The document discusses a healthcare facility's need to replace its aging admission, discharge and transfer (ADT) system. Two vendor systems, Intel and Alert, were evaluated. Both systems met key functional requirements and received positive references. The Intel system had a larger installed base but was more expensive. Alert was a smaller, newer company but had enthusiastic references. The committee is seeking a recommendation on which system to select before making a final decision.

1. HIM 500 Southern New Hampshire University Healthcare Informatics
Discussion
HIM 500 Technology Information Featherfall Medical Center has an existing admission
discharge transfer (ADT)/master patient index (MPI) system that was developed in-house
and implemented over 20 years ago. By now, all of the original programmers have resigned
or retired. The system is cumbersome to manage and update to meet the current needs of
the center. This has also led to the compliance, ethical, and governance issues previously
stated. An RFP was sent out to two vendors: Intel (SOA Expressway for Healthcare) and
Alert (Admission Discharge and Transfer [ADT]). Key portions of the RFP have been
summarized to allow for easy comparison. The responses to the functional requirements
have also been provided for review. Demonstrations were conducted at the Center, and
both systems looked good. The MPI module is preferred on Intel, and the ADT system is
preferred on Alert; however, both systems were received favorably. The committee went to
see both systems in operation and liked them both. References were checked on both
systems. The references for Alert were glowing. All of them said that the system was good
and the people were great to work with because they wanted their new company to succeed
and grow. However, given their small size, they might lack the resources of a larger
company. The references on Intel were excellent as well. The only negative about Intel was
that the company is quite large and was sometimes slow to respond to what the company
saw as minor problems. The next release of Alert is due out in 6 months and of Intel is due
out in 8 months. The Committee has used the following tables to summarize and compare
the information that was gathered and is awaiting your recommendation before final
decision is reached. System Comparison Topic Intel (SOA Expressway for Healthcare) Alert
(Admission Discharge and Transfer [ADT]) Cost of interface Cost of software Cost of
hardware Implementation costs Other costs Annual maintenance Training costs Number
systems in use in hospitals Length of time in business Stability of company $378,000
$465,000 $375,000 $275,000 $110,000 $75,000 $350,000 364 $238,000 $325,000
$400,000 $175,000 $120,000 $65,000 $264,000 12 30 years Good 3 years Good RFP
Response from Intel (SOA Expressway for Healthcare) System Functions Admit patient to
ER Admit patient to inpatient status Admit patient to outpatient status Transfer patient
from room to room Transfer patient from inpatient to outpatient Transfer patient from
outpatient to inpatient Transfer patient from ER to inpatient status Discharge patient from
ER Discharge patient from inpatient status Discharge patient from outpatient status Notify

2. housekeeping when patient discharged Notify HIM when patient admitted Meets UHDDS
requirements Meets HIPAA requirements Contains required demographics Automated
verification of insurance GUI technology User friendly Delete patient from system Multiple
levels of security Password protected Audit trail Biometric capable Reads barcodes Edit
demographics Edit insurance Allow for 4 insurance providers Prints standards reports at
specified periods Ad hoc reporting Admission list Discharge list Transfer list Standard X X X
X X Next Release Not Available Custom X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Looks for potential duplicate medical records Quality edits built into system SQL/Oracle
database Runs on Windows 8 Enterprise-wide ready Merge medical record numbers Allows
for aliases Maintains old medical record numbers Maintains former names Allows at least
999 patient visits Data dictionary Three-character service field Allows housekeeping to
notify admission that room is ready Online no-bed list Sends out announcements to
employees/staff Generates list of patients by physician Generates lists of patients by unit
Calculates census statistics Performs medical record number queries Performs patient
name queries Standardizes, secures, and governs access to master patient records
Standardizes, secures, and governs access to master provider indices Standardizes, secures,
and governs access to document exchanges Services for building interoperable healthcare
