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H H S Department of Health and Human Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Health Information Technology and Quality
Improvement

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Technology Assessment

Health centers need to go through a number of steps to select the system that best meets their organizational requirements and to assess necessary changes to the current infrastructure to support the new system. The health center also needs to establish a maintenance plan to ensure the longevity of their system.  There are numerous vendors that cater towards the health center market and subsequently, various contractual and procurement procedures to be considered. The resources in this module provide guidance on how to plan for technology implementation.

Are we planning to install a new system? 

Do we need to upgrade an existing system?

How do we conduct a readiness assessment?

How do we draft an RFP/RFI?

What are my top priorities for vendor selection?

How do we establish a contract with a vendor?

How do we evaluate the proposals?

What is the difference between the different types of maintenance plans and which one should we choose?

What procurement model should we use and do we want an Application Service Provider (ASP) model or do we want to host the system on our own?

What are my interface requirements?

What are the key components that need to be included in vendor contracts?

Who will write/negotiate the vendor contract?

What are our hardware (server and desktop) needs?

Do we need any special devices?

How will our project relate and comply with regulatory requirements?

What specific problems are we trying to solve as an institution?
Developed by the Health Resources and Services Administration as a resource for health centers and other safety net and ambulatory care providers who are seeking to implement health IT.
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Health Information Technology Toolboxes help health centers, safety net providers, and ambulatory care providers with electronic and online resources and technical assistance to improve patient care.  More>
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E-mail the HealthIT e-mail box: healthit@hrsa.gov