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Define an information baseline

HIM Connection, May 20, 2003

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Dear Colleagues:

To get an information management initiative underway in an organized and realistic fashion, it is critical to define the current state of information management in the organization--an information baseline. It is impossible to plan if you do not know the needs. JCAHO standard IM.1 requires organizations to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment, and defining the baseline meets this requirement. Here are the six basic steps:

1. Organize your best information people
2. Identify current information customers
3. Take an inventory of current information capabilities
4. Develop a plan or plans for information management based on the organization's mission and goals
5. Establish your budget(s)
6. Establish ground rules for prioritizing projects

You need to establish a steering team, a decision team, and a facilitator. The steering team will be the major force in this initiative. It will contribute detailed facts and ideas and conduct most of the activities. It will answer questions, provide input, and make sure the initiative is grounded in reality. Its members should include people who are most involved with developing and using information. This group may be composed of administrative staff and department managers. At a minimum, the team should include representatives from administration, the HIM department, information systems, nursing, and the medical staff. Generally the optimal number for such a group is five or six.

The decision team will make the major decisions concerning future information strategies, projects, and policies based on information it receives from the steering team. It will also be responsible for formally communicating the results of the information initiative to the governing board and the medical staff. It is important to include senior leadership from administration, nursing, and the medical staff in this group.

The organization must appoint a facilitator to take responsibility for the initiative. This individual will set agendas, unite the working and decision groups, compile information, and document results. Candidates for the position may include managers from the HIM or information systems departments or any other managers who are genuinely interested in information management and willing to take on additional work.

One important point should not be ignored: The initiative is ongoing and will take time. In its early stages, the facilitator may need one or two days a week to devote to the initiative. At some point, a full-time project leader may be needed to oversee the continued information management assessment and planning as well as the implementation of projects.

More tips on implementing an information management initiative can be found in Information Management, The Compliance Guide to the JCAHO Standards, Third Edition. This book will save you time and effort by giving you a straightforward analysis of the latest JCAHO IM standards. It will also help you assess your current compliance with the standards and design an action plan to address any shortcomings.

Click here for more information or to order your copy.

Sincerely,

Laura Motta
Editorial Assistant

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