Smith Community Hospital is seeking proposals for an electronic health records (EHR) system to replace their current paper records. Their current system lacks organization and privacy issues have arisen. The RFP will evaluate vendors based on functionality, interoperability, customization, price, privacy/security, compliance with standards, customer support, and other criteria. Key questions for vendors include licensing models, support services, and technical specifications. HIPAA regulations require secure transmission and maintenance of health records and payment information. EHRs can provide benefits if selected and implemented properly.

1. BUS 4126 Capella University Human Resource Paper
Attached.Running head: REQUEST FOR PROPOSALRequest for ProposalStudent’s
NameInstitutional Affiliation1REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL2BackgroundSmith Community
Hospital is a multi-specialty acute care hospital with a bed capacity of400. The hospital was
established in 1989, and it provides inpatient and outpatient services toresidents within a
25-mile radius from within hospital location. Primary services includecardiology,
emergency room services, orthopedics, and OB/GYN, while general surgery is thesecondary
services. The hospital has been successful in quality care, advanced technology, andpositive
patient outcomes. However, the community served by the healthcare facility has been hitby
an economic recession, forcing employers to reduce payroll, thus decreasing the number
ofinsured employees. Medical technology change has also forced surgeons and physicians
torequest capital costs to invest in new technology. With reduced medical reimbursement,
theChief Financial Officer has asked for a review of all reimbursement and financial policies
whilethe technology department has considered various vendor proposals to reduce
highertechnological costs and maintain a competitive advantage in the market place.Critical
needs of Smith Community Hospital include compliance with HIPAA rules,implementation
of electronic health records (EHR), data management and workflow issues,surgical
concerns. A significant issue facing the hospital is lack of systematized collection
andmanagement of information since some medical records containing private information
of apatient were left out on a desk. A Request for Proposal (RFP) will enable the hospital to
collectoffers from various electronic health records (HER) vendors and select a vendor that
meets thehospital’s criteria. The hospital needs to put out an effective RFP for EHR by
inviting to competefor a contract (Lammers, 2012). There are various EHRs products on the
market, produced bydifferent vendors that are currently in use. Example of these products
is EncounterWorks andAzaleaHealth. Key areas that will be addressed in the RFP
include:REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL•EHR system functionality and scalability (Lammers,
2012).•Interoperability of the system.•Customization of the EHR to the clinician
workflow.•Price of the EHR system.•Privacy and security.•Standards compliance.•Customer
support.•Health information exchange•Meaningful use of the EHR system.•EHR system
technical architecture.3Since the key areas that need to be addressed in the RFP have been
listed, some of the questionsthat will be given to vendors include:•Will the license provided
by the vendor be perpetual, renewed yearly, or for a fixed term?•Will the license require a
single payment of fees or the hospital will continue paying aslong as the EHR system
remains in effect?•Does the vendor offer mutual confidentiality obligations with strict

2. limitation on thevendor’s use of the hospital’s patient information?•Does the vendor of the
EHR system provide 24/7 customer support? What kind and howcomprehensive are
training sessions?•Does the communication component in the EHR entail TCP/IP?•Does the
EHR system support SQL communication?HIPAA is U.S legislation that offers data
confidentiality and security requirements forprotecting medical information (See, 2003).
With increases in health data infringements causedREQUEST FOR PROPOSAL4by
ransomware attacks and cyberattacks in providers and health insurers, this legislation
hasemerged into greater prominence to safeguard medical information. This law regulates
howproviders manage protected health information, i.e., medical records and payment
histories (See,2003). Hospitals are required to maintain a record of messages to ascertain
that medical recordsand payment histories were transmitted through proper and encrypted
channels. Therefore, theprimary functions of HIPAA include confidentiality of health
information, the security ofelectronic health records, and insurance portability (See,
2003).In today’s healthcare system, EHRs are considered to be a game-changer because of
thenumerous benefits associated with their implementation in healthcare organizations.
EHRscontains information about hospital visits…