Implementation of New IT Systems in Healthcare

According to Wager, Lee, Glaser (2013), implementing a new system can be a massive undertaking for a healthcare organization. There are not just workstations to install, databases to build, and networks to test but there are also a ton of processes to redesign, employees to train, data to convert, and procedures to write. There are countless tasks and details to coordinate appropriately. Fundamental to the process is ensuring that the launching of a new healthcare information system is improving in care coordination while reducing costs as well.

Whether it is implementing a new electronic health records system (EHR) or upgrading computer equipment, most healthcare organizations and medical practices have experienced some form of technology-related transition within the past few years. With numerous changes to federal health initiatives that urge the meaningful use of EHRs and other health IT forms. The transitions will continue as organizations progress to keep up with the new standards. Most EHRs are not made to maintain clinical operations, specifically higher-level key care roles which include combining, customizing, and arranging care through a wide range of opportunities that vary from patients’ critical apprehensions, managing multiple chronic illnesses, preventive care, mental health, and other undistinguishable problems (White, 2016).

Northside Hospital, Inc, an organization I have worked for in the past could benefit from a replacement IT system to transform the current paper and manual process in its current system. In this instance, the organization’s radiology and pain management department would find an endless amount of value with the implementation of eClinicalWorks V11 for Practices. The eClinicalWorks V11 system is the latest evolution of core electronic health records (EHR) transforming healthcare through comprehensive documentation, in-depth understanding, and industry-leading and satisfaction (eClinicalWorks, 2018).

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Successful implementation of information technology system replacement usually involves many stakeholders with thousands clinical and technical reflections as well as the end-users. When it comes to the selection process required to acquire the appropriate system, the leadership team of the department is responsible for the final decision-making. It seems that this would include the department director and any lead physicians who are best qualified in their leadership commitments and capabilities. The leadership can contribute and sign-off on all necessary documents to help establish the direction in keeping all team members on the same page (Samson, 2017).

The need for this new system will address the challenges that result from delayed access to easy documentation. Delayed access to documentation permits deferred patient care and treatment plans. With eClinicalWorks V11 is the next step in the evolution process of healthcare IT. It is a cloud-based EHR and Revue Cycle Management solution planned for assisting providers in the latest in interoperability, and can access patient data anytime, anywhere with no restrictions on the web browser type. With an implementation of this system there is stronger patient engagement, increased understanding and renewed emphasis on patient safety (White, 2016).

eClinicalWorks V11 provides innovative solutions for developing cycles of care that help providers grasp their patients’ needs while promoting more effective treatment and better outcomes. With streamlined workflows and more flexible and personalized solutions for documentation needs, this system delivers a fully connected office setting integrating patients and providers with technology improving quality, efficiency, and customer satisfaction. eClinicalWorks EMR also allows providers to exchange data with hospitals utilizing software systems such as Cerner and Epic. Cerner and Epic are widely used in coordinating appointment scheduling across an integrated health system. They manage the appointment scheduling process from centralized locations within hospital facilities. Users can also validate medical necessity at several points in the workflow (Cerner Corporation, 2018)

During this implementation process it will be crucial to assess Northside Hospital Inc’s current workflow while making the most necessary changes as required. For example, scheduling patients is a very straightforward method. Any modifications for this process may not drastically alter job duties but may still need further knowledge on how to use the new eClinicalWorks V11 system. Hence, there will not be any resistance. When major changes do occur, altering current responsibilities, the risk analysis and management processes involve allocation of adequate resources (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2013).

A high-level implementation plan for the new system begins with creating a culture for collaborating and partnering. There is strength in ensuring that all team members, vendors, and customers understand that the parties involved may either succeed or fail together. With shared priorities, the vendor assists customers in reaching a high level of success, while customers help vendors gain the best reputation possible. Developing strong working relationships with the vendor is key.Three of the top potential vendors for eClinicalWorks V11 include Allmeds, Compulink, and Group One Healthsource. They can be differentiated as Allmeds is intened for handling patient denials by their insurance companies and unpaid balances while Compulink is more financial results driven in patient care by optimizing revenue with expert billing services. GroupOne Healthsource is the vendor believed to be the country’s number one reseller for healthcare organizations of all sizes (Wager, Lee, Glaser, 2013)

GroupOne’s consulting allows hospitals and medical practices an opportunity to achieve maximum return on investment (ROI) with eClinical Works. The qualitative return on investment (ROI) analysis includes an improved use of data by measuring the data that matters most. There would also be an increase with productivity by saving time with EHR shortcuts. With an eClinicalWorks analysis, there will be an enhanced understanding in improving efficiency and reducing overhead in order to control costs. You can also pinpoint hidden revenue by identifying and addressing factors resulting in claim denials, delays in reimbursement processing, and other factors that affect RCM performance (GroupOne HealthSource, 2018).

