As you can see, under the five-year conversion plan the old system and the new system will run side by side together until the new system has been proven stable. Once equilibrium is reached at year five, use of the old system will decline very rapidly. Having the two systems run with each other accomplishes three things. Number one, having the systems running simultaneously functions as a method of training. Employees will be able to learn the new system by using it, but still have the option to go back to the old methods if they get stuck. Secondly, it will demonstrate to employees as well as the hospital administration staff how much more efficient the new system will be to everyone. Finally, with any software new system there are going to be bugs. Running the system in the work environment before becoming totally dependent upon it will function as the greatest possible method of testing.
             Security is always the number one issue when implementing any new system. Top of the line security measures will be set in place to ensure data integrity. The Medical Center will set its security policies for the new system by following a document called Guideline on Network Security Testing. This document was written by The National Institute of Standards and Technology, and has been approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Following the guideline will ensure that the data kept in the new systems is in a totally secure environment. The publication in its entirety is available for download at http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/.
             Computer access is another big concern. The topic of access brings up some major concerns: who will get access, what determines access, and how can we limit access? Access will be given to staff employees who need direct contact with employee records, and each employee with access will have a different roll in the system. The user's roll in the system will determine how much access he or she is give...