If you do not already have some knowledge about EHRs and
their implementation, browse the
EHR
Introductory Articles
EHR Case
Study Articles
EHR
Implementation Articles
pages and read the articles of interest to
you. Also, consider reading one or more of the books listed on the
EHR Bibliography
page.
To succeed:
An EHR initiative must
focus on the people and the processes involved in delivering the
healthcare services, while using technology as the enabler, the
resource that makes it possible to perform the tasks, activities, or
processes.
An EHR strategy needs to be developed prior to embarking on the EHR
implementation. Change Management must be part of the strategy since
moving to an EHR environment is all about change (see
EHR
Transformation Home
page).
The project teams throughout the duration of the initiative, even in
smaller healthcare provider environments, need to have full-time or part-time
dedicated personnel assigned to the initiative who will accurately address the three areas
of: people, process, and technology. If the healthcare organization does
not have expertise in all of these areas, appropriate independent
consultants should be hired (see the
EHR
Consultant Firms Links page for some suggestions) or pertinent
consulting services should be purchased from an EHR product vendor
(see the
EHR Products & Services Links page) to assist with
relevant portions of the initiative, including total project management.
The EHR Overview page
outlines the
Typical Phases of an
EHR Implementation.
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The American Heritageï³µp> Dictionary of the
English Language, Fourth Edition defines
process as:
A series of actions, changes, or functions bringing
about a result: the process of digestion; the process of
obtaining a driver's license.
According to Dr. H. James Harrington, who is a
recognized world leader in applying performance improvement
methodologies to business processes and an author of Business Process
Improvement and Business Process Improvement Workbook:
"Automating a bad process not only ensures that
we can do a bad job every time, but that we can do it faster and
with less effort than before".
The late Dr. W. Edwards Deming, an
international guru on quality and productivity management, made the
following statement in his classic work Out of the Crisis:
"Improving processes is the only way to
improve quality".
At the beginning stages of an EHR initiative, it is
essential to analyze the clinical and business processes used by a
healthcare organization to determine what needs to stay the same and
what needs to change to improve work flow and the effectiveness of the
organization. Process analysis and improvement must be an integral part
of the EHR strategy and implementation otherwise the organization will
not achieve their goals for creating a more effective and profitable
environment.
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