Syllabus

Schedule

Course learning modules are divided into weeks. Each week starts on Wednesday at 12:00 am Eastern Time (ET) and closes on Wednesday at 11:59 pm ET, with the exception of Week 8, which ends on Sunday. All assignments must be submitted by 11:59 pm ET on the due date.

Course Schedule at a Glance

Learning Modules	Topic	Assignments and Due Dates
Week 1 6/27 – 7/4	The American Health Information Technology Landscape	Introductory Discussion Discussion – Initial post by Sunday 7/1, responses by Wednesday 7/4
Week 2 7/4 – 7/11	Health Care Information Systems	Discussion -Initial post by Sunday 7/8, responses by Wednesday 7/11 Interoperability Mini-Report – Wednesday 7/11
Week 3 7/11 – 7/18	Roles, Responsibilities, and Major Functions of the IT Department	Discussion – Initial post by Sunday 7/15, responses by Wednesday 7/18 IT Organization – Wednesday 7/18
Week 4 7/18 – 7/25	EHR System Selection and Acquisition	Discussion – Initial post by Sunday 7/22, responses by Wednesday 7/25 Case Study – Wednesday 7/25
Week 5 7/25 – 8/1	EHR System Implementation and End-User Training	Discussion – Initial post by Friday 7/29, responses by Wednesday 8/1 Case Study – Wednesday 8/1
Week 6 8/1 – 8/8	Clinical System Support, Change Management and Project Management	Discussion – Initial post by Sunday 8/5, responses by Wednesday 8/8 Change Management Screencast Presentation – Wednesday 8/8
Week 7 8/8 – 8/15	IT Governance and Management	Discussion – Initial post by Sunday 8/12, responses by Wednesday 8/15 EHR Implementation Paper – Friday 8/17
Week 8 8/15 – 8/19	Assessing and Achieving Value in Health Care	Case Study – Sunday 8/19

Detailed Course Schedule

Week 1 — The American Health Information Technology Landscape

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify significant national influences that are shaping the current and future health information technology landscape in the United States
• Compare the implementation of electronic medical records/electronic health records (EMR/EHR) in the United States to the progress made in other countries

Course Materials:

• Read Textbook, chapters 1 and 2
• Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. (2012, December 6). Updated: Health IT for You: Giving You Access to Your Medical Records When and Where They’re Needed [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/UMiPW831b1o

Assignments:

Discussion: Class Member Introductions

Discussion Question: Now that we have reviewed the American Health Information Technology landscape and implementation of EHR, how does the United States electronic medical record implementation compare to other countries? Select any country of your choice and briefly summarize their EHR implementation status. Is there anything that the United States could learn from this country? Be sure to cite your sources. The Commonwealth Fund website: (http://international.commonwealthfund.org/countries/) on International Health Care System Profiles is a good starting point.

Week 2 — Health Care Information Systems

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify the major administrative and clinical information systems used in health care
• Examine key features and capabilities of electronic health records (EHR) and understand the differences between EHRs and electronic medical records (EMR)
• Analyze interoperability as it relates to health care data

Course Materials:

• Textbook, Chapter 3
• Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. (n.d.) Connecting health and care for the nation: A shared nationwide interoperability roadmap (Final version 1.0). Retrieved from https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/hie-interoperability/nationwide-interoperability-roadmap-final-version-1.0.pdf
• Emedikon. (2010 July 7). Benefits of EMR [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/TiQ8c11dkU0

Assignments:

Discussion Question: Watch the Benefits of EMR (Emedikon, 2010) video. The video quickly reviews 17 benefits of using an Electronic Medical Record. Select one of the topics mentioned (or come up with one of your own) and elaborate on how patients and/or clinicians are benefited by this advancement. How have Electronic Medical Records helped contribute to the quality of care received by patients? Have any new benefits emerged since this video’s recording in 2010?

Interoperability Mini-report: In healthcare, interoperability concerns the capability of disparate systems to exchange and share data from a range of sources, including pharmacies, laboratories, hospitals, and physician practices. Sharing information across organizational boundaries allows a patient’s medical records to follow them throughout the health care system. This can have obvious benefits for a patient, especially when seeking treatment from an out-of-town facility. Despite the benefits, there are several challenges to overcome before true interoperability can be achieved.

Conduct an internet search on interoperability in health care. Select two recent articles on the topic, published within the last 3 years, and give an update on what progress has been made to date. What challenges lie ahead? Analyze how we may overcome these challenges. Submit a 2-page paper to address these questions and be sure to cite your sources. Your paper should include APA citations and format. See the Interoperability Mini-Report Rubric for submission guidelines.

Week 3 — Roles, Responsibilities, and Major Functions of the IT Department

Learning Outcomes:

• Examine the role of the CIO and CMIO/CNIO and how these roles impact a healthcare organization’s IT Department
• Identify the key attributes of a highly effective IT organization
• Develop a plan for evaluating the effectiveness of an organization’s IT functions

Course Materials:

• Textbook, Chapter 8
• Textbook, Appendix B, Sample CIO Job Description (pp. 552-553)
• Textbook, Appendix B, Sample CMIO Job Description (pp. 554-557)

Assignments:

Discussion Question: Looking over the past 10 years, in your opinion, what have been two of the most significant barriers to adopting EHRs in healthcare? How have some institutions managed to overcome some or all of these barriers? How does the role of the CMIO/CNIO help drive EHR adoption?

