Implementing and Ehr

Anita Ground also stresses on the huge importance of this planning stage by using a concept of system life cycle. It consists of feasibility study, analysis, design, programming, implementation, and lastly maintenance (Ground, 2011, VA TMS training material). The analysis phase in particular would coincide with what the author Yoshihashi is presenting in figuring out office strategy and researching EHR options. Identification of stakeholders and system requirement would play a critical role in EHR adoption (Ground, 2011). Stakeholders would include patients, family, clinicians, billing, registration, and coding as well as the external users such as Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Bottom line is that the new system being purchased would need to provide meaningful use to the clinic based on the current certification standards.

In the recent years, EHR implementation has been one of the biggest change that occurred in the health care delivery system. The adoption of EHR system which aims to improve the quality of healthcare, however, has met a lot of issues and barriers that are detrimental to its success. Thus, for any healthcare organization to achieve a favorable outcome after the EHR implementation, numerous factors have to be examined. Merrill (2010) has listed down the top ten factors for a successful EHR adoption. It includes right leadership, shared vision, right culture, governance, physicians, nurses and key stakeholders are engaged early and accountable to lead the clinical transformation, resources, clinical content standardization, realistic timelines and expectations, effective training and communication plan, and right vendor partnership relationship.

Getting successful universal EHR is not just technology selection, implementation question it needs to address many other aspects such as physician’s acceptance, policy/laws, incentives, security, and privacy and training issues before we can concentrate or focus on technology selection and implementations. The ecosystem should be ready with all these critical elements addressed only then successful EHR implementation can sustain in US. First and foremost there is a need to have consistency around the state/federal and HIPPA regulations which defines security and privacy issues in US. Due to conflicting requirements in these regulations mass acceptance of any medical system/technology cannot be effectively done. Second biggest issue for universal EHR adoption is the acceptance of EHR by physician’s communities. The benefits of EHR has been identified and acknowledged by medical communities at large however the rate of adoption and use after implementation is sluggish. The biggest common contributor for implementation, design and use of EHR systems is physician. Physicians should be properly trained and emphasis on continual education should also be placed through continuing education credits. Unless small physician office (stand-alone offices) buy-in the adoption of EHR no matter what technology and processes we have in place, EHR won’t be universally accepted and the entire benefit and value associated with EHR can be realized with universal acceptance of EHR. Thus need for

The final step in the process of implementing a nationwide EHR system is Stage 3, which is set to be in full development by 2018. On February 14, 2014 the ONC meaningful use workgroup submitted recommendations for the implementation of Stage 3 meaningful use incentive program to the Health IT policy Committee, however their findings have not been published to date. This will result in the Policy Committee approving recommendations in mid 2015 the Health and Human Services Department to develop the final rules. There are several proposals in place but the leading one that has emerged would have hospitals and providers use a six priority decision matrix that would include preventative care, disease management,

It is necessary to be attentive in entering data elements that you may not have a clear relationship to the work you are doing because any error that you make could end up hurting the company you work for or even threaten your job. On page twenty the reading assignment states that third party organizations set standards for healthcare providers to use when measuring the quality and cost of services they provide to their patients. I personally believe that it does not only make your company look bad if you enter wrong information on someone’s EHR because you are not familiar with the work that your company has you doing, but it also causes liability between the company and the patients rights. The reading also states on page twenty that the

With so many EHR systems to choose from I am sure it could easily be overwhelming. This is a very important decision to make as it determines how efficient a medical practice will be. The first rule of important decision making applies- be informed and, be specific to your healthcare facilities needs. Anytime you are gathering research, expect to spend the time and effort it takes to go through the planning process. It is best to establish the objectives and then plan how to the implemented EHR's will affect work-flows. EHR systems are very expensive and it is best to know what you are looking for in an EHR so that you are not trapped into buying something that doesn't meet your needs. As you are formulating your offices detailed needs a list has been created of

A successful EHR system is built on a foundation of clear objectives. As every practice is different, it is also vital to consider existing systems and protocols when planning changes. The organizations and individuals that will be using the EHR need to be involved in implementing any new system.

