To customize or not to customize? That is the question.
By Bob Landers
I know what you are thinking. You’ve now installed Siemens MS4, but you are comfortable doing certain tasks certain, trusted ways. You’re wondering, why the IT staff doesn’t customize the code so we
can “preserve” the old, familiar ways. You’re thinking, because of system flexibility, we can adjust our menus, reports, and outcomes to make the new system work just like the old one.
This might sound good at first, but before reverse-engineering the new to resurrect the old; let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages involved with customizing MS4. This is by no means a
complete list, but it may paint a clear enough picture for you to make an informed decision.
Advantages:
- With help from an IT programming staff, users could build custom screens similar to those which existed previously.
- Users can hire Siemens programming staff to do customized work for them.
- By customizing programs, users can generate reports in a precise format that makes more sense to them than standard reports available within MS4.
- By customizing menus and programs, users may shorten the time associated with learning a new system.
Disadvantages:
- New releases arrive regularly, roughly one every four months. The customizations have to be retro -fitted into the new code and tested to be sure they work. This consumes ample time for end users and
could delay go-live.
- Customized code must be tested more rigorously than standard code because your facility is the only one using it. End users may resent all the additional testing in order to get the updates installed.
- If Siemens performs the customizations, you must subsequently submit a work order to have Siemens make changes to the new modules and return them to you. This could delay a timely go-live as well.
- Customized code may limit some new capabilities that MS4 has placed in its standard code. You’ve got to decide: do you continue the custom code or revert to standard?
- When calling for support on a problem, you must be sure the problem is not your custom code but is, indeed, standard code, or Siemens may charge you for its tech support staff’s time and effort.
The MS4 research and development group has been working arduously over the past ten years to ensure that the code is the top of the line in healthcare processing systems. The financial and clinical systems work
together to give a comprehensive perspective of a patient’s total record. The flow of information from the hospital to third-party-billing clearing houses are state of the art and with proper tuning would allow
hospitals to recover maximum reimbursements without having to re-submit claims over and over again.
Ponder long and carefully the idea of customizing your MS4 system before you make a decision. With each release the standard Siemens system continues to evolve with enhancements that facilitate end user task
completion in a timely manner.
Of course, VCS is ready to contribute its expertise when it comes to Siemens implementations and up-grades. Contact us at vcs@getvitalized.com or 610.444.1233. We’re
ready to help you make the most of your IT system.