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KM Seminar

Janet Guptill is an adjunct faculty member at Washington University in St Louis, teaching Introduction to Healthcare Information Systems as part of the Masters in Health Administration program, and at Webster University in St Louis, teaching Knowledge Management in the School of Business and Technology.

Webster KM Session Description:  What is Knowledge Management? It is a term that is increasingly getting repeated in business literature but there are still few examples of what it translates into, in terms of business processes, tools, and results.  This class will explore the basic questions surrounding KM: What is it? Why is it important? Why now? What does a KM program look like? In what types of organizations is it most appropriate?  The class discussion will include background on how the field of KM has developed, the various tools that are typically a part of a KM program, and case examples of where KM has been employed with associated results.  The class will also involve small group work whereby the students will have the opportunity to walk through these questions with a hypothetical example, to begin to understand how KM might be implemented in an organization, and how it might be of value. The students will also be asked to submit a paper after the class reflecting what they have learned about KM and how it might be applied in their current work environment.

Webster KM Seminar Objectives:  As a result of attending this seminar, participants should be prepared to respond to questions such as:

  1. What is Knowledge Management and where did the idea originate?
  2. What are examples of where KM has been implemented and how is its impact being measured?
  3. What are some information technology tools typically associated with a KM approach, and what is often involved in their implementation?
  4. What are the typical barriers that prevent a successful KM program implementation? What can be done about them?
  5. How might KM be relevant to the organization where you are currently employed? What else do you need to know to determine that?

Class Preparation/Incoming Competencies:  This is an introductory seminar on Knowledge Management.  Nevertheless, it is expected that the student will come prepared to discuss how the concept of Knowledge Management might be relevant to the organization in which the student is currently employed or has been recently employed, in order to actively participate in class discussions.
Washington University HA 608
Introduction to Health Information Systems
Course Overview:
 This course is designed to provide the future health care executive with the background and skills to assume a leadership role within his/her organization related to:
 1.  Productive utilization of information for strategic planning, executive decision making, and managerial control; and
 2.  Management oversight of the evaluation, design, acquisition, installation, and operation of information systems which support quality patient care, efficient administrative services, and effective managerial decisions.

Specific Objectives:

 

At the completion of this course it is expected that the student shall:

 

1.   be able to name and explain the features and components which comprise an integrated health information system including both administrative and clinical functions;

 

2.   be able to define basic computer, networking, and telecommunications terminology which would be encountered when reading the literature, assessing the potential value of new technology, or interacting with computer functional specialists;

 

3.   be able to describe the managerial issues associated with information system planning, acquisition, implementation, operation, and evaluation;

 

4.   be able to enumerate ways in which information systems play a strategic role in health care organizations;

 

     5.   be able to explain the contribution that information systems make to the delivery of high quality care;

 

     6.   be able to explain the issues of data security and confidentiality confronting healthcare organizations;

 

     7.   be able to perform research on a specific topic in healthcare information systems using internet and literature resources; and

 

8.   be able to prepare a written report and short presentation on technical material to a management audience.

 

Outside Speakers:

 

During the course of the semester, several outside speakers will provide lectures on topics representing their areas of expertise.  These speakers are affiliated with BJC Healthcare, SSM Health Care, Washington University, and Advanced ICU Care.  The resources and support provided by these organizations are hereby acknowledged and greatly appreciated.
Fall 2007 Course ScheduleRequired Text: Gordon D. Brown, Tamara T. Stone, and Timothy B. Patrick, Strategic Management of Information Systems in Healthcare (Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press/AUPHA Press, 2005)

Lecture 6 - DSS and KM