IT Organization Slide Presentation: This week you are going to prepare a professional slide presentation to address the following scenario: You have been hired as a consultant at Meadow View Hospital, a 211-bed acute care hospital. The organization has a great reputation and is considered technologically advanced, despite never having an IT strategic plan. The IT organization reports to the CFO (Chief Financial Officer). The CEO and other leaders have generally left the IT decisions up to the CFO alone. As a result of this organization, the hospital’s financial systems are advanced, but support for clinical systems are lacking or not implemented at all.

The CEO has hired you because she believes that the organization would be more competitive if they had stronger IT support and were able to offer electronic lab results, something their competitors have offered for years. Additionally, there is no physician leadership helping to steer clinical IT decisions. The CEO believes this lack of support may lead to physicians choosing to practice elsewhere.

Your assignment is to deliver a 5 – 7 slide (not counting the title or reference slides) presentation to the CEO that outlines your recommendations for changes to the IT organization. If you have recommended leadership changes, be sure to include a sample organization chart. See Blackboard course for full assignment instructions and refer to the IT Organization Slide Presentation Rubric for submission guidelines.

Week 4 — EHR System Selection and Acquisition

Learning Outcomes:

• Describe the Systems Development Life Cycle and its four major stages
• Apply the process of system acquisition
• Examine the problems that may occur during the acquisition process
• Utilize strategies for evaluating vendors

Course Materials:

• Textbook, Chapters 5
• Textbook, Case 5: Selecting an EHR for Dermatology Practice (pp. 480-481)
• Innovative Architects. (n.d.). The seven phases of the system-development life cycle. Retrieved from https://www.innovativearchitects.com/KnowledgeCenter/basic-IT-systems/system-development-life-cycle.aspx
• Khuu, T. (2011, May 31). EHR vendor selection: The 5-step guide. Retrieved from http://www.himss.org/news/ehr-vendor-selection-5-step-guide
• HIMSS EHR Usability Task Force. (2010, August 1). Selecting an EHR for your practice: evaluating usability (Version 1.2). Retrieved from
  http://s3.amazonaws.com/rdcms-himss/files/production/public/HIMSSorg/Content/files/HIMSS%20Guide%20to%20Usability_Selecting%20an%20EMR.pdf

Assignments:

Discussion Question: After reading the HIMSS EHR Usability Task Force (2010) article on EHR Vendor Selection and reviewing the RFP Sample documents, explain why it is necessary to involve clinical end-users from the start of the EHR Selection process. How does early user involvement affect buy-in? Which phase(s) of the systems development life cycle involves the system acquisition process?

Case Study: Read Case 5: Selecting an EHR for Dermatology Practice in your textbook (Wager et al., 2017, pp. 480-481) and write your case study answer as a paper using APA style format and citations. Use conventional grammar, punctuation, and writing mechanics. Your case study should be 2 pages in length (not including cover and reference pages). See Blackboard course for full assignment details and refer to the Case Study Rubric for submission guidelines.

Week 5 — EHR System Implementation and End-User Training

Learning Outcomes:

• Examine the significance of end-user EHR training
• Assess the issues surrounding an EHR system implementation
• Formulate strategies to alleviate issues surrounding an EHR system implementation

Course Materials:

• Textbook, Chapter 6
• Textbook, Case 11: Planning an EHR Implementation (pp. 496-497)
• American Medical Association. (n.d.). 15 questions to ask before signing an EMR/EHR agreement. Retrieved from http://s3.amazonaws.com/rdcms-himss/files/production/public/HIMSSorg/Content/files/Code%2093_15%20questions%20to%20ask%20before%20signing%20an%20EMR-EHR%20agreement_AMA.pdf
• Bredfeldt, C. E., Awad, E. B., Joseph, K., & Snyder, M. H. (2013). Training providers: beyond the basics of electronic health records. BMC Health Services Research, 13, 503. http://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-13-503

Assignments:

Discussion Question: Training is a critical part of any EHR or clinical system implementation. If you work in an organization with an EHR, how does your organization handle end-user system training? If you do not work in an organization with an EHR or are in the middle of an implementation, give an example of how training has been handled in your workplace. If functionality or features are changed, is training material revised? Are users educated before the changes are implemented? Would you recommend any changes to improve the training process?

Case Study: Read Case 11: Planning an EHR Implementation in your textbook (Wager et al., 2017 pp. 496-497) and write your case study answer as a paper using APA style format and citations. Use conventional grammar, punctuation, and writing mechanics. Your case study should be 2 pages in length (not including cover and reference pages). See Blackboard course for full assignment details and refer to the Case Study Rubric for submission guidelines.

