Newsletter for a specific Health Care Provider

NEWSLETTER

What actually happens is more complicated and the real benefits of a new electronic health records (EHR) are often debatable.  We spend millions upon millions of dollars on the software and the training.  Timelines for training and “go-live” dates are constantly set back.  This takes away from other initiatives that have been designed to improve care.  Productivity drops dramatically.  Overtime increases.  At some places I have worked, seasoned clinicians decide that the new system is just the signal they needed to retire.  Ironing out the kinks of the new system takes years, and when that happens, we're operating roughly at the same levels that we were before we began this endeavor.  During the course of that time, we have often been forced to adopt other technologies that don't “speak” to the new system, and we come to live with these shortcomings because we have to.  After all of that, there is sure to be a new system “update” that will come along in the not-so-distant future.

Now, that is a pretty chilling assessment, but if you have been around for a while, I would bet much of that resonates with you.  Why is it like that?  I always ask my clients who are not satisfied with their current IT systems, “What is different now as you prepare to take on this new system?  What have you learned that will keep you from being in this same position two years from now?”  I get all sorts of answers to this interrogation.  Many people cite an insufficient investment in either training or post go-live support.  Occasionally I hear that staff are “stuck in the stone age,” that is, not willing to learn a new system.  One that particularly interests me is, “we involved the clinicians in the design of the system, but when it was finished they weren't happy with it.”  The most common answer I hear is about the failure of the technology; “It just wasn't designed well.”  We blame the technology.  A colleague of mine was discussing this with, an IT consulting and services firm, based in Boston, said something interesting.  “No IT adoption has failed because of a lack of capability of the technology.”  To some of you, that probably sounds crazy.  What if that is true?  We need to step back and take a look at how we generally go about implementing a new IT system at a healthcare organization.

Traditionally, an IT implementation happens in three phases:1) System build2) Training3) “Go live” and post “go live” support

System build.  The major providers of large-scale IT solutions have years and years of experience in helping design and customize systems to meet their client's needs.  Starting with a basic platform, teams are deployed to understand how different teams and departments will need to the system “tweaked” to suit them.  During this phase, frontline staff members have the opportunity to provide input into the design of the system.

Training.  A few people from each department are assigned to ...