Whole Networks versus Inter-organizational Systems: Exploring Common Ground for US E-prescribing

Healthcare networks driven by technology, such as e-prescribing, play an increasing role in care coordination. These networks are a mix of public and private entities whose governance and performance have only recently been studied. Given the critical role these networks play, their structure and governance need to be better understood to achieve expected network performance. The inter-organizational information system literature has begun shifting its focus beyond enterprises to interorganizational transactions (e.g., supply chain). At the same time, the public administration literature has grasped upon the governance of whole networks but has not embraced the implications of technology. This study seeks to describe the ambulatory e-prescribing network in the United States by drawing upon both literatures. One of the key challenges identified is the necessity of multi-level analysis and performance measures.