EMR Implementation - Critical Success Factors

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	EMR Implementation - Critical Success Factors

Dec

2009


	Arsa Khalid

EMR Implementation - Critical Success Factors

Considering EMR products for your Practice is a biggest challenge. There are many EMR vendors in market. The challenge is figuring out what to look for when evaluating for a potential product and vendor which fits in for your practice. All medical professionals know that their practices differ from one to another in a verity of ways one cannot assume that workflow of one office is like another. At times you might hear that your fellow doctor or physicians are using anonymous vendor’s product and they are satisfied with the results and you just by hearing that started considering the same vendor, its human psyche but that could be the biggest mistake you’ll make in selecting an appropriate vendor for yourself. You have to keep in mind that “One Size Doesn’t Fit All”. The product that your fellows are using and are satisfied with it might not be suitable for your clinic or hospital because every organization or hospital had their own workflow. Before making a final decision, you should search through the market and perform a detailed research for your potential vendor and their product before considering them. To maximize ROI one should choose the right EMR vendor which will ensure easy and successful implementation of EMR. Following steps should be taken to make sure that you choose the right EMR vendor:

Selecting Internal Leader

The most important thing is selecting the internal team lead that is going to be responsible for selecting the right vendor and product for the required practice. Make a leader who had insight of all the operational processes that are involved in the hospital or clinic. That leader should be familiar with the company goals and requirements and he should be pretty much clear about the benefits of working in a practice of fully Functional EMR.

Educate People about Benefits and Convenience of EMR

People don’t accept change easily; the need is to remind them the benefit and Convenience of EMR systems, so that everyone understands the reason for change. You can do this by asking about some of the tedious tasks that employees dislikes and explain them how one or more of these will be eliminated with the new system.

Analyze the Workflow

It is important to understand every function of every job, how tasks are done prior to the EMR implementation. You should discuss all the internal work process with vendors and they will provide you different options of software that best suits your practice.

Entering Existing data

Another important thing in the successful implementation of an EMR system is entering of previous data. You must determine how much old data and how many existing charts should be included in the electronic medical record.

Devote time for training

It is important to provide users short overview and give them some details about the most used features. One of the most important features in implementing the EMR successfully is familiarity with the software’s features and this can only done through individual hands on the software.

Switching from paper based charts to an EMR systems is a significant change, and the complexities are said to underestimate. Regardless the partners that you choose, only the professional in your practice are responsible for successful move to an EMR system. If you choose the right internal leader, focus on employee’s needs and communication with them, create a detail plan and devote time for training, your implementation should be a success.