ABSTRACT
Merging the cultures of the medical college and university was proving a challenge. A culture of mistrust and anxiety about cross-college collaborations with the acquiring university seemed to prevail at the medical college. The informaticist had direct and relevant experience in electronic health record (EHR) implementation and would have recommended extensive testing of the financial components before go-live. Informatics experts should be aware that their expertise may be regarded as unneeded or perhaps frightening to officials in charge of EHR implementation, who often lack medical backgrounds and are being asked to do much more than they are really capable of doing. A medical informatics specialist with significant experience in design and implementation of clinical information technology in nearby large medical centers was hired by the main university, but with a primary appointment in a computer and information-related college and not the medical college.
