NEW CENTURY HEALTH CLINIC

New Century Health Clinic offers preventive medicine and traditional medical care. In
your
role as a system analyst, you will help New Century develop a new information system.
Background

Five years ago, cardiologists Timothy Jones and Dolores Garcia decided to combine their
individual practices in Brea, California, to form New Century Health Clinic. They wanted
to
concentrate on preventive medicine by helping patients maintain health and fitness and
by
providing traditional medical care. Dr. Jones recently asked you to work with him as an
IT
consultant. He wants you to help New Century develop an information system that will
support the clinics operations and future growth. At your initial meeting, he provided
you
with some background information and asked for your suggestions about how to begin.
At your desk, you begin to review New Centurys situation. The clinic is located near a
new shopping mall in a busy section of the city. New Centurys staff includes four
doctors,
three registered nurses, four physical therapists, and six office staff workers. The clinic
currently
has a patient base of 3,500 patients from 275 different employers, many of which
provide insurance coverage for employee wellness and health maintenance. Currently,
New
Century accepts 34 different insurance policies.
Anita Davenport, who has been with New Century since its inception, is the office
manager.
She supervises the staff, including Fred Brown, Susan Gifford, Tom Capaletti, Lisa Sung,
and
Carla Herrera. Fred Brown handles office payroll, tax reporting, and profit distribution
among
the associates. Susan Gifford is responsible for the maintenance of patient records. Tom
Capaletti handles most of the paperwork concerning insurance reporting and
accounting. Lisa
Sung has the primary responsibility for the appointment book, and her duties include
making
reminder calls to patients and preparing daily appointment lists. Carla Herrera is
concerned
primarily with ordering and organizing office and clinic supplies.
Each of the six office staff people has one or more primary responsibilities; however, all
members of the staff help out whenever necessary with patient records, insurance
processing,
and appointment processing. In addition to their regular responsibilities, all six office
workers
are involved in the preparation of patient statements at the end of each month.
Using this information, you begin to prepare for your next meeting with Dr. Jones.
Assignments
1. Create an organization chart of the office staff using Microsoft Word or a similar
program, or you can draw it by hand. In Word 2010 and Word 2007, click the Insert
tab on the Ribbon, then Smart Art, then Hierarchy.
2. Identify at least three business processes that New Century performs, and explain
who is responsible for the specific tasks.

3. Explain how New Century might use a transaction processing system, a business
support system, and a user productivity system. For each type of system, provide a
specific example, and explain how the system would benefit the clinic.

NEW CENTURY HEALTH CLINIC

Background

New Century Health Clinic has decided to computerize its office systems. The associates
hired you, a local computer consultant, to perform a preliminary investigation. You had
several
meetings with Dr. Tim Jones to discuss the various office records and accounting
systems.
Anita Davenport, New Centurys office manager, participated in those meetings.
In a report to the associates at the end of your investigation, you recommended
conducting a
detailed analysis of the patient record system, the patient and insurance billing
systems, and the
patient scheduling system. You believe that New Century would benefit most from
implementing
those three systems. Although the systems could be developed independently, you
recommended
analyzing all three systems together because of the significant interaction among them.
You presented your findings and recommendations at a late afternoon meeting of the
associates. After answering several questions, you left the meeting so they could
discuss the
matter privately. Dr. Jones began the discussion by stating that he was impressed with
your
knowledge and professionalism, as well as your report and presentation.
Dr. Jones recommended accepting your proposal and hiring you immediately to conduct
the systems analysis phase. Dr. Garcia, however, was not as enthusiastic and pointed
out that
such a study would certainly disrupt office procedures. The staff already had more work
than
they could handle, she argued, and taking time to answer your questions would only
make the
situation worse. Dr. Jones countered that the office workload was going to increase in
any
event, and that it was important to find a long-term solution to the problem. After some
additional
discussion, Dr. Garcia finally agreed with Dr. Joness assessment. The next morning, Dr.
Jones called you and asked you to go ahead with the systems analysis phase of the
project.
Assignments
1. Review the office organization chart you prepared.
2. List the individuals you would like to interview during the systems analysis phase.
3. Prepare a list of objectives for each of the interviews you will conduct.
4. Prepare a list of specific questions for each individual you will interview.
5. Conduct the interviews. (through role-playing)
6. Prepare a written summary of the information gained from each of the interviews.
7. Design a questionnaire that will go to a sample of New Century patients to find out
if they were satisfied with current insurance and scheduling procedures.