Mt. Auburn Hospital Case Solution And Analysis, HBR Case Study Solution & Analysis of Harvard Case Studies

Mount Auburn Hospital

Introduction

The objective of the Mount Auburn Hospital is to implement a Physical Order Entry (POE) System as efficiently as possible in the hospital so as to provide better services for the staff and doctors, commencing from labor and delivery ward. This system will replace the old manual system of paper based and oral prescription order processing with an organization Information technology based system. The new Information based system facilitates the physicians in order to enter medication orders more efficiently to be recorded and transferred in the hospital’s pharmacy. This is the first experience of the Mount Auburn Hospital, which seems to be attractive and beneficial in the long term. One of the big responsibilities of the technical I.T team is to decide and analyze how to launch the technology efficiently for physicians and other technical personnel, who are the end users of it.

Identify two driving forces in Mount Auburn’s decision to implement the Physician Order Entry (POE) system.

Before the implementation of the Physician Order Entry System, the hospital has been facing some issues like patients records, drug deliveries, transaction issues and many others. For example, the existing drug delivery system possesses some serious issues. There are two different methods that are previously followed before the application of Physician Order System. First method comprises of submission through the handwritten order. In this process, a physician physically submits hand written order to staff member. After that submission staff member transcribes the order to the medication administration record. As the process precedes staff members faxes the particular to the pharmacy. In the next phase, pharmacist fulfillsthe order and nurses dispense the medication. Finally in the sixth step, patients receive the medication. The second method also comprises of the verbal request. This verbal is also quiet time consuming and is somehow slow as well. In this process, physicians initially make the verbal request to the nurse and staff members to place the order. In the second step, the administrator transcribes order to MAR. By the same time, staff member faxes the order to the pharmacy. In the 4^th step pharmacist fulfills the order and nurses dispense the medication. Similarly in the 6^th step, patient receives the mediation.

These both methods of the existing drug delivery system are found quit slow and time consuming. Moreover, this system also engages a chain of employees. This 6 step process delays the whole timeline. When these systems will be equipped by the computerized Physician Order Entry (POE) system, so there will be a series of things that will be aligned. For example, physicians can order the drugs directly. This Physician Order Entry (POE) system will definitely streamline the process of drug delivery and will eliminate the risk of misinterpretation at every stage. Most importantly it ensures that a physician receives order directly from the pharmacist.

Moreover, the Adverse Drug Events is one of the biggest issues for the hospital. According to the study, the adverse drug events has been classified as injury, which has been a result of the medication intervention in relation with a drug. The potential adverse drug events like by chance case injury can be prevented by the healthcare provider. This study stated that the common source of error is the distribution of the drug knowledge, specifically to physicians. These errors occur due to the lack of drug knowledge, lack of patient information and many others. By implementing the Physician Order Entry (POE) system, these issues can be solved. Furthermore, it will save time of all employees including physicians.

Q2) Do you think this is an example of an inside-out or outside-in approach for selecting a new system? Explain your answer.

As per the case analysis, this is an inside out approach adopted by the Mount Auburn Hospital. The hospital management now takes interest in aligning different process within the hospital. The hospital’s CEO and President, Jeanette Clough appreciated the role of Physician Order Entry System within the hospital because she has noticed some tremendous benefits of this system within the last one year. The team that implemented the Physician Order Entry System now planned to implement this system in the delivery and labor unit of the hospital. The reason for implementing this system here is that the medication ordering process in this area is quiet simple. As compared to other location, this area will provide them the calm and workable environment and can give them proper results for this inside out approach. Since, this inside approach reflects that one can’t lift the other person if that one person is not on the higher ground. This inside out approach will narrow their operational time lines. Like the drug ordering process is quiet time consuming.

The Physician Order Entry System involvement represented vital system changes and introduced many effective features that would be likely to reduce major and minor both type of errors. As part of this inside out approach of POE implementation, physicians were given a menu of medications from the formulary and...............

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In December 1993, two of the largest and most renowned hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's, said they canceled their historic rivalry to form an alliance and the creation of a regional health network. Announcement set off a wave of mergers talk all Boston Health care market, which was carrying too many specialists, beds, and service providers. Like its peers, Mt. Auburn Hospital began to seek alliances. The hospital managed to thrive over the previous decade to restructure its operations in response to the revolution in managed care. But in a healthcare environment potentially dominate the regional networks, the situation at the hospital as a mixture of community and clinical hospital made him vulnerable. Mount Auburn Board of Trustees formed a special task force to seek alliances, suggestions and recommendations on what (if any) will make for a better business partner. Suitors who showed up at the door of the task force are almost every type of player in the healthcare market. In February 1996, the task force was faced with the difficult task of selecting a different alternative. "Hide
on F. Warren McFarlan, Jaan Elias Source: Harvard Business School 36 pages. Publication Date: 09 Oct 1996. Prod. #: 397083-PDF-ENG