Introduction
My research is guided by the engaged scholarship model (Van de Ven 2007), which emphasizes collaborating with key stakeholders to investigate complex business and social problems. As a result, much of my research has involved close relationships between academic and industry partners to investigate problems that have significance for both theory and practice.
In my recent research that originated during my doctoral studies and post-doctoral work at Georgia State University, I asked the question: how can IT enable delivery of innovative health services by resource constrained health organizations?
Working with academic collaborators and healthcare practitioners, I examined telehealth-based specialty medical consultations in a public health department (Study 2), and remote patient monitoring services at a small home health provider (Study 3). For my doctoral dissertation, which was an action research project, I developed low-cost, innovative IT solutions that helped improve the revenue cycle of a small rural hospital (Study 4). I also received funding from Genentech to examine telemedicine-based emergency stroke care in rural hospitals across Georgia and South Carolina (Study 5). These contextual and in-depth case studies relied on qualitative analysis of data collected during multiple field visits, extensive interviews of key stakeholders, and related secondary data sources. On all these projects, I was the lead researcher and primary author on the resulting publications.
In research currently under progress, I have collaborated with cross-disciplinary researchers at the University of South Carolina's Darla Moore School of Business to examine operations in healthcare organizations. Study 6 examines the impact of operational focus on efficiency and financial performance in hospitals that specialize in specific health services. Study 7 examines the impact of different network organizational structures on efficiency and quality of care in hospitals. These studies rely on quantitative analysis of hospital-level data across the U.S.
In the following, I have summarized these research projects and included select publications as well as work-in-progress.
IT Project Management (previous research)
Study 1
Early in my PhD program, I collaborated with Prof. Mark Keil at Georgia State University and conducted a Delphi study to identify and overcome challenges of implementing project management office (PMO) for IT organizations. My previous industry experience of implementing a PMO for IT projects in a large organization motivated this project.
The results of this study were presented at a conference and later published in a leading IS journal.
IT-Enabled Delivery of Innovative Health Services (recent research)
Study 2
In this Georgia Research Alliance-funded study, I worked with Prof. Lars Mathiassen at Georgia State University and two researchers from Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. We investigated how a large public health district, based in Waycross, Georgia, successfully integrated telehealth into its operations over a 20-year period to provide specialty care to a distributed rural population.
A theory-building paper based on the case study, proposing a Theory of Path Constitution that combines path dependence and path creation perspectives, was published in MIS Quarterly.
A qualitative case study based on this research was published in Health Services Research, a top-ranked health services research and policy journal.
I also presented a conference paper that suggested a paradoxical approach to understanding rural telehealth innovation.
Study 3
Again, working with Prof. Lars Mathiassen and the two researchers from Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, I investigated a pioneering home health care provider based in Savannah, Georgia, that utilized remote patient monitoring to improve its service delivery and overall business model.
A paper based on this study, focusing on IT-enabled dynamic capabilities in home health, was published in the special issue on Health IT in the Journal of the Association for Information Systems.
Another paper focusing on ambidextrous management of innovation-operation tensions in IT-enabled health services is targeted for submission to a leading IS journal.
Study 4 (doctoral dissertation)
This was a two-year action research with Prof. Lars Mathiassen, in which we engaged in IT-enabled process transformations at a small rural hospital in Swainsboro, Georgia, to improve its revenue cycle processes. My doctoral dissertation, titled “Towards Information Polycentricity Theory – Investigation of a Hospital Revenue Cycle” is based on this study.
As theoretical framing, I used the concept of Polycentricity (Ostrom 1972; Ostrom et al. 1961; Polanyi 1951) in political theory, Transaction Cost Theory (Coase 1937; Williamson 1981), and Information Management Theory (Ciborra 1981; 1993) to explain and develop our understanding of IT-enabled transformation and information management in complex organizations, such as hospitals.
A paper based on this study was published in a special issue on “Action Research in IS” in Journal of Management Information Systems. This paper examined how resource-constrained hospitals can improve their financial performance through selective investments in low-cost, innovative IT solutions.
A version of this paper also received the “Best Paper Award” in IT in Healthcare track at Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS).
Study 5 (post-doctoral research at Georgia State University)
In this Genentech-funded study, I collaborated with Prof. Lars Mathiassen and a team of neurologists at Medical College of Georgia in Augusta and Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. We investigated how rural hospitals that lacked neurological expertise were able to provide emergency stroke care to stroke patients through telemedicine-based consultations with neurologists located at large medical centers.
A paper, focused on IT-enabled collaboration risks, has been accepted for publication at Information and Organization journal.
Two more papers based on this study were published in leading neurology and medical informatics journals.
Health IT / Healthcare Operations (research currently under progress)
Study 6 (at University of South Carolina)
Together with my colleague at the University of South Carolina, Dr. Sriram Venkataraman, I am examining the impact of operational focus on efficiency and financial performance in hospitals that specialize in specific health services.
A paper based on this study is currently under revision for re-submission to a leading operations management journal in Dec 2018.
