Too Far Ahead of the IT Curve

Introduction Advancements in information technology have significantly transformed the manner in which businesses, organizations and even institutions are run throughout the world. This essay summarizes the issues in a case study which revolves around adoption of information technology as compared to traditional ways of delivering health services. The paper further analyzes several commentaries done by different experts.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Too Far Ahead of the IT Curve? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Body Like many other institutions in the world, Peachtree Healthcare is in the dilemma of upgrading its system to incorporate technological applications. The CEO believes in providing the best services to customers. This notion makes him reach a compromise of supporting selective standardization of the institution (Glaser 1). Although many areas of clinical treatment like record keeping, immunizations, would significantly benefit from the idea, part of the management has opposing views. Furthermore, other physicians believe that a switch to partial digital operations would threaten the safety of patients in the hospital. Max, the CEO of Peachtree Healthcare has witnessed problems encountered during breakdowns in other institutions and argues that such technology needed experts in order to handle malfunctioning systems and manage urgent repairs (Glaser 2). Doctors further argue that some level of technology would affect their delivery of services, causing them to go against the Hippocratic Oath (Glaser 4). This is due to the role they play in hospitals and other health centers where they are mainly charged with saving of lives. It was also not easy for hospitals to engage in mergers as compared to other forms of business and company structures which allowed merging. From the case, it is also clear that integration of information technology comes with costs which have to be incurre d by the institution. Such expenses usually emanate from the installation of infrastructure, purchase of required materials and equipment and the charge for technical expertise involved. Another challenge which Peachtree Healthcare is faced with is the fact that the company to be contracted is still young in the business and has no record of previous services offered elsewhere. As a result, the management lacks confidence in OSA as they may provide low quality services.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Additionally, quantifiable cost can not be provided by SOA although it argues that the idea would be cost effective than the traditional monolithic system (Glaser 6). According to Halvorson, the proposed case is risky due to the fact that it has not been tested in healthcare systems, has undetermined costs and its benefits are undoubtedly uncertain. Although the status at Peachtre e Healthcare warrants a better and more efficient system, Halvorson affirms that this cannot be enough reason for the institution to adopt a risky system which has not been tested. An understanding of what Peachtree Healthcare aspires to achieve is important in adopting the most suitable package for the institution. A strategy is therefore essential to draw a pathway which clearly defines intended outcomes of the project (Halvorson 7). Halvorson notes that the success of standardization outside healthcare is not enough reason for the adoption of the idea at Peachtree Healthcare. Additionally, there is no substantive evidence that generates the need for the proposed standardization. The author concludes by challenging Peachtree Healthcare to develop a strategic plan for the idea before adopting it. On the other hand, Heffner supports the idea of standardization as proposed by Max, the CEO of Peachtree Healthcare. He affirms that the idea is aimed at augmenting flexibility and efficac y in service delivery. He further notes that SOA is well established in North America, Asia and Europe with several enterprises having adopted it. Additionally, most of SOA users have confirmed better results based on experience (Heffner 9). He supports Max’s idea, reiterating how record keeping would be enhanced through the proposed standardization process. Regarding costs, he views the process of retrofitting older systems with better business interfaces to be more affordable than replacement. He summarizes by recommending SOA as the best technological match for Peachtree Healthcare. Ford notes that the company’s tolerance to risk is unknown, which would be important in implementing the proposed information system. He recommends a gradual move towards SOA’s direction by dividing the process in achievable chunks. This would allow easy management and control procedure as compared to having a whole package at ago (Ford 8).Advertising We will write a custom e ssay sample on Too Far Ahead of the IT Curve? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Ford, the idea is viable if it is adopted in a manner that eliminates risks by increasing reliability. He recommends the adoption SOA’s approach from a commonsense approach that retains what is still productive in the system. Kastor sees Max’s dilemma as common problem among leaders in the healthcare system planning to standardize operations. He notes that a major problem would be among older doctors who may not be well versed with technology and some of the existing challenges. Although doctors appreciate the technology, many would turn down a more sophisticated approach (Kastor 10). He recommends the need to maintain essential features at Peachtree Healthcare to allow efficiency in community hospitals. Conclusion The case presents a real scenario that faces leaders around the world even as standardization of operations becomes a necessity. Both commentaries view the case from various viable perspectives with supporting evidence and argument. Nevertheless, a strategic plan is important to outline factors which necessitate the adoption of SOA system. Works Cited Ford, Monte. â€Å"How should Peachtree try to fix its IT infrastructure problem?† Harvard Business Review (2007): 8. Print. Glaser, John. â€Å"Too Far Ahead of the IT Curve?† Harvard Business Review (2007): 1-6. Print. Halvorson, George. â€Å"How should Peachtree try to fix its IT infrastructure problem?† Harvard Business Review (2007): 7. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Heffner, Randy. â€Å"How should Peachtree try to fix its IT infrastructure problem?