title: Patient Accounting Systems: Are They Fit with the Users' Requirements?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A patient accounting system is a subsystem of a hospital information system. This system like other information systems should be carefully designed to be able to meet users' requirements. The main aim of this research was to investigate users' requirements and to determine whether current patient accounting systems meet users' needs or not.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a survey study, and the participants were the users of six patient accounting systems used in 24 teaching hospitals. A stratified sampling method was used to select the participants (n = 216). The research instruments were a questionnaire and a checklist. The mean value of ≥3 showed the importance of each data element and the capability of the system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Generally, the findings showed that the current patient accounting systems had some weaknesses and were able to meet between 70% and 80% of users' requirements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current patient accounting systems need to be improved to be able to meet users' requirements. This approach can also help to provide hospitals with more usable and reliable financial information.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Information Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Haleh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ayatollahi
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Information Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Nazemi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, School of Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haghani
keywords: Accounting; Evaluation Study; Hospital Information Systems; Needs Assessment