Development of a Management Information System for a Purchase of Service Setting

In spite of the fact that a Purchase of Services (POS) approach has become a dominant method of funding social services in recent years, there is little systematic evidence to support the assumption that this is a cost-effective method of funding. The present paper describes the development and implementation of a clinical management information system (C/MIS) in a community based facility operating under POS funding. The C/MIS was specifically designed to allow the Center's staff to monitor and evaluate the services provided by over 70 vendors utilized by the facility, and to assess the cost-effectiveness of POS systems.