Technology and Change Management Paper
Tonya Gooch, Betty Hoskins, Jennifer Kramer, and Michael McGee
University of Phoenix
Managing the Business Enterprise ? MBA/502
Michael Barker, DBA, SPHR
July 18, 2006
Technology and Change Management Paper
Changes are occurring constantly in the health care environment, which impact the overall operations of the industry. Technology is constantly advancing, which forces businesses to adapt to today's information-age economy. "It is the information age ? a time when knowledge is power. Today, more than ever, businesses are using information and technology to gain and sustain a competitive advantage" (Haag, Cummings, and McCubbrey, 2005, p.4). In order to compete in this rapidly changing industry, businesses must understand the environment and recognize that technology is the force behind the change. This paper will discuss the best practices used in the health care industry related to electronic tracking, how the industry adapts to the technology and change management issues, and identifies how best practices are used in other industries to meet today's changing environment.
Best Practices in Healthcare
The health care industry has adapted well to change. With the influx of medication errors, malpractice lawsuits, and miscommunication between departments; patient tracking has become the solution to the mismanagement of data. This concept represents "the time dimension of information, it has two aspects: (1) having access to information when you need it, or timeliness, and (2) having information that describes the time period you are considering" (Haag, Cummings, and McCubbrey, 2005, p.6). Automatic tracking allows hospitals to monitor the quality of the data and adherence to documentation ...