The opportunity presented by the relocation of the campus to the Fitzsimons site will allow UCHSC to create integrated infrastructure, systems, and applications that are delivered in a coherent organizational structure supported by adequate physical, human, and financial resources. Therefore, this plan incorporates principles, philosophies and goals that are relevant not only to the existing programs and environment, but that also anticipate the challenges of designing new technology approaches to support the programs and environment that will comprise the academic health center of the future as it is created at Fitzsimons. By focusing on five technology themes, UCHSC will "FOCUS Ahead" to create a world-class campus.

A. UCHSC Mission Statement 3

A. IT Goals and Objectives in Support of Education 23

A. ITC Roster 46

The development of this Information Technology Plan is grounded in the UCHSC mission, the campus information technology council, the campus mission for technology, the current context for IT planning and the campus framework for Integrated IT plans. Each of these concepts is elaborated below.

B. UCHSC Information Technology Council

In June, 1996, the Chancellor appointed an Information Technology Council (ITC) to create a strategic plan for the campus and recommend policies, procedures, and standards in computing and telecommunications. The ITC is comprised of a dean, faculty from each school, students, and other senior academic and administrative managers. In addition, three key affiliates are represented in order to maximize opportunities to implement joint standards. These affiliates include University Hospital, The Children’s Hospital, and University Physicians, Inc. The ITC reports to the Chancellor’s Executive Committee.

Upon its creation, the ITC was given a charge as follows:

4. Establishment of criteria for a successful and ongoing communications effort and for monitoring the quality and effectiveness of the effort. The communications plan will be designed to inform UCHSC constituencies about the characteristics of existing systems and programs, promote access to those programs, provide information about opportunities to participate in training, education, planning, and advisory efforts, and establish mechanisms for feedback regarding all aspects of information technology programs. The plan may include recommendations to establish user-group advisory councils to assist critical units on campus.

5. Establishment of a plan for the development of a broad array of telecommunications technology, for example distance learning and telemedicine programs, which focuses on providing technical and substantive support to faculty and students and practitioners at remote locations. Clinical and community partners will be consulted in this process and the plan may address the need to create opportunities to expand partnerships with other entities -- other higher education institutions, government agencies, and private for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.

6. Review of current funding, structural, and organizational issues as they relate to the implementation of all aspects of the strategic plan for information technology. This review will result in the development of suggested guidelines for those information services and facilities which are available at no cost verses those which are cash funded. The review process also will result in establishing overarching criteria for evaluation of key units and interdepartmental initiatives where appropriate and where plans, policies, and programmatic outcomes rely on interdepartmental efforts.

7. Assist the Executive Vice Chancellor by providing advice, recommendations, and evaluation of specific information technology projects that are located within that office, including IAIMS implementation, telemedicine, coordination with clinical affiliates, monitoring of funding opportunities, and others as they arise.

The ITC provides the institutional structure for planning, oversight, and evaluation of technology programs and policies. The role of the ITC in establishing management priorities for the Information Systems Department is especially important. The ITC annually establishes the rate structure and budget for the Department based on institutional goals. The ITC commissions cost studies and other technical and management reviews to support their decisions on these matters.

This strategic plan, and future amendments to the plan, are the responsibility of the ITC. The ITC has been successful in establishing its leadership role through effective implementation of new programs and policies for the campus. Most important, it has adopted an integrated approach to building and enhancing the development of technology, which is supported by campus constituencies, the University’s four-campus system, and UCHSC affiliates. These efforts culminated in the articulation of a vision statement for the role of technology in the year 2020, which provides the framework for the strategic goals in this plan.

C. Visions of Tomorrow

When the ITC was created in 1996, it was charged with using the planning construct established by the National Library of Medicine’s Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems (IAIMS) program. The IAIMS approach recognizes that planning, resource allocation, and program implementation concerning information technology (IT) need to reflect the goals of "managing more effectively the knowledge of medicine, and providing for a system of comprehensive information access." This challenge is especially complex in the academic health setting where users of information require access to multiple systems and services. Barriers that may exist between administrative, educational, and clinical systems inhibit institutional progress and attainment of its mission. An IAIMS philosophy provides a context for addressing these issues by focusing on the needs of information users and their programs and it suggests that integration of systems is the most efficient and technologically appropriate solution. The organization can then devise and implement policies and projects which foster the internal integration of all information resources.

The ITC embraced the IAIMS philosophy in its work to create systems and structures for the IT on the campus. Thus, when the UCHSC embarked upon an effort in 1997 to create a master plan to guide the development of a new campus located at the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora over the next two decades, the ITC was prepared to participate in the visioning effort of this new planning process. This planning process was initiated by organizing seven committees charged with creating vision statements for the year 2020 (education, research, clinical care, health networks and affiliates, information technology, logistics and support, and finance). The Information Technology Council was named as the committee responsible for drafting the technology vision statement. The oversight group, the 2020 Vision Committee, created the following overarching statement that incorporated the major reoccurring themes from the seven individual statements and recognized the fundamental role of information technology.