† Harvard Business Review (2007): 9. Print. Kastor, John. â€Å"How should Peachtree try to fix its IT infrastructure problem?† Harvard Business Review (2007): 10. Print. This essay on Too Far Ahead of the IT Curve? was written and submitted by user Lauren D. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Too Far Ahead of the IT Curve The management of Peachtree Healthcare has to determine to what extent their technologies should be standardized. They can choose a monolithic information system that will be implemented in each hospital and clinic that is currently run by Peachtree Healthcare.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Too Far Ahead of the IT Curve specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Yet, they can also adopt a Service-Oriented Architecture that will enable this organization to conduct a selective standardization of their technologies and major practices. In both cases, the company will have to spend a significant amount of money, but the success of this investment cannot be fully ensured. Thus, the management will need to determine which model best suits the needs of the organization. This is the main question that is going to be discussed. One of the approaches that this organization can take is complete standardization of technologies and practices. This strategy can give several benefits, for example, cost savings and better time-efficiency. Therefore, they can choose a monolithic information system which is a single set of technologies and applications that will be installed in every clinic or hospital of Peachtree Healthcare. The main advantage of this strategy is that technologies and practices will be consistent throughout the organization. Yet, one should take into account several structural factors. Peachtree Healthcare includes trauma centers, community hospitals, teaching clinics, or rehabilitation centers. Thus, it may be difficult to develop a single information system that can fit the needs of these medical institutions. Furthermore, as it has been noted in the case study, many procedures cannot be effectively standardized. For instance, pharmacy record keeping can be based on the best practices. Yet, one cannot say the same thing about the protocol for treating different forms of cancer.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is one of the reasons why complete standardization is not always possible. Apart from that, physicians should be able to care about the wellbeing of the patient without being limited by standards or restrictions imposed from outside. Furthermore, the adoption of a monolith information system will necessitate the redesign of many business processes, and extra training of the staff. Apart from that, the complete redesign of the existing IT infrastructure may not be efficient. The thing is that some of their current technologies can function quite effectively and there is no need to remove them. Finally, the management of Peachtree Healthcare should not forget that the adoption of a monolithic system will make this organization less responsive to change. For example, hospitals can adopt business models or medical practices when they are given some degree of autonomy. Complete standardization can deprive them of this autonomy. These are the main drawbacks and benefits of this approach. Another strategy that this organization can choose is to implement a Service-Oriented Architecture. The main benefit of these technologies is that they allow a greater degree of flexibility. In particular, some physicians have various note-filling preferences. Some of them choose to enter the information about the patient directly into a database, while others chose to dictate these data for later transcription. Apart from that, SOA can help this company to standardize only some elements of their IT infrastructure while allowing various hospitals and clinics select software. The main limitation is that this technology has not been widely adopted in healthcare setting.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Too Far Ahead of the IT Curve specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The main limitation of this model is that SOA have not been fully tested in medical institutions. The management of Peachtree Healthcare cannot guarantee that this technology will prove efficient. On the whole, the discussion of these issues shows that Peachtree Healthcare should adopt a Service-Oriented Architecture. As it has been said before, this framework will enable this organization to replace those parts of IT infrastructure that do not function properly. As it has been shown in the case study, the management of Peachtree Healthcare feels insecure about the adoption of this technology because it has not been widely used in healthcare organizations. Yet, one should take into account that the adoption of SOA infrastructure is a gradual process. The company can replace some poor-functioning components of their IT systems with SOA-built services. Provided that these changes yield good results, the company can continue their adoption of SOA information system. Moreover, the developers of SOA information systems will be willing to suit the needs of Peachtree Healthcare. They will even agree on lower price for their services, because they also want to win the trust of healthcare institutions. Under such circumstances, Peachtree Healthcare can receive a high-quality product at a reasonable price. Overall, these examples show that the redesign of an IT system should be based on close analysis of organizational structure, its size, and major activities. Peachtree Healthcare would have to adopt a system that can allow the greatest degree of flexibility.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Such a goal can be achieved by using a SOA-based information system. Admittedly, this strategy can be associated with some risks, but the same thing can be said about the so-called monolith systems. This organization should strive for the standardization that is based on the best practices, but the management must make sure that Peachtree Healthcare remains open to new ideas, models, and practices. This result can be achieved with the help of SOA infrastructure. This case study on Too Far Ahead of the IT Curve was written and submitted by user Alberto Boyle to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.