Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Health It topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DPH outlines multi-year health IT vision, prioritizing infrastructure and clinical informatics
Summary
DPH Chief Information Officer Bill Kim told the Health Commission the department will prioritize foundational infrastructure (fiber networking, stability), build a clinical informatics support team, and pursue a blueprint-driven EHR/integration approach over several years with a target of full integration by 2018, contingent on funding.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH) presented a multi-year health information-technology strategy that emphasizes shoring up unstable infrastructure, creating clinical-informatics capacity, and using a blueprint-driven approach before purchasing major electronic health record (EHR) systems.
Bill Kim, DPH chief information officer, said current IT conditions include frequent unplanned outages (about one unanticipated outage per month), slow network speeds at some clinics and end-of-life equipment. To fix that foundation, Kim said the department has begun a rapid fiber-network rollout and will move to shared city data-center hosting for some services to reduce capital and operational costs. "We're going to tie all of our network in fiber to get off these really slow networks," Kim said, adding that work was already under way.
Kim recommended establishing a formal clinical informatics team to provide "at the elbow" training, workflow optimization, and sustainment for clinicians using new systems. He warned that large EHR purchases often fail when organizations do not invest in clinical support and a detailed blueprint. Kim described a phased approach: 2014—16 to build a strong infrastructure foundation and clinical-support capabilities, followed by full due diligence and blueprinting for a next-generation EHR and integrated health information system, with a possible target of 2018 for broad integration depending on funding.
Commissioners pressed about how the IT plan connects to the budget; Kim said budget discussions with the CFO support the first-phase work for 2014—15 but acknowledged additional funding may be required for later phases. He also stressed security ownership and clearer governance to reduce risk and avoid "everybody raises their hand" situations where accountability is unclear.
Kim emphasized the strategy favors system capabilities and interoperability over vendor-specific solutions and urged discipline in buying choices and investment in training so that expensive systems are fully used. The commission and staff discussed how the IT items would be resourced in the department—s upcoming budget submission and asked staff to provide a planning-level five-year picture linking IT, FTEs, and costs for future hearings.
