Information systems vendor support and CQI.

As we providers of health care use information technology more comprehensively in the information-intensive and labor-intensive work of health care, we are finding that the quality of daily, on-the-spot support for use of that technology has become a critical success factor. And, since we use a great range of vendor products, the quality of vendor support is especially critical. This article describes our practical application of CQI indicators of vendor responsiveness and quality, and the vendor responses to this new strategy.