1. Overarching Vision Statement

2. Information Technology Vision Statement

The vision statement, which appears below, was drafted by the ITC. It creates a vision in which radically new ways of approaching education, research, clinical care, and administrative are possible as a result of implementing new information technologies. These technologies are viewed as the mechanism through which all UCHSC programs are transformed to: reach new levels of integration, improve quality of services, utilize resources more responsively, be more competitive, and reach global constituencies. The 2020 Vision Statement is as follows:

• The successful implementation of new technologies will depend on the ability to solve problems associated with the "human factor." In other words, integrating technology in a manner that individuals will learn how to use and apply new tools will be critical.
• Individual skills relating to the wise use, interaction, and "filtering" of information available through technology will be required at more sophisticated levels than ever before. This will be accomplished through informatics curricula, research, and programs. Informatics will serve as the bridge between technology and professional activities.
• The rate at which new technology is implemented will continue to depend upon dynamics related to individual abilities to adopt and adapt to new technology. For example, early adopters will continue to lead the implementation curve, however, the time it takes for the rest of the UCHSC population to adjust may occur within a shorter timeframe than currently experienced within the institution. The unknown impact on the "adoption curve" of increasing and accelerating change in technologies will present major challenges to the institution.
• The evolution of technology and its implementation in both the broader world and at the UCHSC will result in greater decentralization of information and decision-making within the institution.
• Decision support systems will be a primary tool used by health care practitioners and patients alike.
• Faculty inventions will increasingly be technology-based, which will require unique infrastructure support and development.
• The economics of electronic information will be vastly different than today in ways we cannot foresee.
• "Smart Agents" will be the primary vehicle for UCHSC users to have information identified, organized, evaluated, and presented in an integrated manner.
• HSC faculty will have three roles as they interact with increasingly sophisticated and expanding knowledge data bases. As educators they are aggregators and re-sellers of information; as researchers they are developers of information; and as clinicians they are consumers/users of information.
• The way in which faculty work will increasingly focus on their ability to use technology resources. New economic models for education, research, and patient care will emerge from this dynamic.
• UCHSC will serve as a hub to provide information technology services to its clinical and educational enterprise, which may be global.
• The role of academic health centers will be to determine the extent to which available technology is applied to health care. Issues of ethics and rules built into decision support systems will be important. The goal will be to balance the possibilities of available technology with ethics and good business practices.
• "Actuarial health care" will be a reality. Technological advances and reforms in payment structures will foster an increased reliance on actuarially-based decisions for the provision of health care. Electronic data bases will also support improved quality of care through better documentation.
• The University will be both an importer and an exporter of technology-based courses and programs.
• Distributed health care and health education will be the norm in 2020. This will be enabled by the penetration of interactive systems in the home. By 2020, the UCHSC will have developed and implemented a cost-effective strategy to leverage this new global infrastructure to fulfill its missions.
• Students will no longer learn through traditional methods. Technology-based education programs will be tailored to learning styles, needs, and the convenience of the individual. Educational technology will result in radical changes in the roles and responsibilities of faculty and students.
• All systems will be intuitive and training will be focused on purpose of the technology, rather than on the technicalities of manipulating the user interface.
• The demand for greater network bandwidth will accelerate as the UCHSC straddles two campuses and this increased demand will be a constant factor as IT evolves through the year 2020.
• A significant institutional investment will be needed at major milestones, such as the implementation of the successor to the Internet, but also on an annual basis. In most circumstances, the campus will reduce risk by deploying proven technologies. However, acquisition of unique technologies which support research activities will continue to be the exception to this generalization.
• Networking and communications technology will enable flexible definitions for work areas that will make location and organizational boundaries less important.
• Technology infrastructure requirements will add new considerations to building projects and space design.
• Computers will continue to shrink in size, and most personal information interactions will be conducted using pocket-sized, hand-held personal digital assistants.
• There will be commercial solutions to the most serious security problems.

D. Context for IT Planning

1. International, National, Regional, and State Trends

The challenges and opportunities presented to UCHSC as new technologies are adopted to enable growth and evolution of programs are similar to those found in other higher education institutions across the country. For example, findings of the national annual "Campus Computing Survey" in 1997 pointed out the following as key issues: 1) difficulty assisting faculty to integrate IT into instruction; 2) failure to provide adequate user support; and 3) difficulty financing the replacement of aging hardware and software. UCHSC shares these problems; moreover, they are exacerbated by the complexity of the computing environment. Academic health centers face additional needs, such as integrating clinical affiliates and education sites that are geographically distributed into the computing environment of the institution.

UCHSC also enjoys the benefits of new technologies in areas that are similar to the experiences other institutions. Students and health care practitioners can access resources of the institution from remote sites in ways never contemplated only ten years ago. Computing capacity is continually increasing, resulting in the development of new research data bases and improvements in administrative efficiencies. The academic culture is adapting to change presented by new technologies at a faster rate than in the recent past.

While both extraordinary problems and opportunities characterize the technology environment, at the same time planning and decision-making are complicated by a variety of external expectations. These expectations may support and compliment institutional advancement, or they may create confusion and immobilize decision makers. For example, increasing administrative technologies may result in the redeployment of resources to other functions, not the substantial savings expected by external constituencies. On the other hand, as leaders and oversight bodies become more comfortable with providing policies related to technology deployment, boundaries are established which focus investments and establish clear priorities. For example, recent initiatives at the University of Colorado such as the Administrative Streamlining Project (ASP), the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) policies, and others have helped to promote the creation of standards and will result in the re-engineering of business processes. State level mandates for technology planning create accountability and provide evaluation of investments and projects that might not otherwise occur.

