Project planner: For those still setting out to create an electronic medical records network, here are starting-point costs and steps.

This chart and timeline show the total costs of implementing a network to exchange medical claims data electronically, from the perspective of a health care provider. The example is based on a midsize hospital that must integrate connectivity, routing and data-translation software with its legacy infrastructure and that must be able to accept and output HIPAA-compliant data. This 325-bed hospital employs 3,300 staff and supports 18,000 in-patient admissions per year. Project planners may regard these project tasks and line-item costs as representative of systems of this size and scope, but should tailor the line items, project tasks and cost estimates to meet their own requirements.

Download our Excel template to cost out a data exchange network.

How do you create a timeline for implementation? Our Microsoft Project 98 template helps you organize the process for you from start to finish.

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