10 Jul Doctors’ Hospital is a 162-bed, acute care facility located in

Doctors’ Hospital is a 162-bed, acute care facility located in a small city in the southeasternUnited States. The organization had a major financial upheaval six years ago that resulted inthe establishment of a new governing structure. The new governing body consists of aneleven-member authority board. The senior management of Doctors’ Hospital includes theChief Executive Officer (CEO), three senior vice presidents, and one vice president. Duringthe restructuring, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) was changed from a full-time staffposition to a part-time contract position. The CIO spends two days every two weeks atDoctors’ Hospital.Doctors’ Hospital is currently in Phase 1 of a three-phase construction project. In Phase 2the hospital will build a new emergency department (ED) and surgical pavilion, which arescheduled to be completed in eleven months.Information Systems ChallengeThe current ED and outpatient surgery department have experienced tremendous growth in thepast several years. ED visits have increased by 50 percent, and similar increases have beenseen in outpatient surgery. Management has identified that inefficient patient flow processes,particularly patient transfers and discharges, have resulted in backlogs in the ED andoutpatient areas. The new construction will only exacerbate the current problem.Nearly a year ago Doctors’ Hospital made a commitment to purchase a capacity managementsoftware suite to reduce the inefficiencies that have been identified in patient flow processes. Theoriginal timeline was to have the new system pilot-tested prior to the opening of the new ED andsurgical pavilion. However, with the competing priorities its members face as they deal with majorconstruction, the original project steering committee has stalled. At its last meeting nearly sixmonths ago, the steering committee identified the vendor and product suite. Budgets and timelinesfor implementation were proposed but not finalized. No other steps have been taken.Discussion Questions1. Do you think the absence of a full-time CIO has had an impact on this acquisition project? Whyor why not?2. What steps should the CIO take to ensure that the capacity management system will bepurchased and implemented? What do you see as the critical first step in this process? Why?3. Discuss who you think should serve on the project steering committee. Who should serve aschair? Why?4. At this point, what do you think is a realistic time frame for implementation of the capacitymanagement system? What steps can be taken to ensure the new timeline is met despitecompeting priorities?