SU-F-P-01: Changing Your Oncology Information System: A Detailed Process and Lessons Learned.

PURPOSE: Radiation Oncology departments are faced with many options for pairing their treatment machines with record and verify systems. Recently, there is a push to have a single-vendor-solution. In order to achieve this, the department must go through an intense and rigorous transition process. Our department has recently completed this process and now offer a detailed description of the process along with lessons learned.

METHODS: Our cancer center transitioned from a multi-vendor department to a single-vendor department over the 2015 calendar year. Our staff was partitioned off into superuser groups, an interface team, migration team, and go-live team. Six months after successful implementation, a detailed survey was sent to the radiation oncology department to determine areas for improvement as well as successes in the process.

RESULTS: The transition between record and verify systems was considered a complete success. The results of the survey did point out some areas for improving inefficiencies with our staff; both interactions between each other and the vendors.

CONCLUSION: Though this process was intricate and lengthy, it can be made easier with careful planning and detailed designation of project responsibilities. Our survey results and retrospective analysis of the transition are valuable to those wishing to make this change.