Higher education institutions are attempting to respond to a demand that is both real and perceived in creating new distributed learning programs. The need to retrain workers and provide education programs that are accessible to learners are important dynamics influencing the rapid increase of distributed programs. Promises of lower costs, expanded access, and consistent quality fuel the trend. Academic health centers face problems in moving entire degree programs to new electronic formats, however. Some component skill sets that are required by professional programs, such as psycho-motor skills used in physical assessment, simply cannot be taught via distributed methodologies. Health professions educators need more time and resources to sort out components of curriculum that are suitable for distributed education formats and which are not. It must also be noted that many campuses are still struggling to use e-mail and the Internet in learning scenarios with limited support for students or faculty. In many cases, campuses have struggled to find resources to support early adopters of new technologies, and they seem entirely unprepared to face the even larger commitments necessary if the mainstream population is to receive IT support.

Information technology management at the institutional level continues to pose problems for higher education. A key challenge is finding scaleable technologies. Many institutions do not perform financial or strategic planning for IT, resulting in uneven investment and curtailed accomplishment of goals. Development of standards, user authentication, and rapid obsolescence confront all institutions.

Health informatics is an emerging field that promises to become an essential foundation for all health care professionals. It is the rapidly developing scientific field that deals with biomedical information, data, and knowledge – their storage, retrieval, and optimal use for problem solving and decision making. It accordingly touches on all basic and applied field in biomedical sciences and closely tied to modern information technologies, notably in the areas of computing and communication. The emergence of health informatics as a new discipline is due in large part to advances in computing and communications technology, to an increasing awareness that the knowledge base of medicine is essentially unmanageable by traditional paper-based methods, and to a growing conviction that the process of informed decision making is as important to modern biomedicine as is the collection of facts on which clinical decisions or research plans are made.

The challenge faced by academic health centers regarding the role of informatics occurs at many levels. Increased integration of informatics into the health sciences curriculum is important, as is the provision of the technology infrastructure to support the work of informatics faculty and their students. Large data bases created by informatics research and used by faculty in many disciplines require unique systems and applications. Institutions must balance the needs for project specific state-of-the-art technology that supports world-class investigation with institutional interests in standards that manage cost and improve overall service.

Over the last eight years, information technology has played an increasingly important role in patient care. Technology makes possible the transfer of large files, such as digital radiology and ultrasound images, between any two points within the hospital and clinics. In addition, hospitals are developing electronic patient records to provide immediate and universal access to the patient’s electronic chart.

Despite much promise, TeleHealth faces complex hurdles and has, in general, yet to prove its cost effectiveness. For example, UCHSC and UH continue to develop a TeleHealth initiative that seeks opportunities and models where care can be provided economically and with improved service levels.

2. UCHSC Trends

One year after its creation in 1996, the ITC prepared a self-assessment in nine key areas: academic computing, research computing, clinical computing, scholarly systems, health informatics, administrative applications, TeleHealth/TeleEducation, strategic business systems, and infrastructure/architecture. The assessment was completed as a precursor to the development of the vision statement and this plan, and as a mechanism to take stock of the issues regarding information technology within the UCHSC. The following is a summary of the findings in each of these areas regarding progress and challenges at UCHSC.

Academic Computing:

In support of the Total Learning Environment, all schools are reviewing and updating portions of their curriculum. Efforts are underway in distance/distributed education, informatics, development of Internet sites, and enhancement of student computing. UCHSC Schools are considering the implementation of student competency requirements, faculty development programs are increasing, and several models for the incorporation of technology into new learning approaches are being implemented and evaluated. New learning spaces, including Smart Classrooms, are being created by remodeling existing spaces. Migration towards digitized files is providing vast new educational resources for faculty and students.

Research Computing:

UCHSC investigators who rely upon scientific computing have generally developed stand-alone programs that are loosely integrated with other programmatic components and the campus IT infrastructure. Efforts over the last two years have resulted in minimal centralization of technical support. Biomedical researchers believe that mathematical modeling of problems in human biology will require new research "cores" that expand access to high speed computing and experts in fields not currently located on the campus, such as mathematicians, computer scientists, engineers, and others who will rely upon a sophisticated computing environment.

Clinical Computing:

The University Hospital Office of Clinical Affairs provides academic support to clinical programs on the use of clinical data for improving programs and providing data for research. The program in Health Outcomes Analyses is concerned with directly linking patient outcomes to the methods of providing clinical care. This work provides a foundation for the development of evidenced based research, which in turn is applied to clinical practice and new education components. These efforts involve emerging disciplines and require greater integration of and access to data than is currently available at UCHSC/UH. The success of these efforts will ultimately depend on a fully integrated electronic patient record, which is still in the development stages at the institution. Relationships and common goals across the broader clinical enterprise (UCHSC and its key hospital affiliates) are supporting the move to common standards, thus establishing the goal of eventual integration. However, legacy systems, security, and similar issues create substantial challenges.

Scholarly Systems:

The range of electronic scholarly resources available to UCHSC faculty and students has expanded to include: the Denison Library’s online catalog of local holdings and linkages to remote resources; bibliographic data bases; full-text books and journals; sound and image files; numeric and other data banks; specialized knowledge data bases; patient/consumer health information tools; digitized versions of print or audiovisual materials; and instructional computing programs. The campus needs to continue moving in the direction of making all tools available across the network and in adopting information standards that facilitate accomplishment of this goal. Resource constraints, lack of required IT competencies for faculty and students, unstable and unpredictable pricing of electronic products, and lack of national standards all create problems in moving forward at a faster pace.