Study 7 (at University of South Carolina)
Working with Dr. Sriram Venkataraman and Dr. Scott Turner at the University of South Carolina, I am examining the impact of different network organizational structures—centralized, semi-centralized, and decentralized—on efficiency and quality of care in hospitals.
We are planning to submit a paper based on this study at a leading operations management journal in spring 2019.
REFERENCES
In my recent research that originated during my doctoral studies and post-doctoral work at Georgia State University, I asked the question: how can IT enable delivery of innovative health services by resource constrained health organizations?
Working with academic collaborators and healthcare practitioners, I examined telehealth-based specialty medical consultations in a public health department (Study 2), and remote patient monitoring services at a small home health provider (Study 3). For my doctoral dissertation, which was an action research project, I developed low-cost, innovative IT solutions that helped improve the revenue cycle of a small rural hospital (Study 4). I also received funding from Genentech to examine telemedicine-based emergency stroke care in rural hospitals across Georgia and South Carolina (Study 5). These contextual and in-depth case studies relied on qualitative analysis of data collected during multiple field visits, extensive interviews of key stakeholders, and related secondary data sources. On all these projects, I was the lead researcher and primary author on the resulting publications.
In research currently under progress, I have collaborated with cross-disciplinary researchers at the University of South Carolina's Darla Moore School of Business to examine operations in healthcare organizations. Study 6 examines the impact of operational focus on efficiency and financial performance in hospitals that specialize in specific health services. Study 7 examines the impact of different network organizational structures on efficiency and quality of care in hospitals. These studies rely on quantitative analysis of hospital-level data across the U.S.
In the following, I have summarized these research projects and included select publications as well as work-in-progress.
IT Project Management (previous research)
Study 1
Early in my PhD program, I collaborated with Prof. Mark Keil at Georgia State University and conducted a Delphi study to identify and overcome challenges of implementing project management office (PMO) for IT organizations. My previous industry experience of implementing a PMO for IT projects in a large organization motivated this project.
The results of this study were presented at a conference and later published in a leading IS journal.
- Rajendra Singh, Mark Keil, and Vijay Kasi (2009) “Identifying and Overcoming the Challenges of Implementing a Project Management Office” European Journal of Information Systems (18:5), pp 409–427 [Link to Abstract]
- Rajendra Singh, Mark Keil and Vijay Kasi “The Challenges in Implementing a Project Management Office: A Delphi Study” Academy of Management Annual Meeting (AOM), Philadelphia, PA, USA, August 3-8, 2007
IT-Enabled Delivery of Innovative Health Services (recent research)
Study 2
In this Georgia Research Alliance-funded study, I worked with Prof. Lars Mathiassen at Georgia State University and two researchers from Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. We investigated how a large public health district, based in Waycross, Georgia, successfully integrated telehealth into its operations over a 20-year period to provide specialty care to a distributed rural population.
A theory-building paper based on the case study, proposing a Theory of Path Constitution that combines path dependence and path creation perspectives, was published in MIS Quarterly.
- Rajendra Singh, Lars Mathiassen, and Abhay Mishra (2015) “Organizational Path Constitution in Technology Innovation: Evidence from Rural Telehealth” MIS Quarterly (39:3) pp. 643–665 [Link to Abstract]
A qualitative case study based on this research was published in Health Services Research, a top-ranked health services research and policy journal.
- Rajendra Singh, Lars Mathiassen, Max E. Stachura, and Elena V. Astapova (2010) “Sustainable Rural Telehealth Innovation - A Public Health Case Study” Health Services Research (45:4), pp 985–1004 [Link to Paper]
I also presented a conference paper that suggested a paradoxical approach to understanding rural telehealth innovation.
- Rajendra Singh, Lars Mathiassen and Abhay Mishra “A Theory of Rural Telehealth Innovation – A Paradoxical Approach” International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), Phoenix, AZ, USA, December 15-18, 2009
Study 3
Again, working with Prof. Lars Mathiassen and the two researchers from Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, I investigated a pioneering home health care provider based in Savannah, Georgia, that utilized remote patient monitoring to improve its service delivery and overall business model.
A paper based on this study, focusing on IT-enabled dynamic capabilities in home health, was published in the special issue on Health IT in the Journal of the Association for Information Systems.
- Rajendra Singh, Lars Mathiassen, Max E. Stachura and Elena V. Astapova (2011) “Dynamic Capabilities in Home Health: IT-enabled Transformation of Post-Acute Care” Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Special Issue on Health Care IT (12:2), pp 163–188 [Link to Abstract]
Another paper focusing on ambidextrous management of innovation-operation tensions in IT-enabled health services is targeted for submission to a leading IS journal.
