Health care information systems management: Structure and infrastructure

The practice of medicine is inextricably entwined with the management of health care information system (HCIS). Major problems with HCIS are that it has not evolved from the needs of end users, and lacks of an organizational base^ to manage the HCIS in the health care environment. The object of this paper is to examine a direction to effectively support and enhance the health care activities through managing HCIS. An integrated focus is provided through a framework for analyzing the structure and infrastructure of HCIS in hospitals

Estimation of the Renewal Function.

The computation of the renewal function when the distribution function is completely known has received much attention in the literature. However, in many cases the form of the distribution function is unknown and has to be estimated nonparametrically. Several nonparametric estimators for the renewal function for complete data were suggested by Frees (1986) and Schneider et al. (1988). In many cases, however, censoring of the lifetime might occur. In this study, estimators of the renewal function based on randomly censored data is discussed. We introduce nonparametric estimators of the renewal function and show that the estimators compare well with a parametric estimator. Also, different lifetime distributions with different hazard rates and various censoring distributions were considered in a simulation study

Taking payments online: A framework for selection

Electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) is usually viewed as a killer application in e-commerce, which will fundamentally change the way customers receive and pay their bills. While many models exist, there is a dearth of information for determining which model would best fit customer characteristics and needs. This paper examines primary models, customer requirements, bill characteristics, and customer types to develop an exploratory framework for determviing which EBPP model a bill-generating firm should employ

Information control and security policy in health care information systems

The reliance on information systems forces the health care organizations to consider two security management issues: information control and security policy. The objective of this article is to examine a direction to effectively support and enhance the health care delivery through information systems in hospitals. An integrated focus is provided through an information control framework for analyzing the three control elements: accessibility, confidentiality, and integrity. The security policy involves three aspects: prevention of unauthorized access into the system, controlling the input and output of the system, and monitoring the health care information systems. The framework has implications for research beyond the case of health care information systems. Specifically, we suggest that any information control and security policy founded on the system context approach will not be adequate unless organizational context is also considered. Hospital managers should see themselves as the key actors in monitoring the dynamic information systems environment, assessing organizational risk, coordinating with functional areas in hospitals, and disseminating appropriate information

Internet in the healthcare industry: Infrastructure issues

Health care has long been known as afield that embraces and exploits new information technology, and. this trend shows no signs of slowing down. The healthcare industry is likely to be one of the largest beneficiaries of the Internet technology. This paper addresses four critical infrastructure issues: technological infrastructure, intranet development, financial infrastructure, and quality concerns. Service opportunities and practical problems are discussed that will provide managerial implications in health care and future research opportunities

Managing data quality in the health care industry: Some critical issues

Data quality analysis in health care is a large and ongoing problem. Because the scope oj health care information systems is extremely broad and because most such systems have either a direct or indirect impact on the provision of health care, their quality is a topic of critical importance for information management professionals. Of vital concern is the data flow from the point of patient service delivery to an end point of decision support and analysis of the data derived from the encounter. The historical use of these data, their current uses and how industry dynamics have created a need for improved l^ata quality provides the context for a discussion of health care data quality. We address the definition of health care data, assessing data quality, and the need for ejfective data quality management. Next, the paper reviews some popular methods employed in the health care industry. We then propose an integrated framework to improve data quality in health care, and finally summarize the conclusions of this study

Global IT/IS outsourcing: Expectations, considerations and implications

This paper discusses the issues of global IT/IS outsourcing from four interrelated aspects: forming an appropriate global IT strategy, using proper global IT platforms, managing international data sharing, and surviving the cultural environment. It aims at providing a comprehensive framework for both the global outsourcing providers and clients to fully understand and evaluate the expectations, considerations and implications of global IT/IS outsourcing, so that they can form a successful long-term strategic alliance

Continuing vocational training and innovation in Europe

This paper hypothesises that continuing vocational training (CVT) should have a positive effect on the innovativeness of nations. Using correlation analysis and several variables from the continuing vocational training survey (CVTS), which depicts various aspects of CVT, the hypothesis of a positive connection between CVT and innovation, as measured in patents, is confirmed in the European context: those nations where the commitment to CVT is the highest are also the most innovative countries in Europe. Consequently, investments and commitment to CVT, when properly planned and executed, have a positive effect on the innovativeness of firms and, subsequently, nations. Copyright © 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd

A structural analysis of greening the supplier, environmental performance and competitive advantage

A clear research need has been identified to confirm the structural relationships between greening the supplier, enhanced environmental performance and improved competitive advantage, to provide an impetus for firms to green their suppliers. A mail survey was conducted and empirical data of 119 ISO 14001 manufacturing firms in Malaysia was gathered for this study. Structural equation modelling technique was applied in this research article. Results from the analysis, reveal the existence of a positive and significant linkage between green suppliers with both environmental performance and competitive advantage. At the same time, environmental performance has also been shown to positively and significantly affect competitive advantage; while environmental performance plays a partial mediating role between greening the supplier and competitiveness. Such significant finding is especially essential for the manufacturing sector registered with ISO 14001 who intend to enhance their environmental performance and carve a niche competitive edge in the business arena