INFORMATION SYSYTEM MANAGEMENT

Name – Sakshi More

Enrollment number – 21BSP2046

1. Bumrungrad upgrade its information systems in the late 1990's. Explain the
rationale for Bumrungrad to make significant investments in upgrading these
systems.

Answer –

- Need of accounting and billing department

- The hospital’s IT operations were scratted across four systems, which were
UNIX based, it results in more requirement of staff
- Due to the incompatible applications, hospital staff could not access the latest
patient data quickly.
- Simply its internal operations (Primarily billing) by connecting all applications
from Pharmacy to Eating Outlets to medical treatment so that consolidated bills
could be generated easily.
- IS should enable foreign patient to receive necessary information In a language of
their choice.
- Facilitates quicker treatment for its patient within the premises.
- Retaining the best doctors was another major challenge for patients preferred
leading doctors.
- One of the reason was high maintenance cost and it required more number of
people to operate it.
- Complete Electronic Medical Records (EMR).
- Hence, Bumrungrad was looking out for an advanced hospital IS which could
address several needs at one go and approx. US $ 6 mn on system were spend.

2) Bumrungrad's previous information system had several problems which the new
system had to address. Describe the features and the architecture of the new system.
Discuss how it solved the problems of the old systems faced by Bumrungrad, earlier.

Answer –

1) Old Systems Drawbacks

- High maintenance Cost.
- It Requires more number of employees as compare to new system.
- It not capable to provide information to hospital.
 - The hospital could not access the patient data quickly due to incompatible
applications used.
- Data was present in Unstructured manner in four different systems.

2) Features of New Systems

- It was built on 3-tier system:
a) PC Based clients
b) Clustered Servers (transaction servers)
c) Data based
- Capable of handling high work load during peak hours.
- Retrieve data and make it easily available for clients.
- Data base was updated every time after each transaction.
- Data Integrity was maintained.

3) Architecture of New Systems

- Data base server and middle base server forms the data base centre.
- Data centre supports the clients.
- It uses TCP/IP protocol.
- Groups of clients are linked to network hubs which are placed in respective
department.
- Each hub was linked to switch unit point.
- The fibre optic cable facilitates the data transmission at quicker speed
between the clients and the data centre.

4) Problems overcomed by new system

- Old systems were facing problems regarding all departments and back office
accounting function as well as front office system, which has been resolved by
the new system.
- New system was capable for maintaining past 20 Years data with all the
required details of patients. (patient need not to carry any previous
prescription)
- It helped them to treat patient more efficiently by allocating doctors to the
particular patient.