Question

You are a CEO of a healthcare organization. What factors should you consider when developing a consistent HIT strategy. Please answer this question in 200 words or less.

Answer 1

The question very subjective and theoretical. I have put together my thoughts below. Please go through the same and use this answer as a backbone and develop your own answer applying your understanding as well.

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A CEO of the organization must understand the importance of Information Technology (IT) and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) in achieving the overall vision of the hospital that usually is: to provide quality care to its customers. As a CEO, i will consider following factors while formulating the HIT strategy:

1. Consistency with long term vision and strategy: My HIT strategy should be consistent with the hospital's long term vision, mission and values. A HIT strategy has to be a subset of a bigger organizational strategy to achieve its ultimate goal: to provide quality services to its customers. HIT strategy can't be prepared in isolation
2. Focus and commitment: The HIT should be under the central focus and I will have to ensure commitment to it. The inputs will be taken from the best employees and if required services of external consultant will also be deployed to ensure people remain committed to this HIT. I will have to make sure the management of the hospital is aligned with the HIT strategy.
3. Patients' experience: Will be the key driver of the HIT strategy. I will leverage IT and ITES to improve the patients's experience. I will consider how I can increase the usage of laptops, iPads, information flow, to improve the diagnosis and treatment. What processes can be automated and which redundant processes can be eliminated.
4. Overall budget and sources of funds: I will definitely take into consideration the overall budget of my proposal. I will have to ensure that HIT implementation is adequately budgeted for sources of funds for the same had been secured. Lack of financial closure may slow down or delay the implementation of the HIT.
5. Bring in the best practices: Infuse elements of best practices followed by other leading hospitals in our HIT.
6. Make it an inclusive and integrative HIT: I will like to ensure people from the grass root level till the top level are involved directly or indirectly with the HIT formulation. I will have to ensure there is a reasonable buy in amongst the staff because the success of implementation is dependent on the employees and staff across the organization. Unless everyone cooperate, HIT will never get implemented and it will remain a theoretical exercise.
7. Organization of a steering committee: This steering committee will entrusted with the responsibilities of implementation of HIT. The roles and responsibilities should be well articulated for successful implementation.