ABSTRACT
The third process transition is the information system transition (see Figure 17.1). This transition begins with the 20th century isolation category as the state of healthcare information system through much of the 20th century. The continuum of this transition ends with the 21st century network that reflects the growing connectivity and real-time access to clinical, decision-support, and operational information. Within the 20th century isolation category, healthcare organizations identify the characteristics in which their information systems continue to be hampered by limited connectivity between systems and limited applicability of the systems. In the 21st century network category, the healthcare organizations identify characteristics that indicate that their information systems have reached the point where all areas are connected, and the flow of information includes real-time clinical, decision-support, and operations information. Using the transition assessment chart, the sum of the columns based on the comparison of the characteristics indicates whether the organization reflects the 20th or 21st century healthcare organization structure.