networks Authentication and authorization Management and monitoring Transport Layer
Security X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X RFP Response from Alert
(Admission Discharge and Transfer (ADT)) System Functions Admit patient to ER Admit
patient to inpatient status Admit patient to outpatient status Transfer patient from room to
room Transfer patient from inpatient to outpatient Transfer patient from outpatient to
inpatient Transfer patient from ER to inpatient status Discharge patient from ER Discharge
patient from inpatient status Discharge patient from outpatient status Notify housekeeping
when patient discharged Notify HIM when patient admitted Meets UHDDS requirements
Meets HIPAA requirements Contains required demographics Automated verification of
insurance GUI technology User friendly Delete patient from system Multiple levels of
security Password protected Audit trail Biometric capable Reads barcodes Edit
demographics Edit insurance Allow for 4 insurance providers Prints standards reports at
specified periods Ad hoc reporting Admission list Discharge list Standard Next Release Not
Available Custom X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Transfer list
Looks for potential duplicate medical records Quality edits built into system SQL/Oracle
database Runs on Windows 8 Enterprise-wide ready Merge medical record numbers Allows
for aliases Maintains old medical record numbers Maintains former names Allows at least
999 patient visits Data dictionary Three-character service field Allows housekeeping to
notify admission that room is ready Online no-bed list Sends out announcements to
employees/staff Generates list of patients by physician Generates lists of patients by unit
Calculates census statistics Performs medical record number queries Performs patient
name queries Standardizes, secures, and governs access to master patient records
Standardizes, secures, and governs access to master provider indices Standardizes, secures,
and governs access to document exchanges Services for building interoperable healthcare
networks Authentication and authorization Management and monitoring Transport Layer
Security X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X HIM 500 Sample Evaluation

3. Matrix This is a completed version: Vendor Evaluation Matrix Instructions: Score each
vendor on a scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) on each of your prioritized items. Total up
your ratings for each vendor to help make your comparisons. Write the names of the
vendors you are comparing in the watermark space provided in vendor columns. Use the
blank rows at the end of the worksheet to ask your own questions. Functionality/Usability
Charting Can the system accommodate (and potentially improve) my workflow? Can I easily
build and/or customize “off-theshelf” templates? Does the system offer a variety of data
entry options, e.g., dictation, voice recognition, structured notes, etc.? Can I make
subsequent edits and addendums to clinical documentation? Does the system alert me
about unfinished portions of the clinical documentation and can I bypass it if necessary?
Can I access other such clinical information as previous labs, progress notes, etc. from a
patient’s “electronic chart” while charting? Vendor A Vendor B 26 41 HIGH 3 5 4 MED 3 4 2
MED 2 4 3 HIGH 4 5 4 HIGH 3 4 3 HIGH 3 5 4 Priority Vendor C 31 Does the system allow me
to multi-task, e.g., create task, order lab, etc. while charting? Does the system allow me to
forward patient information to staff, other physicians, etc. via email, electronic faxing,
messaging, etc.? Does the system ensure that only authorized clinicians can sign clinical
documentation? Prescriptions Can I complete a prescription within a few clicks? Can I look
up medication information, and is this information valuable? How extensive (and how
sensitive) is the system’s interactions-checking capability, e.g., drug-drug, drug-allergy,
drug-food? How accurate is the system in identifying drug-condition warnings, e.g.,
pregnancy? Can I refill a medication within a few clicks? Can previous sigs be viewed from
the refill screen? Can the system handle multiple drug formularies? Can the system send
prescriptions electronically to pharmacies in my local market? Lab and Results
Management Can I complete a lab order within a few clicks? Can the system send lab orders
electronically to laboratories, hospitals, etc. in my local market? Can I pull up and review lab
results within a few clicks? Can the system receive lab results electronically from
laboratories, hospitals, etc. in my local market? LOW 3 5 4 MED 3 4 3 HIGH 2 5 4 21 28 24
