William Beaumont Hospital

Running head: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Information Technology:

William Beaumont Hospitals

Executive Summary

William Beaumont Hospital is a leader in the concept of a patient-driven, learning organization capable of attracting attention, both on a local level and on a national level, for its outstanding performance of health excellence. Doctor culture, joint venture partnering, and networking relationships respect the diligent work management has done so far as to market share dominance, capital building expansion, research and educational initiatives, and staff development. Recent emphasis on outreach programs to serve the uninsured and underinsured have also received community attention and respect.

Based on profitable service-growth patterns, the William Beaumont Hospitals now looks to the future, relying heavily on scientific and information technology adoption, to improve integrated intra- and inter-enterprise communications. Understanding the dynamics of an ever-changing healthcare environment is what the WBH proudly portrays to it customers.

Introduction

Information Technology (IT) affects every aspect of healthcare and the now is the time for all partners involved in the healthcare industry--hospitals, healthcare systems, clinics, providers, payers, vendors, and government organizations--to actively promote modern healthcare reform through IT adoption. With IT adoption reaching a critical stage to facilitate such reform, the need to improve the quality of patient care, to promote effective operational efficiencies, and to comply with regulations and policies becomes paramount (American Hospital Association [AHA], 2001).

Statement of the Problem

The healthcare industry trails almost every other business field in information technology application because of a lack of consistent and uniform standards and guidelines (ncvhs.hhs.gov, 2002). The root clause of the problem is a make-up of multiple scientific disciplines and medical specialties with individual, specific technical requirements and demands resulting in fragmented, isolated systems and databases. The monumental task for the healthcare industry will be to harness the power IT to reduce the fragmentation and lack of coordination in healthcare. The goal is to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare delivery. The overall objectives of IT adoption are to achieve patient-centered coordinated care, to advance quality and patient safety, to increase workforce productivity and satisfaction, to streamline payment-billing and administrative systems, to efficiently manage assets and resources, and to meet consumer expectations for service and access to information (ncvhs.hhs.gov, 2002).

Current Situation

The underlying theme to healthcare is one of excellence. To achieve excellence in healthcare, internal and external scrutiny of healthcare organizations must take place. The re-engineering of access, quality and costs relating to IT adoption can bring about these positive changes. The National Alliance for Health Information Technology (NAHIT) supports modern healthcare reform and its mission statement reads as follows: "mobilize the field to address the fragmentation and lack of coordination in healthcare...improving quality and performance through standards-based information systems" (nchvhs.hhs.gov, 2005, p. 4). Associated benefits will be open computer systems that can talk with one another, possessing inter- and intra-operability capabilities, and making patient-centered data accessible, efficiency linking clinical, administrative, and financial data. The final outcome of such reform is: (1) healthcare providers can work efficiently with multiple data at the point of care for enhanced decision support, (2) healthcare providers can create a robust healthcare database to track outcomes and clinical experience, (3) better patient outcomes and error avoidance, and (4) lower hospital and healthcare system operating costs (ncvhs.hhs.gov, 2005).

Case Study

The William Beaumont Hospitals, consisting of two hospitals located in Royal Oak, Michigan, and Troy, Michigan, exemplifies the ideals set forth for modern healthcare reform. Specific IT endeavors of this entity will be examined and SWOTT analysis as to how IT adoption provides quality healthcare to it constituents will be presented.

Background

Beaumont Hospital System's (WBH) roots date back to Dr. William Beaumont, army doctor on Mackinac Island, Michigan who made a break through in the study of human digestion and physiology, around the 1820's. Beaumont Hospital opened in 1955 as a 238-bed facility that would serve a small community in Royal Oak, Michigan. In 1977, WBH expanded to Troy, Michigan increasing the bed capacity to a 254-bed community and teaching hospital. This expansion would rank WBH among as the nation's busiest smaller community hospital. With success attributed to three things, location, location, location; Beaumont is recognized as the largest hospital in the country.

Beaumont Hospital is one of the nation's leading comprehensive, integrated health care systems providing acute, specialty, primary, and preventive health care services. These services are supported by excellence in research institutes, education, and state-of-the-art technology. WBH includes 2,400 private practice physicians providing care to 91 medical and surgical specialties, 2 hospitals with 5 medical office buildings, a rehabilitation center and a health care center, primary and specialty care clinics, 4 extended-care centers, a research institute, home care, hospice, a child care center that service approximately 130 WBH employees, and a 200-unit resident apartment complex. WBH serves over 336,742 customers annually, including 48,710 outpatients, 78,885 admissions, and 175,238 emergency visits. WBH was also the first in Michigan to perform open-heart surgeries. WBH's annual revenue is $1.6 billion. WBH is also involved in several research projects consisting of Cardiology research, testing a new way to repair bones fractures, artificial eye lens for cataracts