Great Project Management = IT Success

This article is closely related to the material discussed in the chapter. Kropf and Scalzi explain that it can be difficult to implement new information technology. They specifically analyze IT in health care. Senior management and professional project management must work together to overcome significant obstacles during IT implementation. Kropf and Scalzi suggest that a team of trained project managers should be created to monitor the progress of the implementation and provide accessible information form all projects. Software tools can be utilized by the team to collect, analyze and communicate the information on projects.

Health care organizations should:

1. Hire a staff member certified in project management or send an existing staff member for project management training.

2. Form a project management office (PMO). The PMO can free physicians to focus on the development of IT projects that can create benefits to the organization.

3. Appoint someone that can make decisions on money spent on IT.

I think that these 3 suggestions should definitely be implemented by health care organizations designing new information systems. As the chapter, case study and this article reiterate, a project management team should be experienced, have the proper support and knowledge to minimize risks.

Roger Kropf, Guy Scalzi. (2008). Great Project Management = IT Success. Physician Executive, 34(3), 38-40. Retrieved June 1, 2008, from ABI/INFORM Global database.

What Went Wrong with Maine's New Medicaid System?

1. How important are information systems for Maine's Department of Health and Human Services? Analyze the impact of its faulty Medicaid claims processing system.


Information systems are critical to Maine's Department of Health and Human Services. Its new Medicaid claims processing system was rejecting claims much more frequently than its old system had. Due to the rejected and frozen claims, the Bureau of Medical Services could not keep up with the processing and number of phone calls in relation to these claims. Some of the Medicaid providers were forced to turn away patients and even close operations because they were not compensated properly. Several others had to seek financing to maintain operations. Maine's finances became threatened as well due to the large segment of the state budget that Medicaid had in the past. The system created overpayments totaling $9 million. This huge disaster cost the state millions of dollars to fix. Maine became the only state not to satisfy the HIPAA requirements.


5. If you were in charge of managing this project, what else would you have done differently to increase the chances for success?


Well I wouldn't have implemented a brand new information system or I would have only went with a designer that already had created a similar successful system for another state. Considering the time constraint and lack of knowledge in creating such an elaborate system, I wouldn't have taken this risk. If it had been decided to create a new system, I would most definitely have done things differently. I would have appointed a Medicaid expert to work with the designer full-time from the beginning. Communication between the designer and Medicaid team would be highly emphasized. I would have also created some sort of online training session for providers to learn how to fill out the claim forms correctly. This would have greatly reduce several of the claim rejections.