Additional steps to include in a successful implementation process, as described earlier, are organizing the team ad identifying a champion. In this case, it is believed to be the department director, project leader, vendor representatives, IT professionals, and any set of lead physicians in any medical practice. The plan is coordinate, budget, and manage all aspects of the new system implementation. All of these key roles would be able to make sure there is adequate input for the decision-making process. Other important qualities are strong communication, and interpersonal and listening skills. Because we are implementing clinical applications that span numerous clinical areas, there will be a system champion facilitating communication among staff (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2013).

An organization of leadership and management must be set in place for appropriating authoritative roles with a clear line of communication with team members. In the past this company has benefited greatly from monthly huddles and regularly scheduled tactical meetings. These are two of the most practical methods for placing a solid communicative structure for everyone. Trimestral meetings can also be added to evaluate growth. There are some organizations that have found it useful to utilize scorecards as a tracking tool in monitoring progress (Olsen, 2018).

“Where the organization’s mission, objectives, and strategies are defined and set – is the first stage in strategic management”, stated Moore (2017). Management and leadership knowledge and support are also crucial elements in the success of the new system implementation for eClinicalWorks V11. Effective leaders help build a sense of community for cooperation and trust. Nevertheless, effective leadership comprises of understanding the unintentional consequences that may present themselves during system implementations. Any individual in a leadership role, should be able defend the new system’s mission and objectives as well as its benefits. In this role, a manager or leader can help their teams see the big picture (Samson, 2017).

In helping a team see the overall big picture after such a project launching, there must be adequate training that suits the requirements of the diverse users. Moreover, training for methods must be able to meet the learning preferences. Users of the new system should have acquired a certain degree of ease when operating the new software. As organizations have witnessed time and time again, when there is inadequate training, there is an increased risk for errors to occur as well low productivity. With new versions of the eClinicalWorks system being released often, training must continuous to ensure users understand new features and workflows are built to maximize performance (Wager, Lee, & Glaser, 2013).

Some of the most common barriers to successful implementation include resistance from team members and possibly older views and attitudes from physicians. Even when older technological systems are no longer working for a company, some viewpoints may differ when it comes to improvement. One of the most perplexing and unruly issues business leaders deal with is resistance to changes. Resistance takes on variety of structures such as high turnover, transfer requests, and some hostility in the work environment. Although these forms can be noted as being small, they can be problematic (Lawrence, 2018).

According to Lawrence (2018), the key too the issue is to try to better understand the resistance. Leadership and upper management can take solid steps to handle attitudes from new members. This can be done by highlighting new performance requirements for team members to engage and begin thinking differently but positively. Change does not have to necessarily be a negative thing once it is properly understood. eClinicalWorks V11 is a very cost effective and simplified to improve patient care while also lightening the load on healthcare and medical practice staff.

In conclusion, implementing new technology systems may be difficult at times, especially because people become accustomed with the current systems being used. Even if a new process makes work easier, some people may find it hard to reprogram themselves to learn an entirely new software. Despite that there are so many risks in healthcare IT implementation, including resistance (employee or patient), management and leaderships must ensure it is launched properly. Whether or not the project manager, and other decision-making team members are seasoned or inexperienced, the proper preparation, planning, practice, and progress checks will warrant some positive results in the end.

References

• eClinicalWorks (2018). eClinicalWorks V11 for Practices. Improving Healthcare Together. Retrieved from https://www.eclinicalworks.com/products-services/ehr-for-practices/
• Wager, K., Lee, F., & Glaser, J. (2013). Health care information systems: A practical approach for health care management (3rd ed). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley and Sons.
• White, J. (2016). Make your hospital’s next technology upgrade more successful. Healthcare Business & Technology. Retrieved from http://www.healthcarebusinesstech.com/technology-upgrade-success/
• Cerner Corporation. (2018). Patient Access. Scheduling. Retrieved from  https://www.cerner.com/solutions/patient-access
• GroupOne HealthSource. (2018) Simplifying the Business of Medicine.
• Samson, K. (2017). Top 10 Steps to Health IT Implementation and Long-term Success.Healthcare IT News. Retrieved from https://www.healthcareitnews.com/sponsored-content/top-10-steps-health-it-implementation-and-long-term-success
• Olsen, E. (2018) Strategic Implementation. On Strategy. Harvard Business Review.
• Moore, A. (2017). Essential Steps To A Successful Strategy Implementation Process. Clever ISM. Retrieved from https://www.cleverism.com/strategy-implementation-process/
• Lawrence, P. (2018). How To Deal With Resistance To Change. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/1969/01/how-to-deal-with-resistance-to-change