1. Selecting a Health Care
Information System

2. System Selection Second phase of the life cycle
Phase begins once decision made to purchase a new system
Critical to the success of the project
Requires the collection of additional information and awareness of funds available for the project 2

3. Sources of Information
Trade shows and conferences
Publications
Professional organizations
Trade journals
Text books
Internet and World Wide Web
Site visits
Request for information/proposal/quote 3

4. Request for Information (RFI)
Brief document sent to vendors that states plans to purchase and install a system
Asks the vendor for a description of the system, its capabilities, and perhaps:
About the company
Financial situation, investment into research
Number of installed sites
List of organizations
Technical capabilities
Integration with other systems
Required hardware
Procedure to distribute updates
Financial situation, investment into research  indicates the company commitment to enhance their product 4

5. Request for Proposal (RFP)
Formal document sent to vendors that describes system requirements sought
What do I need in the system?
Detailed
Prioritizes requirements
Solicits proposals from vendors that describe their capabilities to meet the “wants” and “needs”
Responses are used to narrow the choices 5

6. Strategies for successful RFP
Careful writing and reading of RFP
Vague questions can be misinterpreted
Limit questions to the most important
To produce simple and straight for word document
Items must be detailed and precise

7. RFP design Description of the organization
familiarize the vendor with the organization
Mission and goals
Clarifies the driving forces behind the the change
Structure of the organization
Type of organization
University, gov, teaching,…
Payor mix
% of pts with private insurance, gov insurance
Volume statistics
Number of beds, occupancy, annual outpatient visit
RFP should include the following

8. RFP design System requirements Criteria for evaluation the response
Those developed by the committee
Do not limit the vendor to specific config
Criteria for evaluation the response
May improve the quality of vendors response
Deadline date
Do not limit the vendor to specific config such as the type and number of devices because the vendor may have better solution

9. Analysis of RFP Responses
Receipt of RFP responses is the beginning of the “evaluation” phase
Consider:
Was it submitted by the deadline date?
Is it a professional effort?
Were the vendor representatives responsive?
Does the proposal address the requirements outlined in the RFP or is it a standard bid? 9

10. Request for Quote (RFQ)
Statement of need that focuses upon pricing, service levels, and contract terms
Skips marketing hype often received in response to RFP 10

11. Request for Quote (RFQ)
After the system selection and recommendations negotiations are done through legal and purchasing representatives 11

12. Questions?