Software: a team approach to investigating the options.

Acquiring a new software package for a healthcare institution is a complicated process. This article, part one of a three-part series, addresses how to investigate the software options. Because the entire structure of contract negotiations may be irrevocably established during this early phase of the process, the institution must assemble a planning team of experts, including knowledgeable legal counsel, to investigate options. Parts two and three of the series will focus on the actual negotiating of license agreements.