Health Informatics:

Health informatics is becoming an area of increasingly higher priority at UCHSC. The discipline and issues of health informatics have been the focus of efforts by selected faculty members for many years. Informatics faculty contribute new areas of research and are increasingly becoming critical team members of basic and applied research groups. Informatics faculty in all of the UCHSC schools are involved in the establishment of faculty development programs, student competency issues, and IT infrastructure planning. The rate at which informatics components are integrated into the curricula across the schools is accelerating rapidly. However, many of these efforts have not been coordinated, resulting in varying degrees of duplication and minimal interdisciplinary collaboration.

Administrative Applications:

The University of Colorado has embarked upon an ambitious program to replace its antiquated and inefficient financial and payroll systems with state-of-the-art integrated financial and human resource systems. The School of Dentistry and the Colorado Psychiatric Hospitals are completing initiatives to replace their patient service systems. Underlying the success of the current and future administrative systems are requirements for a robust, dependable, secure, and cost-effective network. The move of many administrative support units to the Fitzsimons campus in 1998 will create greater demands for paperless systems, decentralized decision-making, and modernization of business practices, all of which will depend on greater applications of technology.

TeleHealth/TeleEducation:

The UCHSC recognizes that TeleHealth and TeleEducation programs have the potential to support the delivery of health care in a more efficient manner and help generate revenue for clinical programs. Several successful programs are in place, including a TeleHealth contract for services between the Department of Corrections, UCHSC and selected affiliates. The institution continues to struggle to find a model for contractual agreement that not only results in savings and improved health care, but that also generates revenue adequate to cover all direct and indirect expenses. This is a national dilemma and will require regulatory, legal, and other solutions before these programs can expand to meet their original promise. UCHSC is committed to maintaining a core of TeleHealth services and will expand services where new partnerships are mutually beneficial.

Strategic Business Systems:

The UCHSC and its key affiliated hospitals are engaged in the development of market strategies that will increase the competitiveness of the entire clinical enterprise. University Hospital has made significant investment in new infrastructure and applications to support these strategies, including: scheduling systems, managed care systems, clinical repository and master patient index systems, and a world-class network infrastructure engineered in partnership with 3Com. Changing alliances, the need for standards and security, and a lack of comprehensive or linked applications create challenges for the development of strategic business systems.

Infrastructure and Architecture:

The UCHSC Information Systems Department has made major strides in planning and implementation, resulting in major improvements in the campus infrastructure. Standards have been established before the end of the current fiscal year for the existing campus and for the new Fitzsimons campus in 12 areas: wire and cable, cable management and closet wiring, telecommunications, network electronics, network protocols, network security, microcomputers and workstations, file servers and application servers, desktop application software, application development tools, groupware suites, and help desk services. These standards were developed in cooperation with University Hospital in order to provide consistency, reliability, and a seamless appearance to faculty, students, and staff who are the customers of both institutions. The backbone of the campus network is being replaced and upgraded in 1998-1999, new customer service goals have been established, and the campus is moving toward a model of centralized file servers. Other initiatives are being made consistent with the University’s Total Cost of Ownership Initiative.

E. UCHSC Framework for Integrated IT Plans

1. Purpose – Planning Themes and Philosophy

The philosophy infused in the development of new information technologies at UCHSC is to foster and enable the integration of education, research, and service programs both on the campus and among key affiliates. This integration will occur within programs and disciplines and across disciplines and mission components. Technology is and will increasingly be a tool to accomplish interprofessional and multidisciplinary programs. It will allow for the application of new knowledge developed in clinical environments to be applied to education curricula and management decision making. It will connect students and faculty regardless of their geographic location. It will support changing methodologies in teaching and learning so that health professionals will be prepared for careers as practitioners and scholars. Following is an example of the role technology will play in the UCHSC total learning environment of the future.

Technology is changing how faculty present material to students, how they work with their colleagues, conduct patient care, and create new knowledge. The example below describes how a faculty member can use technology to integrate various resources into a simple classroom session, thus enriching the educational experience for health professions students. A faculty member walks into an auditorium or classroom prepared to deliver a fifty-minute presentation. The lecture this morning incorporates a number of audio/visual and computer support materials. The facility being utilized is a smart classroom equipped with technology supporting this type of presentation. The faculty member starts the lecture with a digital video projected on a large screen and available for personal viewing at each participant’s workstation (locally and remotely). As the videotape starts, the lights automatically are lowered to a preset level correct for videotape playbacks, the screen lowers to a preset position, and the sound system adjusts for the audio level coming from the integrated digital sound system. As the tape playback is completed, digital slides are displayed and comments are made regarding the data. The faculty member references a database that is maintained at the headquarters of a national organization in Seattle. With the computer built into the podium, the instructor logs on to the WWW and connects to the organization’s database. Real time manipulation and updating occurs and students immediately see how the scientific material is relevant to their current course materials. Real time modeling will illustrate the nuances of the data on policy planning and decision support.

At this time, large three dimensional modeling images are called up without delay. The presenter then brings up a second database, The Visible Human. Again, high-resolution images are displayed locally and remotely. A document camera alongside the podium is pointed at a three dimensional model and the image is displayed on the large screen. The instructor demonstrates how it rotates. The instructor also has been watching the clock so at a specific time he can switch to a live satellite feed from the National Institute of Health. Students are able to call in or e-mail questions to the originating site. As the fifty-minute period is coming to a close, a colleague on the East Coast stands by to interact with the students about new research relevant to today’s topic. Connection is made for a two-way interactive videoconference utilizing Internet II. These students are exposed to real time experiences because integrated technology is available to bring distant participants into the classroom.

