Information Technology in Healthcare (Track 15)Â Submission deadline May 5, 2009, 11:59 pm Pacific Time
Track Chairs:
Matthew Guah, Erasmus University, Netherlands (Guah@few.eur.nl)
Gondy Leroy, Claremont Graduate University, USA (Gondy.Leroy@cgu.edu)
Vishanth Weerakkody, Brunel University, United Kingdom (Vishanth.Weerakkody@brunel.ac.uk)
Track Description
Evidence from successfully implemented healthcare systems demonstrates the powerful potential for IS to improve service delivery in healthcare organizations. Despite the widespread use of IS to reform clinical and non-clinical processes, there are few examples of successful change management initiatives but significant evidence that introducing large-scale IS-enabled programs has not produced the expected benefits in the healthcare sector. Reasons for low adoption of IS in healthcare are linked to the lack of engagement between clinicians and healthcare executives, low IS maturity, inadequate IS business planning, poor implementation strategies, and poor engagement with IS suppliers to design and develop workable solutions.
The move towards patient-centered healthcare will create further opportunities and challenges for healthcare organizations as they adapt their processes and practices to meet new reform initiatives. These may include new commissioning procedures, more integration between healthcare organizations, personalized treatments for patients, greater emphasis on lifestyle choices to reduce common conditions (e.g., heart disease, asthma, diabetes), increased use of commercial organizations to provide healthcare services and greater emphasis on the cost-effectiveness of medicines. The role of IS will be crucial in these reforms for both clinical and non-clinical applications.
The aim of this track is to provide a common platform for discussion and presentation of original research highlighting opportunities and challenges related to the role of IS in delivering 21st century healthcare. Full research papers and research-in-progress papers are sought which address the inter-disciplinary nature of those opportunities and challenges. A cross-national focus will be particularly attractive since a PEST analysis (political, economic, social and technical) shows that wide variations exist across nation-states, suggesting that IS development and implementation may need to be addressed more widely than simply looking at the organizational unit of analysis.
For more details go to  ICIS 2009 website: Information Technology in Healthcare (Track 15)