Five years after merging the clinical operations of two leading Omaha hospitals, the combined clinical enterprise still has not resolved many issues related to information systems deployment and implementation. University Hospital, the teaching hospital of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (the University), and the private Clarkson Hospital, adjacent to the University campus, merged clinical operations in 1997 to form the organizationally separate Nebraska Medical Center (the Hospital), a teaching hospital used by both academic and private practice health professionals. Each group brought its own business culture, attitudes, and perceptions regarding information systems to the merger. Crucial elements of the cultural and attitudinal differences persist, delaying creation of a unified vision for clinical information systems. The University/Hospital seeks an IAIMS planning grant funding to """"""""cross the chasm"""""""" of technology innovation that exists between the two dynamic, though fundamentally different, cultures and business models of academic and private practice physicians. With IAIMS grant funding, we will develop a strategy that recruits academic and private practice providers in pursuit of a shared vision of information management that is accepted and championed by University/Hospital leadership, bringing measurable benefits to both business models. Specifically, to achieve our overall goal, we will: 1) Use a combination of survey tools (Snyder-Halpren - OITIRS, University HealthSystems Consortium - ISORA and the Cork-Detmer-Friedman-Computers in Medical Care), in small focus group settings, to assess the technology usage gap and the readiness for information technology readiness between academic and private practice providers, 2) Evaluate the impact of current information technology projects on the academic and private practice providers, 3) Conduct a gap analysis to identify the differences between the University, Hospital, academic and private practice providers, 4) Create an integrated Information Management Strategy for the University and the Hospital and 5) Identify key interventions and resources that will move the organization toward a common information management vision and broad implementation of its information management goals. Our successful IAIMS planning grant process will fuel the development of a comprehensive and convenient information management system that brings usable knowledge to action settings in health care, education and research.
