HCPro.com: Electronic Health Records Briefing

"Electronic Health Records Briefing" is a monthly newsletter that offers HIM supervisors, directors, and managers practical advice on legal concerns, testing and training, physician buy-in, return on investment, change management, and every other topic related to the electronic record transition. It includes sample tools, forms, and policies, advice from legal and technical experts, and lessons from your peers in the industry, all provided to help you clear out from under the mountain of paper records into the new electronic realm.

To view the entire newsletter issue, click the “View Entire Issue” link below

November 2007 (Volume 3, Issue 11)	view entire issue

Design an effective change management plan for EHR implementation
Effectively dealing with the upheaval that can result from EHR implementation requires significant planning and communication skills, along with a heavy dose of psychology. Even a technically sound EHR might fail to live up to expectations if organizational leaders poorly handle change management. In terms of EHRs, change management means ensuring that clinicians and other users successfully adopt EHR technology, says Jonathan Einbinder, MD, MPH, corporate manager for quality data management at Partners HealthCare System in Boston.

Develop a training plan prior to your EHR rollout
Citizens Memorial Healthcare (CMH) is a small rural facility in Bolivar, MO, that first started to plan for an EHR in 1999. The facility's goal was to achieve seamless continuity of care for its patients and to eliminate frustrations, such as poor communication and inaccessible paper charts. By the end of 2003, all of CMH's physicians were online with an EHR system that integrated patient information from all CMH service points, including a 74-bed acute care hospital, home care, five long-term care facilities, and 16 physician clinics. CMH's EHR system includes information about every interaction a patient might have had with CMH. And in addition to the EHR, all 98 CMH physicians use computerized physician order entry.

Perform careful preparation when implementing an EHR in an ambulatory setting
Editor's note: This article is the second in a two-part series. Part one appeared in the October EHRB. Successful EHR implementation in an ambulatory setting requires detailed preparation. Last month, EHRB explained the value of early planning related to desired EHR benefits, system selection, phased versus simultaneous implementation, and user expectations. One important part of planning is performing a readiness assessment, which determines how prepared your organization is for EHR implementation. You can then address any weaknesses that the assessment reveals.

Other recently-published articles from Electronic Health Records Briefing:

Protect your EHR security and confidentiality

Consider these five areas where your EHR implementation efforts could fall short

Build your very own EHR dream team

Perform careful preparation when implementing an EHR in an ambulatory setting

Develop a training plan prior to your EHR rollout

Design an effective change management plan for EHR implementation

Tackle work-flow changes with a plan

Computer-assisted coding may be wave of the future

Ensure ambulatory implementation success

Move to patient-centered care grows slowly

Understand EHR entry authentication

CCHIT creates site for NHIN standards

Prepare HIM for EHR implementation

Share data correctly with standardized procedures

Create an EHR-capable facility from the ground up

ABOUT HCPRO

PRESS

CAREERS @ HCPRO

ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES

ONLINE STORE

200 HOODS LANE

P.O. BOX 1168

MARBLEHEAD, MA 01945, USA

PHONE: 800/650-6787

FAX: 781/639-7857

Copyright Statement	Privacy Policy

*MAGNET™, MAGNET RECOGNITION PROGRAM®, and ANCC MAGNET RECOGNITION® are trademarks of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The products and services of HCPro, Inc. and The Greeley Company are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the ANCC