TAPPING THE POWER OF INFORMATION - AN ORIENTATION FOR ACADEMIC MEDICAL-CENTERS

In September 1994 the Association of American Medical Colleges' (AAMC' s) Advisory Panel on the Mission and Organization of Medical Schools ( APMOMS) established a working group to address both the long-term and the immediate implications of the expanding capacity of and need for i nformation technology (IT) within academic medical centers (i.e., medi cal schools and teaching hospitals). Over a two-year period, group mem bers assessed the utilization of IT through surveys of current practic es and interactions with acknowledged leaders in the field. They also had discussions with deans and other institutional leaders. The group developed the consensus that proper use of currently available IT is c rucial to virtually every aspect of academic medicine's clinical, educ ational, and research missions. Moreover, current IT technology will b e further enhanced by the powerful new applications that are nearing d eployment, All group members agreed that IT must become a core compete ncy of academic medical centers (AMCs), the profession, and individual physicians and scientists to ensure the survival of AMCs in the curre nt highly competitive environments. The authors outline their argument s for the development of strong information systems within AMCs and pr esent basic characteristics of systems that show promise for successfu l implementation. They review some oi the major institutional obstacle s that have hindered the planning and implementation of IT, They concl ude with a list of practical institutional strategies for success in p lanning and implementing IT systems, and suggestions for how the AAMC can help members achieve success in these activities.