When a health system decides to deploy a new EHR, most of its resources and efforts focus on the go-LIVE, and rightly so — a project of this size has to be managed effectively and within strict timelines.
Healthcare systems often need to bolster their IT infrastructure to accommodate the EHR deployment, and the go-LIVE can feel more like the end of a process rather than the beginning of a new one.
As health systems build and implement a new platform, planning for optimization post go-LIVE is often not front of mind. In the beginning, you don’t know what you don’t know regarding the capabilities available to move your organization forward.
In my new role as Executive Director of Medical Informatics at MEDITECH, I have the unique opportunity to help customers get the most out of their EHR — and use my own experience as a practicing physician and health system IT executive to guide them.
Communication is the key to avoiding post-deployment drop-off
One of the most common situations I’ve encountered with EHR deployments is organizations performing really well in the preparation for go-LIVE, ensuring everyone is at the same level of understanding with the new system— and then at some point, realizing they are not using all of the functionality the system is capable of.
I am sure every hospital executive has a list to revisit post go-LIVE — and I am equally sure that list usually does not change much after 60 or 90 days.
This often happens because — let’s face it — the pre-deployment process is often too short, and the ins and outs of the EHR are too complex to train all the capabilities within a few weeks.
And while vendors provide at-the-elbow support leading up to and during go-LIVE, the bigger lift is optimization a few weeks, and again a few months, after using the new platform.
Many health systems implement a new EHR to bring the organization together on a single, integrated platform leaving behind how this new technology can help the organization evolve and grow to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse environment.
In general, I see health systems using about 80 percent of the EHR capabilities. Unfortunately, the best functionality for healthcare providers and all of the staff supporting them lies in the remaining 20 percent.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
MEDITECH maintains a high level of engagement with customers, proactively working with organizations ensuring they know what Expanse is capable of — and how to use it to support their workforce by reducing friction in workflows.
Join us at MEDITECH LIVE
Goals of engagement and partnership are what our upcoming MEDITECH LIVE event is all about. Please join us September 20 through 22 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
As part of the event, I will moderate a panel to discuss reducing burden and improving clinical efficiency. Joining me will be Russ Branzell, CEO, CHIME; Kenn Harper, VP Virtual Assistants and Ambient Intelligence at Nuance; and Elisabeth Moore, MD, Emergency Medicine, North Country Healthcare in New Hampshire. The panelists represent three distinct and cutting edge perspectives regarding technology supporting caregivers and strategic investments to adjust to new models of care delivery while reducing the overall cost of care.
I hope you will join me with many healthcare leaders at MEDITECH LIVE to connect and share ideas and be empowered to lead the next transformation in healthcare.
Join us for an upcoming event by viewing our Events Page!
