on those directly for more detailed information.  Be sure to evaluate potential solutions to align with the needs of the Midtown Family Clinic.  Identify the vendor and the system you selected. (One paragraph)

1. How the Proposed IT Solution Meets the Requirements: Using the 10 requirements you listed in your Stage 1 assignment (and incorporating any feedback you received), you will now explain how the solution you have chosen fulfills these requirements.

First, insert an introductory opening sentence for this section.  Then copy the entries for the 10 requirements into the Requirements column from the table in Section I (Stage 1 Assignment).  Complete the table by providing the explanations of how the system you selected meets each requirement.   (Provide an introductory sentence and copy the table and insert information within.)

1. Improvements from the Proposed IT Solution: Explain how the proposed IT solution will help the Midtown Family Clinic achieve its strategic goals (one paragraph) and improve the processes at the Midtown Family Clinic (one paragraph).  (Two complete paragraphs in total)

1. Implementation Considerations: First, insert an introductory opening sentence for this section. Then identify whether the system will be implemented on premise or as a cloud based service, and address each of the 7 implementation considerations below by addressing the questions provided and identifying appropriate implementation steps.  Label each paragraph with the consideration being addressed for clarity. Some of the information required will come from the vendor information located through your web research.  (one paragraph for each consideration)

Implementation Strategy – Will the system be implemented on premise or as a cloud-based service?  Explain your recommendation for the Midtown Family Practice.

Implementation Considerations:

1. Vendor agreement
   1. What does the Midtown Family Clinic need to do to be able to start using the system?
   2. How much will it cost to use the system?
2. Hardware and telecommunications
   1. What hardware will the Midtown Family Clinic need to have in order to implement and use the solution?
   2. What kind of telecommunications will be needed for the solution, including local connectivity inside the Clinic and Internet access?
3. Configuration
   1. What options does the vendor offer for configuring the off-the-shelf system to the Midtown Family Clinic’s needs?
   2. How will the configuration be done and by whom?
4. Testing
   1. How will the Clinic test the system to see if it is working properly for its needs?
   2. Choose one of the ten requirements in Requirements (Section C) above and explain how this will be tested to ensure it is working properly and the requirement is met.
5. Employee preparation – Identify what the Midtown Family Clinic will need to do in each of the following areas to prepare the employees to use the new system:
   1. Leadership (2-3 sentences)
   2. Change Management (2-3 sentences)
   3. Training (2-3 sentences)
6. Data migration
   1. What existing data would need to be entered into the system to get started?
   2. How might this be accomplished?
7. Maintenance
   1. Who will provide updates and corrections to the system?
   2. How will that be done?

1. Summary – briefly summarize the content of this section and tie the information together for the reader. (3-4 sentences)

Conclusion:  Close your System Recommendation Report with a brief summary of the key points including the benefits the Midtown Family Clinic can expect to gain from this solution and the alignment with its strategic objectives.  This should be a “compelling call to action” to get the Midtown Family Clinic to approve your recommendation and move ahead to implementing the system.   (One well-written paragraph.)

NOTE:  This final submission should be a cohesive System Recommendation Report for the Midtown Family Clinic.  Sections I, II and III should have been updated to reflect substantive feedback received during the grading process.  The formatting should be consistent throughout the document, and the writing should flow well from beginning to end.  Headings, numbering, page numbers, and footers should be correct for a final submission. A cover/title page should be included with the overall document.   The Table of Contents should include the full outline as shown in the graphic in the assignments.  The References page should include all references cited in the Report, in alphabetical order and in APA format.  Although you prepared this in stages, the final product should not seem to be piecemeal or disconnected.

Formatting Your Assignment

For academic writing, the writer is expected to write in the third person. In third person, the writer avoids the pronouns I, we, my, you, your, and ours. The third person is used to make the writing more objective by taking the individual, the “self,” out of the writing. This method is very helpful for academic writing, a form in which facts, not opinion, drive the tone of the text. Writing in the third person allows the writer to come across as unbiased and thus more informed.  The Report is to be written for the Midtown Family Clinic, and reference should not be made by name to individuals who own or work in the Clinic.

• Write a complete, well organized paper that includes all four sections of the System Recommendation Report. Use the recommendations provided in each area for length of response.  Content areas should be double spaced; table entries should be single-spaced. It’s important to value quality over quantity.  The length for Section IV should not exceed six (6) pages in addition to Sections I, II and III.
• Ensure that the table is preceded by an introductory sentence that explains what is contained in the table, so the reader understands why the table has been included.
• For Section IV, use at least three resources with APA formatted citation and reference. One reference must be from the vendor site for the solution you are recommending, one additional external source, and one from the IFSM 305 course content.
• Compare your work to the Assignment Instructions above and the Evaluation Criteria/Grading Rubric below to be sure you have met content and quality criteria. Do not overlook this step.  Read your work out loud or have your computer read it to you.  Fix the grammar and other areas identified.
• Submit your paper as a Word document, or a document that can be read in Word.
• Your submission filename should be as follows: Lastname_firstname_Stage_4

EVALUATION CRITERIA/GRADING RUBRIC:

Note:  In addition to the criteria for Stage 4, as indicated in the grading rubric, the incorporation of improvements based on substantive feedback (any significant problems with content) from the previous stages will also be evaluated.