Once you have determined "what" you want the system to accomplish in your requirements, you need to determine "how" the system will be utilized in your business process. The suggested approach is to model your current business processes, identify the inefficiencies, and identify opportunities for process improvement through integration of the new system. These become your future desired business processes. Moreover, this deliverable can be used to create use case scenarios; these are detailed scripts of how the system will be used in day-to-day processes.
Typically, you will want to have 12 to 20 use case scenarios for the vendor to have available so as to demonstrate the functionality of their product relevant to your organization.
Once you know what you are looking for, you are prepared to define the list of all vendors and products in the market that can satisfy these needs. The list can be defined by using the Internet, KLAS, HIMSS, or colleagues. Your goal should be a judgment free compilation of a complete list. The worst scenario is to execute a structured selection process culminating in a final presentation to the ultimate decision making body (e.g. Board of Directors, etc.) only to receive a question such as "why didn't you consider company XYZ?"
Once you have the complete population of options, we suggest doing a web-based search to begin narrowing of the list. There is generally substantial information available online regarding the solutions. The information should be reviewed by the entire Selection Team. A consensus decision should be reached on which vendors/products to eliminate and the reasons should be fully documented. Normally, you'll find that your list is about 12 to 15 vendors after this exercise.
For the remaining candidates, you'll want to document and distribute a Request for Information (RFI). The RFI should be no longer than 2 pages and should introduce your company, selection scope, selection methodology, and ask for their standard information packet regarding their product within 2 weeks. It is worth noting that this will be the first time you will be on the radar of the vendors as an organization looking for a healthcare software solution. Do yourself a favor and set the ground rules in the RFI as to how the vendor should communicate with your organization about the project. We suggest that ALL information from the vendors is funneled through the Project Manager to maintain an unbiased selection.
Once you receive the responses to your RFI, you should provide another opportunity for the Selection Team to review the new data and eliminate vendors/products that no longer fit. You'll find that this second review will normally reduce the list to approximately 8 to 10 vendors. Remember to thoroughly update your decision log as to why you eliminated the vendor for later review and justification should that be required. At this juncture you will want to schedule out-of-the-box demonstrations of the remaining vendors/products.
These demonstrations should be very focused. Allow the vendor a maximum of two hours to give a brief overview of their company, product suite, and to demonstrate their solution. We recommend blocking off 2-3 full days thereby allowing for back-to-back demonstrations for the Selection Team. This greatly facilitates comparisons as well as minimizes the impact to the Selection Team's schedule. At the conclusion of the out-of-the-box demonstrations, you should be ready to regroup for another round of eliminations and decision justification. The remaining list should consist of no more than 6 vendors/products at this point.
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