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Pediatric Informatics: Computer Applications in Child Health (Health ...

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226 M.M. Simonian<br />

Outl<strong>in</strong>e practice <strong>in</strong>formation needs for now and the future<br />

Participate <strong>in</strong> different vendor displays or demonstrations<br />

Select vendor and product candidates<br />

Check the vendor performance and experience, especially <strong>in</strong> service and support<br />

Test drive products and ask around<br />

Narrow choice and make selection<br />

Negotiate the contract<br />

16.4.2 Information Resources<br />

Information sources on products may <strong>in</strong>clude other physicians and practices,<br />

vendors, and professional medical societies who have experience with specific<br />

products. Consultation with colleagues <strong>in</strong> close proximity to the office allows office<br />

staff access to what other groups or <strong>in</strong>dividuals are do<strong>in</strong>g. First hand experience is<br />

also very helpful <strong>in</strong> provid<strong>in</strong>g lessons learned. If a paid consultant is used, the experience<br />

and recognized expertise of the consultant should be researched.<br />

16.4.3 Deployment and Operation<br />

Most practices will require help with <strong>in</strong>stallation. Tasks <strong>in</strong>clude: hardware configuration<br />

and network<strong>in</strong>g, software <strong>in</strong>stallation and test<strong>in</strong>g, data conversion, staff<br />

tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g, and rollout. Some vendors provide help themselves or contract with local<br />

technicians for setup and support of their system. Purchasers and staff should feel<br />

comfortable about operat<strong>in</strong>g the system (<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g remote access) and about f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g<br />

support. This aspect of products should be explored with other practices that<br />

have experience with the system.<br />

16.4.4 Expenses – Initial Setup<br />

The most complex part of adoption is choos<strong>in</strong>g how to f<strong>in</strong>ance the process for a given<br />

practice. Each practice must decide how to approach the decision and which approach<br />

is the best. Four general approaches (not <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g private development or open-source<br />

tools) <strong>in</strong>clude direct purchase, traditional loans, leas<strong>in</strong>g, subscription (application service<br />

providers) and (if available) gift, grants or network membership benefit.<br />

16.4.4.1 Direct Purchase<br />

Some technology will not require much deliberation and can be purchased as a<br />

practice expense. These <strong>in</strong>clude office workstations, pr<strong>in</strong>ters, wireless network<strong>in</strong>g,

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