In creating its master plan for the development of the Fitzsimons property, UCHSC has recognized the vital role information technology will play in achievement of its mission. As a true embodiment of the Total Learning Environment, the new campus will be built around the use of integrated technology as a transformative vehicle and the foundation for institutional excellence. Reliance upon technology can be expressed as a set of five interlinking themes which will enable the campus to achieve a future-oriented vision where connectivity and universal, seamless access and integration move the campus into the top tier of premier academic health sciences centers. These five themes are represented by the acronym FOCUS Ahead:

Future-Oriented:

The Health Sciences Center will create a campus of the future. In this Total Learning Environment, the physical location of an information user becomes less constraining. For a range of years the UCHSC will co-exist at the 9^th Avenue site, the Fitzsimons site, Lowry, and other scattered locations. New services and support structures will be necessary to facilitate the new ways in which teaching/learning, research and clinical care will be organized and delivered in this distributed and period of change. A major purpose of information technology planning for the campus is to anticipate the magnitude of change that will be possible to accomplish at Fitzsimons.

Connectivity:

In order to support the efficient integration of UCHSC education, research, clinical care, and administrative programs, users must be given full connectivity to all resources on the backbone network. Information must be presented in a coherent manner and available to faculty, students, staff, and administrators regardless of geographic location.

Universal:

Information technology can transform UCHSC only if it serves all members of the campus community and if it can be utilized from any location. Security and other provisions must be established to make this possible.

Seamless Integration:

Information technology can greatly enhance the functionality of all UCHSC personnel. However, this will necessitate interfaces, connections, and integration which offer seamless and smooth navigation across the network to various information resources. Resources which support multiple purposes must be readily available to all users.

Access:

The developing voice/data/video network becomes the vital underpinning by which content is delivered. Capacity, reliability, ease of use, and effective administration will support different classes of users, each afforded access to those resources which he/she needs in the course of education, research, or patient care.

2. Expected Outcomes

The expected outcomes from this strategic plan include:

• the identification of priorities for investment in information technology during the next five years;
• the identification of a ways to implement the shared vision of technology as the key enabling mechanism for campus programs;
• the identification of ways in which technology will support key initiatives, such as the move to Fitzsimons, the creation of the Total Learning Environment, and the implementation of the Total Cost of Ownership program;
• the separation of goals that are short-term priorities from those that are feasible in either the mid- or long-term;
• the establishment of evaluation criteria and methodology that will be used to inform the UCHSC community about modifications that will be needed in an ongoing planning process; and
• the provision of direction and incremental approaches to problems and issues that have been especially complex, challenging, and difficult to resolve.

III. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY AT UCHSC

A. IT Goals and Objectives in Support of Education

Goal – Enhance learning through use of advanced technology and remote access.

Increasing use of technology in higher education has enabled faculty to adopt teaching methods that are proving to be effective in presenting large bodies of information as well as teaching students to become proficient in accessing, managing, synthesizing and analyzing information. Technology also provides a mechanism to link faculty, students and informatics in ways not available in the recent past. These features are particularly critical in health professions education where there is constant pressure to incorporate a rapidly growing body of new information into the curricula and to foster life-long learning.

At the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, technology will serve as an integrating mechanism that supports the educational mission impacting UCHSC students, faculty, staff and the external community. For purposes of this plan, education encompasses instructional computing, student computing and access to information (including the library), as well as faculty development as it relates to technology

Objectives:

The mission statement of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (UCHSC) reflects the main purposes of the institution: (1) the education of health professionals; (2) the delivery of both health care and community service; and (3) the advancement of knowledge through research in the health sciences. The mission statement for the campus is as follows: UCHSC offers programs and role models for the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate education and training of professional health practitioners. The programs reflect a balanced integration of the basic and clinical sciences, individual and community health problems, curative and preventive health practices, and individual and team efforts. The UCHSC develops and maintains educational and training opportunities for continuing education of practicing health professionals in the state through educational programs. UCHSC directly provides health care to patients at University of Colorado Hospital Authority, Colorado Psychiatric Hospital, the Children’s Diagnostic Center and the Dental Clinic, as well as at several campus affiliates. University of Colorado Hospital Authority has a responsibility to provide health care to many Colorado residents who are financially unable to secure such hospital care elsewhere. The health care services are comprehensive, ranging from first contact (primary) care to highly specialized (tertiary and quaternary) care. The health care services also serve as a foundation for teaching and research activities. UCHSC advances health knowledge through basic and applied research, functioning as the major health-related research base in the state. UCHSC maintains high standards regarding human subjects throughout its research activities and ensures that any protocols used are intended to benefit both the individual and mankind. UCHSC is an integral part of the University of Colorado’s multi-campus educational system. The center is also a major technical and professional resource for other institutions in the Rocky Mountain Region dealing with health issues. The UCHSC communicates with many constituencies, including the administration, faculty, and staff at other campuses and schools, alumni, professional and civic groups, foundations, and governmental representatives and agencies, and the public. UCHSC supports its educational, health care, research and external affairs programs through support services aimed at achieving coordinated development, efficient and effective resource management, timely and appropriate informational exchanges, and programmatic accountability. The center also supports its programs by maintaining a safe, secure, and pleasant environment for its patients and personnel, while upholding all aspects of diversity as a necessary condition to achieving the institution’s stated objectives and mission.

