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Tip: Difference is in the details during transition to EHR

Counter staff resistance with "real life" examples of positive changes that result from EHRs, such as easier access to patients' charts.
Provide one-on-one physician training that covers e-signatures, notes, viewing, procedure orders, and medication orders.
Designate a physician resource room with computer workstations and telephones.
Make physicians' lives easier by uploading common orders and common medications into the system, so a single click can replace multiple keystrokes for these entries.
Emphasize patient safety. For example, bar codes help prevent medication errors.
Consider using one vendor as much as possible to facilitate system integration.
Eliminate paper records because maintaining them only creates extra work.
Build in quality measures to ensure compliance with requirements of CMS and The Joint Commission.
Document and review "before and after" EHR-related improvements.
Expect it to be difficult. This is a major change.

This tip was brought to you by the November issue of Electronic Health Records Briefing.