Clarity Health (https://ClarityHealth.ca)

The eHealth interoperability showcase is planned for May 29-30 in Toronto. In preparation for this vendors of healthcare software come together to demonstrate how interoperability is achieved. The sessions are informative and very useful, but at times incomprehensible as acronyms fly about. We have EMR, EHR, PHR, PHP, HIAL, DICOM LIS, DIS, HIS, XDS; have I missed any? Words have meaning, the issue I have with excessive use of acronyms is that meaning is too often lost. Someone with a product will tag it with an acronym that doesn't apply. Who confirms that the label matches the acronym?

Writing a proposal in response to an RFP is hard work. It is a process I have gone through countless times over the past twenty years, numerous proposals submitted to meet the requirements of clients who have posted a Request For Proposal (RFP). I've learned a great deal in that time period. Recently, I was involved in writing an RFP, helping a client to solicit solutions. Building an RFP is challenging. First you must be fair giving all proponents the same information and equal chance to respond. Second you must balance the requirements of the client while also giving leeway to the proponents to present innovative solutions. This is difficult at times. Having worked on so many proposals you learn to read the signs within the RFP writing. Evaluating and determining if you should respond to a RFP is the first decision a company must make. The chances of winning a proposal is only one factor. There is the determination of the cost to response versus the value of the win. Time is an