Health IT needs to be compatible not only with a system's technical infrastructure, but with the preexisting culture of a hospital or healthcare organization.
If you would like to share your health IT tips and best practices, please email Max Green at mgreen@beckershealthcare.com to be featured in the "Health IT tip of the day" series.
Michael Spence, director of IT Enterprise Services at South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta: When selecting, implementing and using health IT, never under estimate the power of culture and the influence it will have on the health IT system. The cultural environment that the system must operate within is almost as important as the ability of the system to meet the organization's operational needs for patient care, patient safety and revenue cycle. Implementing a system that is functional but negatively impacts the cultural environment of the organization will be detrimental.
This tip has been lightly edited for clarity and style.