Week 6 — Clinical System Support, Change Management and Project Management

Learning Outcomes:

• Assess organizational factors that can affect system acceptance
• Develop strategies for managing system changes
• Examine the project manager’s role of maintaining a project plan and managing the resolution of issues and problems

Course Materials:

• Textbook, Appendix B, Sample Project Charter (pp. 539-550)
• Textbook, Review Chapter 6, (pp. 186-188 and 198 – 208)
• ITIL Change Management page on BMC website: https://www.bmc.com/guides/itil-change-management.html
• Newman, D. (2016, September 29). Change control procedures: Information technology change control [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://healthcareitskills.com/information-technology-change-control/
• Cherwell Software. (2016, September 16). Do’s & dont’s of ITIL change management [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/xlSOKnyuquc

Assignments:

Discussion Question: Last week you completed a case study on Planning an EHR implementation (Wager et al., 2017, pp. 496-497). In that case study, there was no Project Manager involved. For this week’s discussion consider: What benefits would a project manager bring to this case study scenario? How would a Project Charter benefit the planning & implementation? Should a separate Project Steering Committee be established, or continue operating under the more general Information Systems Steering Committee?

Change Management Screencast Presentation: Continuing in your role (from week 3) as a consultant at Meadow View Hospital, the recently reorganized IT Department has been performing well and just last month, successfully implemented an EHR solution. Your assignment this week is to deliver a narrated screencast slide presentation to address the following scenario:

Recently, a bedside nurse requested a change to a section of nursing documentation. An IT Analyst quickly made the change, but neither the requesting nurse nor the IT Analyst realized that the documentation was shared with the respiratory therapy team. This caused a major disruption in the respiratory department as they temporarily lost the ability to chart some patient data elements. The IT Helpdesk begins to receive numerous calls regarding this system issue. After several hours, the change was backed out and restored to its prior state. IT Leadership determined that change management policies and procedures must be in place to mitigate the risk of this scenario from occurring in the future.

As the consultant, IT Leadership looks to you to create recommendations on implementing a change control process, including change control meetings and communicating changes to end-users. Create a narrated screencast slide presentation (no longer than 10 minutes) for IT Leadership that outlines your recommendations for implementing a change control process including change management policies and procedures, details on change control meetings, and communicating changes to end-users. See Blackboard course for full assignment details and refer to the Change Management Screencast Presentation for submission guidelines.

Week 7 — IT Governance and Management

Learning Outcomes:

• Explain the scope and importance of IT Governance
• Discuss the roles and responsibilities of IT Senior Management and how their actions affect projects and IT effectiveness
• Develop strategies for mitigating project risk

Course Materials:

• Textbook, Chapter 13

Assignments:

Discussion Question: Major IT Projects can fail in many ways, and healthcare IT is no exception. With proper management attention to risk factors, a large number of risks can be mitigated. After reading Chapter 13, select one recommendation for mitigating the risk of failure (see pp. 451-452) and discuss how this strategy can help IT leadership to avoid mistakes.

EHR Implementation Paper: In Week 4, you completed a case study regarding the selection of an EHR for a dermatology practice (Wager et al., 2017, pp.480-481). Imagine that 9 months have passed and the practice has selected a certified EHR system that will enable them to achieve meaningful use. Their small IT department has been working with the EHR vendor and they are preparing to go-live in two months. Dr. Martin has emerged as a leader in the practice and is now serving as the executive sponsor of the project. The CEO remains optimistic about the implementation, but his participation and support have been limited due to his understanding of the technology. Lately, two of the physicians near retirement age have been vocal that the new EHR will make their jobs more difficult. To make matters worse, many of the nurses are complaining that Dr. Martin has only worked with the physicians and has not included nursing leadership in EHR meetings. In a 4–6 page APA style paper, reflect on what you have learned about the EHR implementation process. Your paper should address the following:

• Describe the challenges this organization is experiencing with implementing EHR technology.
• Research and provide at least one strategy that this organization can use to mitigate risk of project failure and successfully implement the technology.
• Explain the need for a governance structure. What steps do you suggest this organization take to develop a governance structure?
• Explain the significance of project and executive leaders who are capable of transforming the business, culture, and increasing end-user adoption.

Be sure to cite your sources. Among your cited sources, you must include at least one industry reference and one scholarly reference. See the EHR Implementation Paper Rubric for submission guidelines.

To allow extra time for research and writing a quality paper, this paper is due by 11:59 pm ET Friday, in week 8. Because the due date has been extended into the final week, no late submissions will be accepted.

Week 8 — Assessing and Achieving Value in Health Care

Learning Outcomes:

• Define IT-enabled value
• Discuss factors that ensure value
• Develop a plan for improving IT project value realization
• Discuss the need to conduct post-implementation audits

Course Materials:

• Textbook, Chapter 7
• Textbook, Case 14: Assessing the Value and Impact of CPOE (pp. 502-504)
• Textbook, Case 15: Assessing the Value of Health IT Investment (pp. 504-506)

Assignments:

Case Study: Read Case 14 (pp. 502-504) and Case 15 (504-506) in your textbook (Wager et al., 2017). Select one and write your case study answer as a paper using APA style format and citations. Use conventional grammar, punctuation, and writing mechanics. Your case study should be 2 pages in length (not including cover and reference pages). See Blackboard Course for full assignment details. Refer to the Case Study Rubric for submission guidelines.

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