ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some of the core areas of outsourcing Information Technology (IT) and the possible risks the organization may face with outsourced operations. Some healthcare organizations have leveraged their IT investments to transform their clinical care delivery and improve quality, both in the inpatient and ambulatory models. The healthcare delivery organization needs to plan how to meet the IT demands of their patients. The healthcare delivery organization must refocus its attention from implementation to impact. Healthcare organizations are under constant cost pressures from those who pay for medical services. Healthcare delivery organizations that understand they must improve IT services will often use external IT providers to gain centralization, while attempting to avoid political turf battles. Many healthcare organizations cannot afford to purchase these new technologies or do not have the internal resources to manage them. IT outsources will deliver these new technologies and automations within the context of outsourcing contracts.
