Park Health System is experiencing a shortage of coders. Over the past five years, there has been a 30% vacancy rate for coders throughout the main hospital and satellite clinics within the healthcare system. The backlog and vacant positions has created an issue related to unbilled revenue, overworked coders and extended work hours and schedules. It is estimated that there is an annual loss of $12 million. It has also been communicated that many of the qualified coders that were offered a position declined because they are interested in working from home. To address the problem you, the HIM Director, met with Jim Grant, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and proposed a home-based coding system. This concept is technologically feasible, given that Park Health System utilizes an electronic health record and all patient information is available electronically. Mr. Grant presented the proposal to the hospital's governing board and received approval for the home-based coding system. Because of your experience as a project manager with a previous employer, Mr. Grant assigned you the role of the project manager to oversee the feasibility and implementation of this project.

In order to effectively manage the project, you have decided to employ the use of project management tools that are appropriate to the project. Mr. Grant is in charge of providing budgeting oversight for the project and approving purchase requests. In order to purchase the needed project management and communication tools, you need to submit a request to Mr. Grant for approval.

Createa memo to Mr. Grant requesting project management tools to purchase and justifying the need for the tools. Recommend tools to help manage project standards, tasks, scheduling, resources, and the time spent on tasks. Also, recommend tools used to monitor project data and to create project reports to communicate project information and deliverables. Be sure to include the purposes of each recommended tool.