Overview and Objectives of the Network Technology - Term Paper Example

Network Paper Angela Cassadime St. Joseph Health Care Medical Center acassadime@gmail.com Stevens Institute 30 Nov Outline I. Overview and objectives of the technology II. Makers of the technology III. Requirements for running the technology a. Hardware b. Software c. Network d. Information IV. Maintenance and support requirements V. Key Stakeholders VI. Business processes VII. Value/Benefits VIII. Opportunities for improvement a. Business opportunities b. Technical opportunities Declaration I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination. I further pledge that I have not copied any material from a book, article, the Internet, or any other source except where I have expressly cited the source. Signature _Angela Cassadime Date: 30 Nov 2011 Overview and Objectives of the Technology Networks play a vital role in supporting information technology-based services in various institutions. This makes the study of networks a key part of the training that professionals using IT infrastructure need. This paper relates to the proposed adoption of a new low cost internet based network to help my organization save on network administration costs. There are many internet applications available to organizations that can help build reliable networks. However, there is need for careful analysis of the benefits and the costs of adopting such systems. The major IT applications at my organization include logging in of patient details, keeping track of the treatment process and recording of prescriptions (EaseMD, 2011). In addition, the organization generates and stores data relating to availability of drugs and vendor information (Applegate, 2003). IT also provides support for the billing and accounts department, and is the means through which the other management functions take place (EaseMD, 2011). For instance, the management communicates to all members of staff via email generated and distributed through the existing network. All these services run from a variety of platforms, some of which are quite expensive to maintain. There is a chance that the organization may save some money by using internet-based technologies instead of developing its own network to handle the services. Laudon and Laudon (2011) observed that companies in the US “spend one hundred billion dollars every year on networking and telecommunications hardware and seven hundred billion dollars on networking services” (p. 180). The proposed low cost network may help to reduce the costs the organization incurs in software development and maintenance. Laudon and Laudon (2011) point out that “many business applications are now delivered online as an internet service, rather than as boxed software or custom systems” (p. 7). The network design is very simple. It utilizes existing infrastructure and internet resources governed by rules developed internally by the hospital’s IT Department to implement the network. The network needs to have the capacity to enable pooled collection of patient, drug, and vendor information for transfer to a database. The database should be searchable and analyzable to produce required information. The required network qualities include scalability, data security, and full time availability. Makers of the Technology The technologies available come from a variety of suppliers. This is because the network that the organization is exploring does not come as a readymade product. Rather it is an innovative assortment of the services available online from different providers. Based on this explanation, the makers of the technologies include the Internet Service Providers, and the companies providing online applications, which will form this innovative network. The key service providers for the network software include Google and Microsoft. These two companies produce software products and internet applications that provide an interesting opportunity for developing a web based network to provide services for healthcare facilities at a very low cost. Requirements for Running the Technology Hardware The hardware requirement for this network is minimal. It only requires the basic hardware needed to access the internet. This includes computers (desktops or laptops), routers, hubs and servers, in fact, there are no changes required on the current system since the low cost internet based network can sit comfortably on the existing infrastructure. Outside of the basic computer and internet-enabling infrastructure, there is need for a data storage unit that comes online to backup data every few hours. As a web-based system, there is need to back up all data collected because there are periods when internet services go offline hence if the data is entirely online, there may be service disruptions and the hospital. This is a very dangerous situation. A simple external hard drive or a dedicated computer will do this adequately. Software The software needed for the network is the Microsoft office suite of applications, and an internet browser. The preferred browser options for the network are Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 and the latest edition of Google Chrome. These browsers come from the two companies whose products form the backbone of the network. This way, there will be fewer compatibility problems. However, any other stable browser will do just fine. The storage computer will require the Microsoft office suite of applications. In particular, it will need Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access programs. These two will be very crucial during the data backup process. Through Google docs, the receptionists will fill an online form that transfers data to a patient database. Google automatically creates a spreadsheet with the patients’ data. The entry by the receptionist forms the basis for further data entry by all the people involved in the physician workflow process. The network will also have forms for use by the pharmacy and the nurses to keep track of the medicine in the hospital. Network The network itself will utilize existing internet connections to deliver the results. There will be no need to develop a secondary physical network to develop this low cost network. It is simply a question of making available certain services to the client accounts based on Gmail addresses using a system of passwords and privileges, and developing rules of access and procedure. The Hospital’s IT Administrator at the facility will play this role. Information The nature of information available in the network will depend on who is dealing with it. Input will come from various sources and will appear in different ways to different people. The following table summarizes the persons responsible for data entry and the nature of information they normally deal with. Person Responsible Nature of Information Dealt with Receptionist Patients details (name, address) Nurse Medicine administered, tracking medicine in ward repository Physician Diagnosis, tests required, prescriptions Laboratory technician Test results, Pharmacist Dispensed prescriptions, tracking of medical inventory Account and Invoicing Invoice preparation, settling vendor accounts, Maintenance and Support Requirements Since the system utilizes freely available internet applications, it will not require specialized network maintenance functions. This is despite the “huge diversity and range of services” that characterizes service industries such as the hospital (Rothkopf, 2009, p. 7). However, there will be need for a resident network technician to see that all information flows as required and to back up data collected based on network management policies. It will be their work to transfer the data collected from the network to the storage units either in Microsoft Excel sheets or in Microsoft Access. In addition, the IT department will ensure that all the computers are functioning effectively. Key Stakeholders In addition to the hospital staff, the other key stakeholders in this network are the patients and vendors. The patients are the primary recipients of the services hence the efficacy of the system impinges on the quality of their experience at the hospital. In addition, if the system brings about cost savings, then it means that hospital may be able to offer more competitive services than what is possible now. The third group of stakeholders, who are the vendors that supply medicine and medical supplies to the hospital, stand to benefit from improved operations at the hospital. Business Processes The business processes that will improve based on this network is the physician workflow process. Just like other businesses, the hospital “must deal with many different pieces of information about suppliers, customers, employees, invoices and payments, and of course products and services” ( (Laudon & Laudon, 2011, p. 43). This network will reduce the overall cost of operating the hospitals network and will bring down the risk of operating a stand-alone network because the network components all come from well-established companies that rely on the quality of their services to generate revenue. There will be greater system reliability in addition to full time availability. In addition, the staff will have remote access. Opportunities for Improvement If the hospital goes ahead to implement this network, then it will be among the first to try out this concept. This will give it the opportunity to develop the concept as a pioneer and hence it may develop a income generating consultancy project to train other interested institutions (Murthy, 2007). Reduction of the current operational costs will also improve the hospitals balance sheet. It will free resources that the hospital may use to develop other areas of medical services that remain underdeveloped due to lack of resources. References Applegate, L. M. (2003). Global Healthcare Exchange. Boston MA: Havard Business School. EaseMD. (2011). easeMD Systems: Improving Physician Workflow. Retrieved October 24, 2011, from eClinicalWorks Electronic Health eXchange (eEHX): http://www.easemd.com/hospitals/ehx.php Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2011). Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm. Arlington, VA: Prentice Hall. Murthy, C. S. (2007). Change Management. Mumbai: Himalaya Publishing House. Rothkopf, M. (2009). Innovation in Commoditized Service Industries: An Emperical Case Study. Berlin: Verlag. Read More