Five Tips for a Successful EHR Implementation

Author:

Fletcher Allen Health Care and CSC

Every day, organizations embark on a journey to understand and use electronic health records (EHR) to improve patient care and reduce costs. The following tips by Fletcher Allen Health Care and CSC will help ensure a smooth EHR implementation.

1. Leadership: A full and visible leadership commitment to an EHR implementation is critical for success. Without administrative and medical staff leaders taking the time to participate in implementation efforts, the process is not going to work. At Fletcher Allen, senior leadership — including the chief information officer, chief medical officer, chief nursing officer, and chief quality officer — devoted a significant portion of their time to implementation planning meetings and were present and visible during all events related to EHR implementation.

2. Planning: The more planning done upfront, the less work there will be during implementation. Consider all aspects of the implementation process, set realistic time frames, anticipate possible roadblocks, and allow opportunity for feedback. Many organizations don’t devote enough time to planning and end up reworking things after implementation starts. Spending the time upfront will allow you to gain user buy-in, identify potential stumbling points, and ensure the process stays on time and on budget.

3. Involvement: In addition to doctors and nurses, organizations should involve therapists, pharmacists, dieticians, and other providers who will use the EHRs. Feedback from these participants should be collected before, during, and after the implementation process. They should also be included in the product selection committee, implementation team, and any other workgroups. For example, Fletcher Allen involved 30 clinicians in the EHR vision and vendor selection committee, and 2,500 employees in the program demos.

4. Forecasting: An EHR implementation is complex and if you approach the project with limited resources, you will probably not succeed. When allocating resources, give clinicians time to participate in planning meetings and implementation efforts, provide resources for education to spread the word about the program and its benefits, offer sufficient training to all users before implementation begins, and ensure there is plenty of funding support during implementation.

5. Preparation: The introduction of EHRs will likely change the way your employees work. This is intimidating and, if not addressed early, can lead to a lack of acceptance and participation. To avoid this, senior leaders must prepare the organization for change. In addition to educating users on why EHRs are necessary and how to use them, sufficient support during implementation must be provided. Fletcher Allen and CSC had 300 people and a help desk trained and available during the implementation to answer questions about the EHR program.

Fletcher Allen case study, The Digital Hospital: Transforming Care Delivery With eHealth Records

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