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EHR Implementation: Taking the System "Live"
For Berkeley Family Medicine in Martinsburg, that champion is Samuel David Morris, M.D. Over a 10-month period, Morris followed the EHR roadmap from assessment and planning to selection and implementation. In mid-March, Morris began the critical step that challenges even the most confident champion: going live, when the office began using the system to document patient visits. Morris credits Office Manager Summer Moore and Physician Assistant Denise Rhodes with making sure they “didn’t drop dead during the go live process.” Moore led the practice management conversion in mid-February to make sure that registration and billing areas were up and running smoothly prior to the clinical conversion. Rhodes tackled the medical record conversion by learning system features like templates, documentation and coding so that she could mentor colleagues. And it’s “extremely important” to develop a customized training and implementation plan with your EHR vendor, says Morris. “To move from assessment to go live in 10 months may put us on the fast track when it comes to EHR implementation, but we didn’t skip any important steps, like training and on-site support, along the way.” A team of four trainers was on site during the first week to assist with the transition. Follow-up support is available via telephone and e-mail. Berkeley Family Medicine’s leaders knew that patients would also be affected by this new technology, so they had signs posted at the door and in patient areas asking for “patients to have patience” during the transition. The practice closed from noon to 2 p.m. during the first several weeks to allow for delays due to the transition. The go live process is clearly one of the later benchmarks in a successful EHR implementation. But why and how did Berkeley Family Medicine get started on their EHR journey? Morris says he made the move to an EHR system because “I want our practice to have the tools we need at the point of care. I don’t want to continue losing efficiency because we are chasing charts and wasting valuable time.” One of the first steps Morris took was to enroll Berkeley Family Medicine in the Doctor’s Office Quality-Information Technology (DOQ-IT) initiative sponsored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The DOQ-IT project is offered through the West Virginia Medical Institute (WVMI), the federally designated quality improvement organization (QIO) for the state. Working with DOQ-IT project coordinators, staff completed an office readiness assessment to look at the practice’s infrastructure for health information technology, including hardware and IT support. The assessment also reviewed the staff’s knowledge and use of computers. Berkeley Family Medicine also participated in a workflow analysis to highlight processes that worked well and those that needed improvement. Physicians and staff were asked to identify problem areas, such as pulling charts, making referrals, and messaging. Another exercise identified the amount of time patients spent registering, waiting to see providers and completing their visit. The evaluations helped Berkeley Family Medicine pinpoint the processes that could be improved with an EHR system. Morris and his team involved all staff in the transition and found wide support for moving to an EHR system. “A year ago, we were not a computer friendly practice. We had to learn to think electronically,” Morris remarks. He notes that using a computer was a completely new experience for a number of his clinical and records management staff. As these internal reviews were taking place, physicians and staff were also making time to participate in vendor demonstrations, make site visits both in and out of state to practices that were using EHR systems, and to select the EHR system that best met their needs. By early fall, Berkeley Family Medicine made their selection and signed a contract with their selected EHR vendor. Installation began early in 2007. While staff is sure to encounter their share of stress and frustration during the implementation process, Morris seems ready to take things in stride. “I have early and long-range goals for the EHR. I really want to use the whole system, not just a few steps I feel comfortable with.” Open six days a week, Berkeley Family Medicine provides primary care and urgent care services in the state’s eastern panhandle. In addition to Morris, Berkeley Family Medicine’s medical staff includes Harvey Reisenweber, M.D, Patricia Pickard, M.D. and three physician assistants. The facility also offers on-site laboratory and radiology services. Practice offers tips for EHR success
— Reprinted from the Summer 2007 issue of Quality Time. |
No Seminars Scheduled Note that no WVeHI seminars are scheduled at this time. Information on future events will be available at a later date. |
When a medical practice wants to succeed with the implementation of an electronic health record (EHR), a physician champion must be on board.Site provided by the WVMI • Last updated October 12, 2007 • Site Map |