The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center is poised to manage the profound changes that will occur in all aspects of the activities in which students, faculty, and staff are engaged as they pursue their work in education, research, patient care, and community service. At this time, it is apparent that the information technology systems and programs currently in place require a common strategic view of the future to ensure accountability for investments and to foster the innovation and creativity that will be required to meet the challenges described by the leadership of the campus. Therefore, a new strategic planning effort is being organized to address the variety of issues that must be coordinated among the campus schools, clinical entities, and support programs. This effort will be led by a new Health Sciences Center Information Technology Council. The Council advises the Executive Vice Chancellor, and through that officer, the Council of Deans, the Executive Committee, and the Chancellor on information technology issues that emerge as the schools, administrative units, and affiliated entities pursue new avenues to meet the mission of education, research, patient care, and service. The philosophy and vision articulated in the Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems (IAIMS) proposal will serve as the framework within which the Council conducts its planning and other functions. The Council will accomplish its work through a variety of approaches, including:

1. Development of a strategic plan that supports the maintenance, enhancement, and growth of a distributed and integrated network, based on the client/server model, that will provide an efficient and dynamic information technology environment for students, faculty, and staff. The plan will include:

-- A two to five year planning, implementation, and evaluation cycle. -- A strategy to involve affiliated institutions and other practice sites as appropriate in the UCHSC process in order to provide maximum access to UCHSC-based infrastructure and technology to UCHSC faculty, students and staff who may be located at these sites and to others who participate in UCHSC programs.

2. Oversight of the development of common campus standards, policies, and procedures needed to address the full scope of information technology issues, and negotiation of common standards with affiliated entities. In addition to the items concerning system architecture, workstation configuration, standard applications, protocols, and operations, this effort will anticipate issues that may arise related to law, ethics, professional standards and conduct, and other issues that could affect students, faculty, and staff as they integrate new information technology applications into research, scholarship, clinical activities, and teaching. 3. Development of an iterative planning process that engages UCHSC faculty from all of the Health Sciences Schools in developing a vision for integrating information technology with the education, research, and clinical programs of the campus. This process will be sensitive to the academic prerogatives of the faculty and schools, will also be constructed to minimize interference with existing program development, and will foster collaboration among groups of faculty, students, and staff. Issues that will be explored in this effort include, but are not limited to:

-- Adoption of baseline information technology competencies to be achieved by all UCHSC graduates. -- The integration of Computer Aided Instruction (CAI). -- The projected contribution of informatics programs in creating maximum opportunities to develop technical, analytical, and information management skills. -- The projected use of information technology for self-directed instruction by students under the supervision and with the facilitation of faculty. -- The projected scope of technical and content support that will be necessary to assist faculty in new educational applications and teaching methodologies. -- In support of these efforts, develop recommendations to create or refine appropriate training and education programs for faculty and students.

The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center’s (UCHSC) paramount and time-honored mission of education, research, patient care, and community service will continue into the next century. UCHSC is a unique regional public resource because it generates new knowledge and translates these discoveries to superior health education and human health. In all of its endeavors, UCHSC will achieve excellence and outstanding accomplishments, which will place the institution in the top tier of academic health centers. The UCHSC, in partnership with health network and affiliates, will be responsive to the community’s health care needs by educating individuals as members of interdisciplinary professional health care teams, and by preparing tomorrow’s leading health scientists. Physical proximity and integral working relationships among and between clinicians and scientists will foster new levels of collaboration and integration. Partnerships among faculty, students, staff, affiliates, and the community will foster the development of new knowledge, and this knowledge will be applied to the prevention and treatment of human disease and to the improvement of human health. The institution also will create partnerships among faculty, students, and consumers in offering the highest quality of health care, and providing access for citizens to the latest scientific findings concerning the promotion of health and the treatment of disease. The UCHSC will serve as an umbrella organization for superior science in the region. In this capacity, UCHSC will provide the basic and applied health-related research technology and the intellectual capital to enhance the activities of other education, research, and industrial entities in the region. The integration of functions in academic and clinical endeavors, and in the physical facilities of UCHSC, will foster a sense of community for faculty, students, and staff and for patients. Those functions and facilities will create a supportive culture that promotes the highest technological advances as well as human caring throughout the continuum of science and health care. The UCHSC will collaborate with and provide services to a global community through the application of innovative technologies in all of its missions. Programs at UCHSC will evolve and be influenced by societal demands and the expectations embodied in changing demographics, competition, new financial opportunities and constraints, technology, and the continual application of rapidly expanding new knowledge. UCHSC will be successful because it adapts and maintains flexibility in a changing environment to accomplish its mission.

In the year 2020, technology functions as the most important enabling tool for most aspects of education, research, clinical care and campus administration. The expanding use of new technology restructures how people work and learn. Students function in a self-directed manner with faculty as facilitators rather than traditional lecturers. Clinicians seamlessly generate and use data, interacting with enormous clinical data repositories with integrated decision support. The development of large clinical data bases, and new technologies for filtering, sorting, and data mining facilitate the integration of patient care, teaching, and clinical and epidemiological resources. These resources also allow rapid adjustment of business practices. Basic science researchers distribute and retrieve results quickly. Clinical researchers depend on large data bases, universal taxonomy, and they interact immediately with data they generate. All information resources are integrated and within the reach of individuals who need them. "Smart agents", representing the next development in artificial intelligence, will integrate technological functions by performing continuous searches and analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing and presenting data. Learning, collaboration, communication, completion of job duties and other tasks occur when and where convenient for the individuals involved. This is accomplished by functional systems that are highly intuitive. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators come to the institution with more readiness to continually adapt to new technology. However, intense competition for the most adept individuals remains a strategic challenge for the institution. Technology supports all types of collaboration, learning, and patient care among groups of people who are physically remote from each other via sophisticated and interactive video, robotics, wireless systems, and through systems that are more "intelligent." The institution’s ability to acquire and apply new technology directly impacts the competitive success of its programs, and may impact the survivability of the institution. Investments in technology compete with physical (capital) and human resource investments in the allocation of institutional resources. A continuously updated strategic plan that anticipates significant and targeted investment in technology is critical. Technology standards have evolved to overcome basic aspects of interconnectivity, security, and confidentiality, but the continual emergence of new technologies requires on-going standards development. The ability to maintain connectivity, data transfer, and access to campus systems by individuals and small organizations is as important as connectivity with large affiliated entities. An effective and broad reaching strategic planning process is on-going and is supported by institutional leadership that has a vision and unified commitment to the role of technology in the academic health center of 2020. This planning process focuses on the application of emerging technologies as solutions to meeting the needs of the campus programs. Statements in Support of the Vision:

