title: Merging multiple institutions: information architecture problems and solutions.
abstract: Amalgamating organizations face great challenges when trying to merge their formerly separate information systems. An architectural approach is essential in order to understand the business process and data implications of the new organization's business decisions and application choices. HL7 is useful as a common messaging standard, but does not help to reconcile conflicting local identifier coding systems. The Information Services department has an important role in catalyzing decisions about inconsistent business processes and conflicting universal coding systems within an enterprise framework.
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gordon
mesh_terms: D003199:Computer Systems; D006273:Health Facility Merger; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000458:organization & administration; D010355:Patient Identification Systems; D012984:Software; D018511:Systems Integration