Current trends in HMIS: Part II.

The firm of William F. Andrew & Associates, Inc., has been providing professional management consulting services to the healthcare field for more than 18 years. The firm specializes in Healthcare Management Information Systems (HMIS) and has assisted hospitals across the country in their respective HMIS procurements. In July 1988, the firm initiated a research project in which 140 vendors were invited to participate. The research methodology included a comprehensive Request-for-Information (RFI) with 2,225 line items addressing both application features/functions and corporate concerns. Initial analysis of the vendor responses indicates development of specific trends which will impact future HMIS procurements. In a series of articles, William F. Andrew summarizes the research conducted to date in the form of trends which have been confirmed and documented through telephone interviews with selected vendors. The detailed results of this research will be published at a later date.