Observations about the UCHSC Technology Infrastructure in 2020*:

1. UCHSC will be responsive to health-related workforce needs in preparing health care professionals and health sciences investigators by using state-of-the-art technologies to enhance and integrate health curriculum. Measures to be taken are as follows:

a) new classrooms, computer labs, studios and other educational space will be constructed to include today’s technologies and flexibility to install products which emerge in the future;

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
New classrooms and other education space needed by students.	New classrooms and other education space needed by students.	New classrooms and other education space needed by students.

b) existing classrooms, computer labs, studios and other educational space will be renovated to include current technologies and flexibility to accommodate emerging products;

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
Renovate existing education spaces.	Continue investing in renovation.	Renovation tapers off at 9th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.

c) the campus will define baseline information technology competencies necessary for all students, faculty and staff to function in current health care settings;

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
Define student IT competencies via curriculum committees.	Implement competencies in courses.	Review & revise competencies.
Define IT competencies for active practitioners.	Provide via CE & GME to other health providers.	Provide via CE & GME to other health providers.

d) consistent with its mission, the library will provide access to and support an organized and expanding array of electronic information resources, including scholarly systems; the library will also provide technical training to faculty and staff to enable effective and efficient use of electronic resources;

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
Transition from print to electronic continues.	Transition from print to electronic continues.	Transition from print to electronic continues.
Convert audiovisuals to digital format.	Convert audiovisuals to digital format.	Convert audiovisuals to digital format.
	Digital file server added.	Rare/unique print items digitized.
CU develops digital academic library.	CU develops digital academic library.	CU develops digital academic library.
High-efficiency shelving facility constructed.
Student computing support center begins.	Student computing support center develops.	Student computing support center develops.
Library faculty collaborate to include informatics in curricula.	Library faculty collaborate to include informatics in curricula.	Library faculty collaborate to refine informatics in curricula.

e) the campus will support work to further the field of health informatics and assist faculty to develop skills in this area;

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
Assess health informatics field & UCHSC faculty requirements.	Faculty implement requirements.	Faculty implement requirements.
Organize faculty who use informatics.	Plan & develop informatics center.	Construct necessary space.
Data emphasized.	Information becomes focus.	Knowledge becomes focus.

f) the campus will support the inclusion of health informatics in the curriculum of all schools and programs;

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
Assess health informatics field & student requirements.
Incorporate into individual curricula.	Devise centerpiece for inter professional program.	Implementation

g) the Office of Education will assist faculty in the development of knowledge and skills to integrate technology into the curriculum;

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
Define & develop faculty IT competencies.	Incentives to adopt.	Incentives to adopt.
Respond to market demand.	Respond to market demand.	Respond to market demand.
Incremental incorporation of IT in core curriculum	Include in non-core curriculum.	Include in all classes.
Evaluate delivery & educational outcomes; refine.	Evaluate delivery & educational outcomes; refine.	Evaluate delivery & educational outcomes; refine.

h) technical support associated with programs and infrastructure will reflect the needs of the faculty, students and staff who use the technology.

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
Assess current resources; develop plan & implement.	Include AHECS & rural sites.
Develop funding mechanisms.	Develop funding mechanisms.	Develop funding mechanisms.

2. Using evolving information technologies and other learning methods, UCHSC will be progressively stronger in community partnerships for the continuing education of health care professionals and health sciences investigators as well as for public and consumer education. UCHSC will achieve this strength through the following measures:

a) UCHSC and University Hospital will offer a TeleHealth program to selected partners;

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
Assess needs & capabilities for TeleEducation.	Devise & implement.	Devise & implement.

b) the campus will utilize technology to deliver continuing education programs;

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
Deliver grand rounds & seminars via technology.	Deliver grand rounds & seminars via technology.	Deliver grand rounds & seminars via technology.
Develop formal CE programs & implement consistently.	Develop formal CE programs & implement consistently.	Develop formal CE programs & implement consistently.
Deliver mixed model courses.	Deliver mixed model courses.	Deliver mixed model courses.

c) the campus will develop a coordinated program for public and consumer education, part of which will be based on Web and interactive video technologies.

