What Constitutes the Field of Health Information Systems? Research Paper Example

A request for information can assist a health care organization with the selection of a new health information system because it will allow the organization making the purchasing decision to obtain written information concerning the capabilities of the health information systems that are sold by a variety of vendors (Mhay et al., n.d.). The information retrieved from this process can be compiled by the company who ordered them for purposes of comparison. It will then be used to determine which health information system is capable of suiting the needs of the organization.

The information provided in a request for information could include the price of the health information system units, how the company will facilitate setting up the machines, how employees will be trained to use the machines, and other sources of information (Mettler et al., 2012). Typically, companies wish to purchase the device or software that has the greatest amount of capability for the smallest price. Therefore, the degree to which the price of the product is considered reasonable will be dependent upon what the company wishes to use it for. Larger companies will need to have health information system capabilities on a larger number of devices and would therefore need to purchase a package that would enable both this and a high speed of access. Smaller companies that utilize less features of the system will likely be able to purchase a cheaper option.

It is important for companies to carefully consider the responses from the RFI to determine which health information system will be the most suitable for their business practices. Since a wealth of information is contained within these reports, it is important to assign this decision to a panel of experts, as the choice of the health information system has the potential for directing business practice.

References

Mettler T, Raptis DA. (2012). What constitutes the field of health information systems? Fostering a systematic framework and research agenda. Health Informatics Journal, 18(2): 147–56.

Mhay S, Coburn C. (n.d.). Request for…Procurement Processes (RFT RFQ RFP RFI). Retrieved from http://www.negotiations.com/articles/procurement-terms/