Every healthcare organization has its own culture and challenges. Despite that uniqueness, there are several common denominators when it comes to IT implementations, particularly related to electronic health record systems. An EHR implementation will have a significant impact on the entire organization and all staff members. A robust change management program is critical, given the multidisciplinary effort required. The CIO and executive leaders, for instance, juggle many priority initiatives at any given time. An EHR deployment will become a primary focus, especially as the go-live date approaches.
CIOs must know where and when to be deeply involved versus maintaining an overall awareness of the project’s progress, and be ready to address issues as they escalate. Engaged executive sponsors, meanwhile, are needed throughout the life of the project. To be successful, an EHR implementation must be a true partnership between clinicians, operations and IT.
Start with a Review of EHR Vendor Options
When looking to add major systems and functionality, leaders must conduct an in-depth review of their vendor’s current capabilities and have a solid understanding of their product roadmap.
Organizations that pursue a primary integrated vendor strategy, rather than a best-of-breed approach, face a challenge with departmental systems. This is particularly true in academic medical centers. Departmental systems may have been internally developed with customized, unique functionality, or could be a cluster of interfaced vendor products that each support a specific area of the department’s work.
When decisions and trade-offs are made with departmental systems, leaders must keep in mind the overarching goal: a comprehensive, longitudinal, integrated EHR that works in all care settings.