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
Library, UH and PR partner on public/consumer education offerings.	Library, UH and PR partner on public/consumer education offerings.	Library, UH and PR partner on public/consumer education offerings
Devise population-based courses dealing with globalization.	Implement	Implement

3. UCHSC will use evolving educational technologies to enable diverse learners to take advantage of different learning modalities, such as:

a) academic computer resources will be made available to UCHSC students and educators regardless of their geographic location;

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
Individual schools make decisions about computer requirements.	Centralized support via academic computing center.	All students use personal computer.

b) courses and degree programs via distributed education to learners will be developed to enhance and augment traditional courses and programs;

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
Individual schools decide about programs, courses & delivery mechanisms.	Campus (CU system?) has integrated approach.	Campus (CU system?) has integrated approach .
Campus plan for distributed education.	Implementation by UCHSC campus.	CU-wide plan implemented.

c) the campus will both import and export technology-based courses and programs as appropriate.

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
Engage in dialogue with partners.	Participate in cooperative.
Arrangements as appropriate.	Arrangements as appropriate.

4. UCHSC will provide students with resources to support the development of student web pages and related activities by:

a) providing the appropriate infrastructure and support for student access to the web;

b) providing the appropriate infrastructure and support for use of personal web pages; and

c) developing a funding mechanism to support student web pages.

B. IT Goals and Objectives in Support of Research

Goal – Apply information technology in the performance of basic and advanced research so medical science investigators can achieve a greater understanding of scientific imperatives and effectively apply their results to everyday situations.

Overview:

Information technology, and in fact all technology, is integral to the conduct of research in the health professions. It is from basic and applied research that innovative health procedures and scientific discoveries are developed and become the source of advancing community health. As health professions research advances at an accelerating pace, new laboratory tools, methods and funding sources must be available to allow researchers to achieve their goals in a shorter interval of time with a higher level of confidence in the outcome of the research and its applications. Therefore, researchers are turning to greater utilization of computer-based tools and methods to replace less effective scientific equipment and methods of the past.

At present and into the future, information technology will be an integral part of all research efforts. It is the availability, quantity and quality of information technology that will dictate the predictable outcome of a research project in the future. Therefore, UCHSC will concentrate on ensuring that the latest and most advanced technologies are made available to researchers. This technology encompasses self-healing hardware and software (e.g., integrated circuits that transfer paths and repair themselves, machine code that detects bugs and inserts a fix automatically, etc.), high performance computing using parallel processing and massive data transfer (terabyte file transfer at the very least).

1 to 3 Year Perspective:

Between now and the turn of the century, information technology must embrace state-of-the-art hardware and software networking components, greater transport bandwidth and universal remote connectivity interfaces in order to support research demands. This period of time is critical for development and implementation of technology solutions to meet the accelerating computing needs of researchers, educators, students, administrators and practitioners.

Today, projects to map the human gene are in various stages of completion. It is projected that by the beginning of the 21^st Century, mapping efforts will be substantially completed and public or private research efforts will capitalize on the richness of the data by developing genetic replication processes for medical applications.

In the future, advanced technological means will allow the manipulation of a massive amount of data at speeds that are of magnitudes faster than currently available today. An information technology environment that embraces parallel processing is required in the near term.

3 to 5 Year Perspective:

The 21^st Century will ring in a new era of health professions research and information technology. Decision support technology will become a major enabler of advancements in research through convergence of voice, data and video communication into a single bit stream that will allow extensive integration of research with education, administration and clinical care. Being able to incorporate functionality into the mainstream of research during this period is essential. Researchers will apply virtual reality in laboratories and more fully integrate research in classroom and distance learning settings. This integration will incorporate holographic presentations, three dimensional morphing of medical procedures, transportation of highly controlled feedback mechanisms to allow remote robotic surgery, diagnostic scanning, virtual libraries and electronic books. The usefulness of the technology will then be demonstrated by real time analysis of data by researchers through use of expert systems and Smart Agents (e.g., artificial intelligence, etc.).

5+ Year Perspective:

The construction and growth of a research facility for UCHSC is a primary driver for the way research will be conducted in the 21^st Century. Development and operations of the research facility will be maturing. An offshoot of development of this facility will be the establishment of partnering arrangements with private industry and global collaborative research projects relying on extra-net linkages.

Objectives:

1. UCHSC will facilitate development of a competitive research environment supported by adequate planning, funding, buildings and instructional facilities and staffing that is indicative of a world class institution in concert with its present and future bio-research environment. Methods to achieve this objective include:

a) establishing a technology development environment for resolving information technology issues related to future advancements in research and computing;

b) assisting researchers in determining information technology needs and act as a catalyst for bringing to the environment leading edge technology that enhances the ability of researchers to complete projects in an effective and timely manner; and

c) establishing functionality within an IT structure that will promote Internet interface development for research, clinical and educational applications development by public and private constituents.

Current Project (1-3 years)	3-5 Years	5+ Years
Provide technological knowledge, skills and tools to researchers to address their needs and be a catalyst for bringing to the environment leading edge technology that enhances the ability of researchers to excel in their research.	Assist in facilitating a high-performance computer environment for researchers to achieve completion of advanced research projects (e.g., genetics, massive data, morphing, etc.) required for advanced medical research.	Fully integrate intra/internet and web applications development using IT as an interface for public and private research/education constituents.

2. UCHSC will integrate voice, data and video to facilitate information collection and analysis for research, education and clinical care in an environment of high-performance computing that encompasses supercomputer parallel processing, virtual reality presentation, high-resolution video display and self-healing software applications. Methods to achieve this objective include:

a) developing a computing environment conducive to implementation of supercomputing to meet the diverse needs of public and private researchers;

b) providing technological products and services that will present virtual reality or simulation and can be integrated into the overall research activity; and

c) establishing criteria for integrating high-speed information transfer internally and externally to complete mass transfer of data in an effective manner.

Current Project (1-3 years)