EHR Implementation SuccessDefying the Odds

May 20th, 2010

What are the Odds?

It will take 1.5 years to implement a medical record and at a minimum 1

out of 3 organizations will fail.

What are the Potential Impacts?

• Adversely Affected Patient Care• Inaccurate Claims• Failed Audits• Missed Timely Filing Deadlines• Frustrated Staff

An Evidence Based Approach

• Phase 1 – Assessment• Phase 2 – Planning• Phase 3 – Implementing • Phase 4 – Improvement

Phase 1 - Assessment

Determine Objectives

Improve EfficienciesReduce Errors and Improve CareImprove Access to Key InformationReal-time Visibility into the

OrganizationEnsure Compliance Financial Incentives

Evaluate Your Current State

• What are your average signature times• What is the magnitude of your errors

– Denials– Adjustments

• What are your “No Show” percentages• How long does it take to receive

payment for a service• How would your staff rate their ability

to…

- Audit Take Backs

Envision Your Future State

• Reevaluate your internal processes and think about how your staff could work more effectively.

• Inventory the kinds of information that would be valuable for you to report on that is inaccessible today.– Think about the data that describes your

processes

Key Take Away #1

Realize that both short and long term success will require more

than just software.

Join a Community

• Pick a partner who is tied to your successful implementation

• Talk to your potential peers– In Implementation– In Support

• Look for a national or regional user group where you can share your experiences

- Used a Previous Version- Stayed Compliant

Technology Must Empower You

• 12 months after you go live, your staff will be more technologically sophisticated than they are today

• Change is constant in healthcare, so choose a technology partner that will give you the tools to adapt

Phase 2 - Planning

Lead to Succeed

• Look across your organization and pick internal champions to support project– Clinical– Fiscal

• Empower someone to lead your project• Socialize the “What’s in it for me?” story

to all staff members

- Physician- Administrative

Key Take Away #2

A project that is led by Clinicians for Clinicians will be much more

successful than an IT project used by Clinicians.

Plan for Success

• Create a detailed project plan that lays out tasks, milestones, and dependencies

• Remember that if you do not define success, it will be defined for you

• Ensure you understand the necessary time commitments and plan accordingly

• Phase your go live across programs or locations if necessary

Key Take Away #3

If you believe any group of your staff is too valuable to

participate in the design of your system, then they are too valuable not to participate.

Phase 3 - Implementing

Governance and Communication

• Ensure project sponsorship from executive level

• Empower knowledgeable staff to quickly configure the system with appropriate levels of oversight

• Setup a process by which critical decisions can be made without slowing down the entire project team

• Communicate progress and successes regularly with all project stakeholders

Key Take Away #4

To keep project momentum, decisions that can’t be made

quickly need to triaged and then assigned out with an expected

resolution date

Training is Paramount

• The faster your colleagues become familiar with the system, the faster they will meet/exceed pre-system productivity levels

• Training never ends so you must create power users and a training environment

• Have your champions train your staff with help from your technology partner

Certify Your System

• Create a dummy set of clients and walk them through your system– Admit them to a program– Schedule them for services– Complete some of their documentation– Create test claims for those services

• Validate the key business rules you have configured in your system

Phase 4 - Improvement

Monitor Your Progress

• Create an semiannual process through which you evaluate your staffs ability to effectively do their jobs with the system

• Create dashboards and reports that monitor the effectiveness of your processes

• Adjust the people, process or technology accordingly to keep things moving smoothly

Key Take Away #5

• One year after you go live, you will be most unhappy with those features you asked to change before your staff actually used the system

Thank You

Email: Gregg.Boyle@Qualifacts.comWeb: http://twitter.com/GreggBoyle