The continued demand for more efficient and functionally rich automated systems will force health care facilities into a changing and complex marketplace. As the Request for Proposal (RFP) will be the key document in the systems acquisition process, it is imperative that a systematic process must be established to evaluate the vast array of data collected. It is suggested in this paper that the effective application of the Advanced Multi-Attribute Scoring Technique (AMAST) will assist in this process, enhance the decision making process and reduce the risk associated with systems development and procurement.

The current health care environment is complex, with no single systems solution dominating the marketplace. A new approach utilizes Networked Systems Integration to link disparate systems together. This paper discusses the Systems Integration approach and suggests that it encourages user commitment, provides greater modularity, is cost effective, and supports solutions that offer greater functionality. However, it is noted that this approach is not without problems that can dramatically effect the realization of benefits.