Description
After conducting a thorough gap analysis, the next step in the systems development life cycle (SDLC) is to target potential solutions to the gaps. There may be many potential solutions that can help to address workflow issues and inefficiencies, or there may be one seemingly obvious solution that could address almost all of the gaps in the current-state workflow. The challenge lies in selecting the most appropriate course of action from potential solutions that also works within organizational constraints.
In this Discussion, you revisit the scenarios from the Week 3 Discussion. You determine the possible avenues for workflow redesign and consider the constraints and factors that might impact your decision.
Scenario 3:
Robert works in the medical records office at Garden View Hospital. Because the hospital does not have a policy of providing clinical summaries to patients after each visit, Robert frequently receives calls from patients requesting copies of their health information (such as test results, vital statistics, diagnostic information, and medication lists and dosages). For every request, Robert must retrieve the patient information from the hospital’s electronic health record (EHR), print out hard copies of the records, and then either mail the records or wait for the patient to retrieve them in person. Additionally, Robert’s hospital often receives lab test results for patients from certified third-party providers. These results are not automatically transferred from the provider’s EHR to the hospital’s EHR, so Robert often must contact the providers before responding to a patient’s request. Robert also finds that he and his colleagues in the office spend a considerable amount of time printing, mailing, and faxing immunization records to patients’ workplaces, schools, and volunteer organizations, which can be disruptive to the office’s other responsibilities.
To prepare
Review this week’s Learning Resources on workflow redesign. Then select one of the scenarios listed above to consider for this Discussion.
Note: You may choose to examine the same scenario you were assigned for the Week 3 Discussion, or you may select a different scenario.
Identify one specific workflow issue (gap) in the scenario you selected. Formulate at least two distinct solutions for this workflow issue.
Of the two solutions you developed, which would you recommend for redesigning the current state workflow in the scenario you selected? Why?
Reflect on the solution you would recommend. What two organizational constraints (budget, time, resources, personnel, IT expertise, resistance to change, lack of leadership, stakeholder buy-in, etc.) would most significantly impact the implementation of the solution? How would they impact the solution?
By Day 3
Post the scenario you selected and a description of the two solutions you developed for this workflow issue. Identify the solution you would recommend, and explain how this solution would address the workflow issue. Identify two organizational constraints that might impact the workflow redesign and explain their impact.
