Healthcare organizations (HCOs) should begin by creating a clear vision and goals for the future followed by a strategic plan that includes a current assessment of needs. An HCO will also benefit from researching other electronic health record (EHR) implements to gain valuable insight into the process. Starting in this manner can help an HCO anticipate issues and reduce cost; thus reducing some major barriers to implementation. Ensuring that the technical infrastructure will support implementation is also key (Merrill, 2010). If the system is always down due to technical issues, chaos ensues. The technological platform should also facilitate communication within the HCO. The EHR’s design should take into consideration workflow patterns
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Administration should collaborate with end users who understand the day-to-day issues in workflow and empower them to customize the system to meet area needs. This includes providing adequate training and resources before, during, and after implementation (Merrill, 2010). Along with training comes another factor: adopting a vision of change. Many of today’s providers were trained when paper records were maintained. This training has lead providers to believe that the implementation of the EHR will disrupt workflows and negatively impact practice productivity. Proper training should be emphasized for all staff, which engages them at all levels to invest in workflow analysis. One key to successful training is assigning implementation champions or super users, who are clinically respected and knowledgeable, possess leadership skills, and commit to assisting their colleagues in the implementation process. According to Lorenzi, Kouroubali, Detmer, and Bloomrosen (2008), practical experience has shown that change is an ongoing process that is unpredictable, which makes many apprehensive and afraid of
Administration should collaborate with end users who understand the day-to-day issues in workflow and empower them to customize the system to meet area needs. This includes providing adequate training and resources before, during, and after implementation (Merrill, 2010). Along with training comes another factor: adopting a vision of change. Many of today’s providers were trained when paper records were maintained. This training has lead providers to believe that the implementation of the EHR will disrupt workflows and negatively impact practice productivity. Proper training should be emphasized for all staff, which engages them at all levels to invest in workflow analysis. One key to successful training is assigning implementation champions or super users, who are clinically respected and knowledgeable, possess leadership skills, and commit to assisting their colleagues in the implementation process. According to Lorenzi, Kouroubali, Detmer, and Bloomrosen (2008), practical experience has shown that change is an ongoing process that is unpredictable, which makes many apprehensive and afraid of