DISTRIBUTED BROKERAGE OFFICES THROUGH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

This paper describes some novel ways in which Edward D. Jones and Co., a successful brokerage firm with 1650 offices nationwide, uses information technology to pursue a unique market niche: single-broker offices in communities too small to support a traditional, typically much larger, brokerage branch office. The paper focuses on the use of mainframes with "dumb" CRT terminals, rather than workstations or personal computers, to coordinate distributed operational work on a day-to-day basis.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

Consumers\u27 Perceptions of Patient-Accessible Electronic Medical Records

Background: Electronic health information (eHealth) tools for patients, including patient-accessible electronic medical records (patient portals), are proliferating in health care delivery systems nationally. However, there has been very limited study of the perceived utility and functionality of portals, as well as limited assessment of these systems by vulnerable (low education level, racial/ethnic minority) consumers. Objective: The objective of the study was to identify vulnerable consumers’ response to patient portals, their perceived utility and value, as well as their reactions to specific portal functions. Methods: This qualitative study used 4 focus groups with 28 low education level, English-speaking consumers in June and July 2010, in New York City. Results: Participants included 10 males and 18 females, ranging in age from 21-63 years; 19 non-Hispanic black, 7 Hispanic, 1 non-Hispanic White and 1 Other. None of the participants had higher than a high school level education, and 13 had less than a high school education. All participants had experience with computers and 26 used the Internet. Major themes were enhanced consumer engagement/patient empowerment, extending the doctor’s visit/enhancing communication with health care providers, literacy and health literacy factors, improved prevention and health maintenance, and privacy and security concerns. Consumers were also asked to comment on a number of key portal features. Consumers were most positive about features that increased convenience, such as making appointments and refilling prescriptions. Consumers raised concerns about a number of potential barriers to usage, such as complex language, complex visual layouts, and poor usability features. Conclusions: Most consumers were enthusiastic about patient portals and perceived that they had great utility and value. Study findings suggest that for patient portals to be effective for all consumers, portals must be designed to be easy to read, visually engaging, and have user-friendly navigation

DISTRIBUTED BROKERAGE OFFICES THROUGH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

This paper describes some novel ways in which Edward D. Jones and Co., a successful brokerage firm with 1650 offices nationwide, uses information technology to pursue a unique market niche: single-broker offices in communities too small to support a traditional, typically much larger, brokerage branch office. The paper focuses on the use of mainframes with "dumb" CRT terminals, rather than workstations or personal computers, to coordinate distributed operational work on a day-to-day basis.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

Telecommunications technology in rural health care

Areas of low population density present special problems with respect to the delivery of health services. In this article, an overview is given of some technological approaches to solving these problems. The author's remarks are based on several years of experience of managing a research programme in health care telecommunications, and, more recently, a review of selected Rural Health Initiative and Health underserved Rural Areas projects that utilize a combination of innovations involving telecommunications and computer technologies.

The patient trajectory : A modelling tool for planning rural telemedicine systems

The authors present an analytical tool developed and applied to plan for the use of telecommunications technology to link a non-physician health care provider in a rural satellite clinic to a central source of medical expertise. The principal result obtained is that narrowband technologies appear nearly two- thirds as effective as broadband technologies in averting patient travel.