Vendor support for computer systems.

As hospital data processing systems have matured, they have also become more complex. As a result, the level of vendor support has become almost as important as the system's functional features. Although much has been written about the "do's and don'ts" of acquiring hospital information systems, relatively little is said about the request for qualifications (RFQ)--a document detailing how much support vendors will provide to implement and maintain the system. The RFQ should be used to obtain knowledge about the vendors, their systems, their users, and the way they support their users. Six key points should be considered when developing RFQs: Ask vendors to list and briefly describe their current systems and those under development. Ask how long they have been in the hospital information systems business and how many new users they have added each year. Ask about their user retention rates. To address system integration, ask the vendors to briefly describe their approach to passing data between their systems and those from other vendors. Ask them to describe the installation and implementation process. Find out what user support and technical support the vendors provide.