Hospital, WMU work together on new IT center

Western Michigan University recently announced the formation of a new center created to improve health care information technology.

The Center for Health Information Technology Advancement — or CHITA — is a joint project by the Bronson School of Nursing and the Department of Business Information Systems at WMU.

This fall, selected computer information systems undergraduates will work with nursing graduate students to study the workflow of the health care business at Bronson Methodist Hospital, says Dr. Sharie Falan, center associate director and assistant professor of nursing.

Students will examine various business processes and, after thorough analysis, develop recommendations for improvement.

“This project will allow us to build partnerships with Bronson, and we anticipate that projects such as this will be sponsored in the near future,” says Falan.

Other projects may involve researching software packages or identifying vendor products to adress hospital needs. The goal is to improve processes to bring out better outcomes for patients, while providing real learning experiences for our students.

The center also will look at state and federal priorities aimed at using technology to reform health care delivery.

Already the center is promoting its collaborative efforts with a forum at which Information technology and health care professionals will explore ways that information technology can facilitate better health care.

“Advancing Health Care with IT: Exploring the Landscape for 2011” will feature three high-profile speakers in the IT health care fields. The forum, set for Nov. 12, will be the kickoff of the center.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Mark Schwerin, Western Michigan University