When the Clinic began, a software consulting company was hired to install a computer system to handle the clinic's medical and financial needs. The system performed well. The system was then to be updated to include recording of patient's medical records and services received.
An analyst/designer was employed for this task by the consulting company. After reviewing the documentation for the existing systems the analyst/designer interviewed the Clinic director and his assistant. An overall menu system was then produced which the two managers approved. The main menu would quickly switch to an input screen where patient data such as name, address, Medicare number and medical history could be entered. Other parts of the menu could be used to update a patient's record (retrieved by entering their Medicare number) with symptoms given and the treatment received for each visit.
The plans were documented, approved and implemented. The system ran well initially but then began to cause problems. Patient complaints included incorrect medical histories, bills for the wrong services or services not received, returned bills because of incorrect addresses and some patients not billed at all.