The challenge is to provide safe patient care today with a limited amount of financial resources. LMH implemented a enterprise wide EHR system in 2008, phase I of the project is complete but lucks stability and optimization. The challenges and ongoing issues with phase I of the EHR implementation project have caused a delay in the implementation of phase II.

The biggest hurdle to overcome when implementing an EHR system is not the technology but the physician buy-in. While providers value the functionality of the EHR system, physician resistance stems from altering the routine practice of care.

The rapid development of technology continues to directly impact the design and direction of the EHR. Since medical devices are

In 2009, one of the largest US initiatives to date put place under Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act was electronic health records. The main initiative of this act was to encourage widespread use of electronic medical records also known as EHR. EHRs are defined as “a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting. (Menachmi, 2011) Government continues to incentivize the industry with new healthcare objectives based around quality and technology. One can only think that the basis of these initiatives start with the electronic medical records as the foundation. The implementation of electronic medical records can result in many

Presently there are many advancements taking place in healthcare within the information technology arena, which are helping to bring about a safer, more streamlined health care environment. These IT advancements are improving the quality of care, and decreasing costs. Unfortunately, there are many challenges healthcare facilities face concerning the implementation of EHRs. There must be specific strategies employed by an organization to address these issues to enable a smooth transition toward these EHR initiatives.

In order to ensure a successful EHR implementation, a health care organization must undergo all the phases of an information system development lifecycle: analysis and planning, design, implementation, and finally, support and evaluation. Without careful planning and project management by dedicated staff who are champions of the system, it is sure to be less than expected. For the purpose of this assignment, it is assumed that the organization is in the final stages of the design phase and is presented with choosing a vendor system from a selection of the five EHR systems listed in the table above. Although the information in the table was not acquired form requests for proposals as it would be if this were a formal system acquisition, but

EHRs have evolved from its inception but still have a long ways to go to reach a level similar to what Hau envisions. In my experience speaking with physician and NP colleagues, ongoing criticisms about EHRs are that they are not intuitive, they get in the way of patient care, and there are too many steps, clicks, and menus to view to enter a simple order. Building upon the Ash et al. study mentioned earlier, Campbell and colleagues found “79 unintended consequences” of using CPOE leading to some of the notable categories such as, “more/new work for clinicians, unfavorable workflow issues and overdependence on the technology” (Campbell, Sittig, Ash, Guappone, & Dykstra, 2006). Another study performed in the military using their EHR called AHLTA (Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application) identified specific EHR “time” and “mental” burdens using “cognitive task analysis” (Saitwal, Feng, Walji, Patel, & Zhang, 2010). Perhaps if EHRs were as developed and intuitive as the Apple iPhone, grievances and encumbrances would likely be reduced. However, the industry is just not there yet so currently training for the end user is of utmost importance. Even though the focus is on the patient, it’s the provider who is in the driver’s seat and must be aware, knowledgeable, and competent with the EHR

It is required to install Web based EHR software program to protect patient privacy and to facilitate the communications between staff rather than the old program that causes $80,000 loses yearly due to miscommunication and time delay. Additionally, we need to contract 1 year with software company for monthly maintenance that would cost $1500 per month rather than buying new computers and programs to fix the shortages in the system that would cost us around $5000 monthly. Also, we need budget for an auditing program, costs $100,000 to guarantee each operation or drugs which are documented properly in patient electronic medical record this program will protect patient and firms from uncompensated amounts or bills estimated around $500,000 due to poor documentation (Levinson, 2003). Moreover, creating a training programs for 5 years to avoid diagnosis errors or dosage errors that cost the hospital $85,000 yearly, thus we can save more money (Colin O'Neill, 2009).