Workflow Change

Last week we had an office meeting.  Our office manager had prepared a list of issues to discuss, and the session was productive.  Afterwards I considered how many of the issues we discussed will be completely different when we have an EHR.  Some processes will be better, like chart hunting will become a thing of the past, and some just different, like taking a phone message may involve creating an email-like message to the nurse or doctor that is automatically attached to the electronic chart.

So many actions we do every day in the office will be utterly transformed.  Piles of charts will be replaced with e-message in-boxes.  Piles of lab reports will be replaced by lists of labs to review.  Multiple copies of abnormal lab reports will be banished.  Transcriptions will no longer be on adhesive-backed paper, just on a computer screen to be electronically signed.

Other things discussed at our office meeting will always be important: communication among staff is vital; positive attitudes help everyone.

And the ultimate goal, the reason we show up to work - compassionate and appropriate care for our patients - will remain the same.

Hurry Up and Wait

Nearly two weeks ago I posted that Heal NY sent confirmation of grant funding and that our project will soon contract with vendors.  That is still true, depending on what "soon" means.  What we got from Heal NY were contract documents for grant funding.  TriCounty has completed and signed these and sent them back to Heal NY.  Now we wait for Heal NY to sign these documents and send copies back to us.  THEN we can start committing funds to our EHR project....

Joyce, Anne, Karen S and I met earlier this week and went over our timeline and next steps.  I expect things to become much more focused once we sign agreements with vendors.  eClinicalWorks already sent an updated contract this week, and we expect similar from Consilium, our network support vendor.

Karen S is arranging visits for providers and office staff with local offices which already use eClinicalWorks so we can see EHR in action.  

Stay tuned!

Characteristics for Success

AAFP has many articles regarding EHR implementation in their Center for Health Information Technology (http://www.centerforhit.org).  The excerpt below offers a list of traits that successful offices and providers embody as they undertake EHR implementation:

Medical offices that have had successful electronic health record implementations have the following characteristics:

1. Excellent teamwork
2. Excellent communication skills
3. A spirit of adventure and continual improvement
4. The ability to handle adversity and bumps in the road well. 
5. Excellent problem solving skills
6. A willingness and flexibility for individuals to go outside their job descriptions in order to make things work. 

Family physicians who have had successful electronic health record implementations have the following characteristics:

1. An interest in how their entire practice works as well as parts of the practice that are inefficient and may be subject for improvement with an electronic record. 
2. A teamwork mentality and the ability to trust employees as well as delegate appropriately. 
3. An appreciation of the work involved in transitioning from paper charts to electronic charts and a willingness to perform this work. 
4. A willingness to change their work process from a paper-based system to a new work process that takes advantage of information technology.

These traits would apply, of course, to any successful organization in any endevour, but we at TriCounty may want to ramp up our strengths and attend to our weaknesses as we move into the hard work of the EHR implementation.