HIGH 3 3 4 MED 2 4 4 MED 3 5 4 LOW 3 5 3 MED 3 4 3 LOW 3 4 2 MED 4 3 4 21 27 24 HIGH
2 3 4 HIGH 4 4 3 HIGH 3 4 4 HIGH 3 3 4 Does the system notify me of abnormal lab results
and provide normal ranges? Can the system show me trending of results over time? Can I
create and/or customize “off-the-shelf” order sets? Decision Support Does the system utilize
clinical information from all parts of the chart to provide decision support? Does the system
alert me when patient data indicates that intervention is recommended? Can I access
medical literature, clinical guidelines, etc.? Disease and Population Management Assuming
good data entry for all patients, can I query the system and identify patients that have a
particular condition, are on a certain medication, etc.? Does the system track patients for
follow-up and send out reminders? Can I create ad-hoc reports, or am I limited to ones
provided off-the-shelf? Can I customize these reports? Does reporting module handle
“and/or” queries together? Health Record Management Can I look up a patient by a number
of different criteria, e.g., name, MRN, SSN, etc.? Does the system provide a summary view of
a patient’s health status? Does the system handle other such clinical documents as X-rays,
reports, etc.? MED 3 4 3 MED 3 4 3 LOW 3 5 3 9 11 11 MED 3 3 4 MED 3 5 4 LOW 3 3 3 8 16
13 MED 2 4 3 LOW 2 5 3 LOW 3 4 4 MED 3 3 3 16 24 18 MED 3 5 4 LOW 4 5 3 MED 3 5 3

4. Does the system allow me to maintain patient lists, e.g., problems, allergies, medications,
etc.? Can I organize patient information within the system in a similar way to my paper
charts? Clinical Tasking and Messaging Can I access and manage various tasks, e.g., sign
progress notes, review labs, etc. within a few clicks? Can I task or message someone else in
the practice and do it with a few clicks? Does system alert me of overdue tasks and urgent
lab results? How disruptive are the alerts, are they customizable, and can they be
overridden? Can I manage tasks and messages from a computer other than my own?
Financial Considerations Roughly how much could the system cost my clinic? Can you offer
an Application Service Provider (ASP) option, purchase option, or monthly subscription
option? Roughly how much do the software licenses cost? About how much will ongoing
maintenance and upgrades cost? How often will a support person(s) be available once the
system goes “LIVE” in case of any system difficulty? How are the licenses issued?
Concurrent user versus per practitioner? TOTAL SCORE MED 3 5 4 LOW 3 4 4 14 22 17
HIGH 2 5 3 MED 2 4 3 LOW 3 5 3 LOW 4 4 4 LOW 3 4 4 17 17 21 HIGH 3 2 4 MED 3 2 3 HIGH
2 2 3 MED 3 2 3 MED 3 5 4 MED 3 4 4 132 186 159 Vendor Evaluation Matrix Instructions:
Score each vendor on a scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) on each of your prioritized
items. Total up your ratings for each vendor to help make your comparisons. Write the
names of the vendors you are comparing in the watermark space provided in vendor
columns. Use the blank rows at the end of the worksheet to ask your own questions.
Functionality/Usability Charting Can the system accommodate (and potentially improve)
my workflow? Can I easily build and/or customize “off-theshelf” templates? Does the
system offer a variety of data entry options, e.g., dictation, voice recognition, structured
notes, etc.? 1 Priority Vendor A Vendor B Prescriptions Can I complete a prescription within
a few clicks? Can I look up medication information, and is this information valuable? How
extensive (and how sensitive) is the system’s interactions-checking capability, e.g., drug-
drug, drug-allergy, drug-food? Lab and Results Management Can I complete a lab order
within a few clicks? Can the system send lab orders electronically to laboratories, hospitals,
etc. in my local market? Can I pull up and review lab results within a few clicks? 2 Decision
Support Does the system utilize clinical information from all parts of the chart to provide
decision support? Disease and Population Management Assuming good data entry for all
patients, can I query the system and identify patients that have a particular condition, are
on a certain medication, etc.? Health Record Management Can I look up a patient by a
number of different criteria, e.g., name, MRN, SSN, etc.? Does the system provide a summary
view of a patient’s health status? 3 Clinical Tasking and Messaging Can I access and manage
various tasks, e.g., sign progress notes, review labs, etc. within a few clicks? Can I task or
message someone else in the practice and do it with a few clicks? Financial Considerations
Roughly how much could the system cost my clinic? TOTAL SCORE 4