IM/IT Analysis

Health Information Systems

Introduction1

Five key components of IM / IT governance1

1.Development of a consistent IM / IT Strategy1

2.Alignment of IM / IT Strategy with Organizational Strategy2

3.Development of IM / IT policies, architecture & infrastructure2

4.Setting up of IM / IT priorities for projects4

5.Enhancement of Accountability through assessing benefits of IM / IT4

Improvement of Quality of Healthcare through IM / IT Governance5

Important elements of IM / IT Strategic Plan5

Steps undertaken to ensure viability7

Recommendations for improvement8

References10

IM/IT Analysis

Introduction

The necessity for developing an effective and efficient system within the healthcare field has been recognized and suggested by healthcare administrators for quite some time now. As the automation of healthcare organizations is on the rise, the pressure on the Information Management / Information Technology department has increased, as the demands have increased. Departments which have introduced and implemented processes that bring systematic improvements have shown an increase in efficiency. This assignment aims to elaborate on the five key components of the IM / IT governance framework, while explaining how each of these components aims to improve the quality of healthcare, highlight the most important elements of an IM / IT strategic plan, show their viability, and make two suggestions for improving the IM / IT planning and governance through the application of systems theory.

Five key components of IM / IT governance

The five key components of Information Management / Information Technology governance include the following:

Development of a consistent IM / IT Strategy

The development of an IM / IT strategy that is consistent in nature requires the application of the created plan in all operative units within the organization. The concept of creating such a plan was a relatively new idea in the early 1990s. However, it gets implemented commonly nowadays.

Alignment of IM / IT Strategy with Organizational Strategy

The Information Management / Information Technology plan should be in alignment with the organizational strategy. Three elements required in order to achieve success are part of the aligning process: aligning the plan with the overall purpose; IM / IT leadership should agree upon a common goal. Collaboration must also be agreed upon as collective efforts are crucial to the success of the implemented plan/strategy. The groups must also take up the responsibility of ensuring that the defined targets are met and ends achieved (Croteau & Bergeron, 2001). It should also be kept in mind that plans are prone to changes over a period time, and catering to this reason, the Chief Information Officer and Chief Executive Officer should look for answers to questions which focus on the 'what, where, why, when, who, and (for) whom'. This would prove helpful to the leadership team of the firm as they would not lose sight and would stay aligned with the perspective.

Development of IM / IT policies, architecture & infrastructure

The development of an IM / IT infrastructure, policies and architecture requires that the main information types needed for supporting strategic objectives must be identified. Also, in reference to the IT architecture and infrastructure, priorities must be enlisted in order of importance for the installation ...