McKesson Horizon Series
Part 3 - Stakeholders & Resources
In part 2 and 3 we considered the planning, contract, and legacy issues of McKesson Horizon®. In part 3 we look to the areas of stakeholders and completing the transition.
Notify All the Appropriate Stakeholders As Soon As Possible
You may have already done so, and this may seem obvious, but neither diminish the importance of including all those groups and individuals that will be directly affected by the process, from project sponsors, higher management, and project teams. Only you and your organization know the appropriate time to include end users in the information.
Be Fair and Give McKesson a Shot at Keeping Your Business
The folks at McKesson will approach your organization with a hard sell to migrate to their Paragon® hospital information system. Evaluate Paragon® on its own merit. Consider that McKesson will be more than supportive in the transition, as well as any additional financial considerations that may be included. If you choose to proceed with Paragon® as your replacement solution, you must confirm that the implementation schedule will fit within the timeline that you’ve identified, based on the “sun setting” of HORIZON®.
Identify the Resources Available to Complete the Transition
Identifying the resources required to complete the transition away from HORIZON®, require more than a mere head count of available team members. Depending on the replacement solution, the needs will vary. Many vendors have specific methodology that requires resources to be dedicated to the implementation of their solution. Staffing for virtually all IT departments is currently running as lean as humanly possible, so any more responsibilities will greatly tax the department. Additionally, special care must be administered to ensure that the end users of the existing HORIZON applications continue to receive the high level of support that they’ve come to expect. In terms of the project itself, consideration to the timing of the project is equally critical. Does the project run through the summer? Or through the November-December time frame, two times of year that in particular, pose staffing challenges under “normal” conditions. Many times, HIS vendors are scheduling and planning projects in a vacuum, so it’s important to guard against timelines that will cause undue burden on IT staff as well as end users.
If you have an upcoming McKesson project and would like to speak with our team, please contact us below.