Organization Planning, Project Management and Information

The successful implementation and subsequent meaningful use of information technology solutions within a health care organization is a challenging and iterative process. The organization must engage in careful and ongoing strategic and tactical planning to ensure that the implemented technology will ultimately be effective and beneficial for its practitioners, staff, and patients.

To prepare for this Application Assignment, review the information presented in this week’s Learning Resources on strategic and tactical planning for health information technology and the application of project management methodology by health care organizations to facilitate the implementation of its technology solutions. To complete this Application Assignment, write a 2- to 3-page paper in which you: Distinguish between strategic planning and tactical planning within an organization, delineating at least two key differences between them.

Characterize the relationship between strategic planning and information technology, with consideration given to how this relationship ultimately benefits a health care organization. Explain how the application of project management methodology benefits an organization and, in the context of a health care organization, how it facilitates the implementation of that organization’s information technology solutions. What does a healthcare organization do when they see the need for change or something new, like the advancement of information technology?

Firstly, the organization needs to develop goals and that can be obtained by planning (Society for Human Resource Management, 2102). Now the organization needs to know how and when this change is going to take place (Project Management for Development Organizations, 2011). This paper will discuss in better detail in what takes place in organizational planning, project management, and information technology. Health care organizations have to plan so they will meet the expectations of their patrons and everyone within the organization.

These health care organizations have two types of planning to follow, and they are tactical and strategic planning. When tactical planning takes place, there is a short term goal in mind (Society for Human Resource Management, 2102). The course of action for a tactical plan is to achieve a goal within a year or less time period (Society for Human Resource Management, 2102). A tactical plan has a smaller scope and shorter time p than a strategic plan (Society for Human Resource Management, 2102).

It takes several tactical plans to achieve the strategic plan (Society for Human Resource Management, 2102). Strategic planning differs from tactical planning, because in strategic plan, the course of action is to achieve goals for the long term (Society for Human Resource Management, 2102). Strategic planning goals are usually wanted to be completed with five years (Society for Human Resource Management, 2102). The organization’s mission statement purpose and direction are reflected upon strategic planning (Society for Human Resource Management, 2102).

Top management must view reports on operations, external environments and finances when looking to develop a strategic plan (Society for Human Resource Management, 2102). The development of tactical plans are influenced by strategic plans (Society for Human Resource Management, 2102). It is in every healthcare organizations interest to make a strategic plan for using information technology. Health care information technology or HIT will offer many opportunities in the United States health care delivery system (New York Health Care Commission ,n. . ).

One of these opportunities would be quality improvements in the clinical setting, as well as more timely access to health information and patient records, and the reduction of medical errors (New York Health Care Commission ,n. d. ). In addition to these benefits of HIT, cost savings would result (New York Health Care Commission ,n. d. ). Instead of each physician’s office having a different paper copy of a patient records, HIT would allow an EHR or electronic health record (New York Health Care Commission ,n. . ). This EHR is the computerized version of patient records, so each physician would have the same access to the same patient information (New York Health Care Commission ,n. d. ). But the ultimate goal of the HIT is to allow a patient’s EHR to be access from anywhere in the country (New York Health Care Commission ,n. d. ). It is important to a health care organization to develop tactical plans for the use of information technology, because the goal is strategic. The HHS or the U. S. Department of Health ; Human Services has a strategic plan in place for the use of information technology, in which they want to improve the management on information technology performance and optimize the impact of information technology in three to five years (U. S. Department of Health ; Human Services, 2010). Project management methodology benefits an organization in several ways. With effective use, project management methodology provides a means of a cost effective use of limited resources, like funds and people (Project Management for Development Organizations, 2011).

Project management methodology prevents duplication of efforts that has an impact on the organization’s developmental goals; which causes additional cost to the organization, reduces the amount of trust the organization’s donors and stakeholder to give and increases risks (Project Management for Development Organizations, 2011). The use of project management methodology helps deliver the expected outcomes to impact the community that the organization serves (Project Management for Development Organizations, 2011).

More positive outcomes delivered due to a formal framework, the reduced risk of project failure, consistent results and increased productivity and efficiency are some benefits of project management methodology in the healthcare industry (Healthcare Information and Management Systems, 2007). Other benefits included are the improvements of quality and communications, the reduction of variability, standardization, and the increased chance of delivery to time, scope and budget (Healthcare Information and Management Systems, 2007).

Project management methodology in the healthcare industry also provides a return on investments (Healthcare Information and Management Systems, 2007). There is a lot to entail when it comes to information technology at a healthcare organization because there are many projects in progress and limited resources, people and funds (Healthcare Information and Management Systems, 2007). Project management methodology provides the plan of how and when the implementation of the organization’s information technology solutions needs to happen (Healthcare Information and Management Systems, 2007).

This provides better fit of solution the first time through and allows problems to be resolved more quickly (Healthcare Information and Management Systems, 2007). In conclusion, organizational planning, project management, and information technology are important to a healthcare organization. Organizational planning provides the healthcare organizations with goals, from little goals to building up to more substantial ones (Society for Human Resource Management, 2102).

Project management provides the healthcare organizations the ways and planning to accomplish these goals (Project Management for Development Organizations, 2011). In this stage of healthcare, information technology is the end goal because it will make practicing health more efficient and will provide better care to the patient (Healthcare Information and Management Systems, 2007). Within time, all healthcare organizations will achieve these goals.

References

1. Healthcare Information and Management Systems (2007). Retrieved September 9, 2012 from http://www. imss. org/content/files/WhyHaveProjectManagementMethodology. pdf
2. New York Health Care Commission. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 8, 2012 from website: http://www. nyhealthcarecommission. org/docs/hit. pdf Project Management for Development Organizations. (2011).
3. Benefits of a project management methodology. Retrieved September 9, 2012 from http://www. google. com/url? sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCYQFjAB&url=http://www. pm4dev. com/resources/edocs/doc_download/9-benefits-of-a-project-management-methodology. tml&ei=4RtNUPrZCqGQ2QXKiIG4Cw&usg=AFQjCNGGAqhvaHnGwdgg9wbKvyK9a-WTOg&sig2=DD97M5G-24-wMPx_lgiBng
4. Society for Human Resource Management. (2102). Could you explain the difference between strategic and tactical plans and give examples of each?. Retrieved September 8, 2012 from http://www. shrmindia. org/could-you-explain-difference-between-strategic-and-tactical-plans-and-give-examples-each
5. U. S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2010). HHS enterprise information technology strategic plan . Retrieved September 8, 2012 from http://www. hhs. gov/ocio/plans/itstrategicplan. html