- Rajendra Singh, Aaron Baird, and Lars Mathiassen, “A Pragmatic Approach to Ambidextrous IT Governance: An Inquiry into IT-Enabled Health Services (planned submission in Nov 2018)
Study 4 (doctoral dissertation)
This was a two-year action research with Prof. Lars Mathiassen, in which we engaged in IT-enabled process transformations at a small rural hospital in Swainsboro, Georgia, to improve its revenue cycle processes. My doctoral dissertation, titled “Towards Information Polycentricity Theory – Investigation of a Hospital Revenue Cycle” is based on this study.
As theoretical framing, I used the concept of Polycentricity (Ostrom 1972; Ostrom et al. 1961; Polanyi 1951) in political theory, Transaction Cost Theory (Coase 1937; Williamson 1981), and Information Management Theory (Ciborra 1981; 1993) to explain and develop our understanding of IT-enabled transformation and information management in complex organizations, such as hospitals.
A paper based on this study was published in a special issue on “Action Research in IS” in Journal of Management Information Systems. This paper examined how resource-constrained hospitals can improve their financial performance through selective investments in low-cost, innovative IT solutions.
- Rajendra Singh, Vitali Mindel, and Lars Mathiassen (2017) “IT-enabled Revenue Cycle Transformation in Resource-constrained Hospitals: A Collaborative Digital Options Inquiry” Journal of Management Information Systems (34:3) pp. 695-726 [Link to Abstract]
A version of this paper also received the “Best Paper Award” in IT in Healthcare track at Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS).
- Rajendra Singh, Vitali Mindel, and Lars Mathiassen, “IT-based Revenue Cycle Management – An Action Research into Relational Coordination” Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, January 5-8, 2016 [Link to Conference Paper]
Study 5 (post-doctoral research at Georgia State University)
In this Genentech-funded study, I collaborated with Prof. Lars Mathiassen and a team of neurologists at Medical College of Georgia in Augusta and Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. We investigated how rural hospitals that lacked neurological expertise were able to provide emergency stroke care to stroke patients through telemedicine-based consultations with neurologists located at large medical centers.
A paper, focused on IT-enabled collaboration risks, has been accepted for publication at Information and Organization journal.
- Rajendra Singh, Aaron Baird, and Lars Mathiassen “Collaboration Risk Management in IT-Enabled Asymmetric Partnerships: Evidence from Telestroke Networks” (forthcoming at Information and Organization)
Two more papers based on this study were published in leading neurology and medical informatics journals.
- Jeffrey A. Switzer, Rajendra Singh, Lars Mathiassen, Jennifer L. Waller, Robert J. Adams, and David C. Hess (2015) “Telestroke: Variations in Intravenous Thrombolysis by Spoke Hospitals” Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases (24:4) pp 739–744 [Link to Paper Summary]
- Rajendra Singh, Lars Mathiassen, Jeffrey A. Switzer and Robert J. Adams (2014) “Assimilation of Web-Based Urgent Stroke Evaluation: A Qualitative Study of Two Networks” JMIR Medical Informatics (2:1 e6), pp 1–13 [Link to Paper]
Health IT / Healthcare Operations (research currently under progress)
Study 6 (at University of South Carolina)
Together with my colleague at the University of South Carolina, Dr. Sriram Venkataraman, I am examining the impact of operational focus on efficiency and financial performance in hospitals that specialize in specific health services.
A paper based on this study is currently under revision for re-submission to a leading operations management journal in Dec 2018.
- Sriram Venkataraman and Rajendra Singh, “Impact of Focus on Efficiency and Financial Performance in Hospitals: Moderating Effect of Information Technology”
Study 7 (at University of South Carolina)
Working with Dr. Sriram Venkataraman and Dr. Scott Turner at the University of South Carolina, I am examining the impact of different network organizational structures—centralized, semi-centralized, and decentralized—on efficiency and quality of care in hospitals.
We are planning to submit a paper based on this study at a leading operations management journal in spring 2019.
- Rajendra Singh, Sriram Venkataraman, and Scott Turner “Impact of Network Organization Structure on Efficiency and Quality in Hospitals: Moderating Effect of Information Technology”
REFERENCES
- Ciborra, C.U. 1981. "Information Systems and Transactions Architecture," International Journal of Policy Analysis and Information Systems (5:4), pp 305-323.
- Ciborra, C.U. 1993. Teams, Markets and Systems: Business Innovation and Information Technology, (First ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
- Coase, R.H. 1937. "The Nature of the Firm," Economica (4:16), pp 386-405.
- Ostrom, V. 1972. "Polycentricity," in Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association: Washington, DC.
- Ostrom, V., Tiebout, C., and Warren, R. 1961. "The organization of government in metropolitan areas: A theoretical inquiry," The American Political Science Review (55:4), pp 831-842.
- Polanyi, M. 1951. The Logic of Liberty: Reflections and Rejoinders, (The University of Chicago Press: Chicago, IL.
- Van de Ven, A. H. 2007. Engaged scholarship: A guide for organizational and social research, (Oxford University Press Inc.: New York, USA.
- Williamson, O.E. 1981. "The Economics of Organization: The Transaction Cost Approach," American Journal of Sociology (87:3), pp 548-577.