There is much discussion within the healthcare community about Electronic Medical Records or EMRs. Most of it is positive but some of it is negative. To avoid having a negative experience and to ultimately realize the value that a professionally and properly implemented EMR can yield, adhere to the following keys to success.
Trusted, Reliable, full-service support. Before you can move into a house, you must build a foundation, frame it, wire it, and then detail it. The TV show "Extreme Makeover – Home Edition" accomplishes all of that in one week with the help of over 100 craftsmen. There is no such solution for an EMR. It is very important to find an experienced vendor or solutions provider to "build" your EMR/PMS system, because he can be onsite many times over many weeks managing the process. The IT system you are about to implement can be the cornerstone for your future success. Do it right. Find a trusted and reliable solutions provider. This is the #1 key for success with any EMR project.
Phased implementation. Implementing an EMR will not occur overnight, it takes time. Select a vendor that will allow you to phase in the training over a broad period of time. It is impossible and unreasonable to think that you and your staff can learn and embrace new technology after a week of training. Find a vendor that will provide training in graduated, phased steps. Your goal should be to implement the EMR over a period of six months to a year, not six weeks. Reengineering workflow does not need to be stressful and full of false starts. Defer to your installer, give them the authority to guide you through the process based upon their experience and you will have a much higher likelihood of success and a quicker return on your investment.
Certified hardware and network. There is nothing to be gained by shaving a few hundred dollars off of hardware and network equipment costs and then installing them improperly. As with any system, there is a right way and a wrong way. Again, defer to your vendor or solutions provider, he has learned the "right way" - no doubt after much trial and error. You need to benefit from that experience. Allow him to advise you on the hardware make and model. Select equipment that has been certified by the software developer and that your network installer or solutions provider is familiar with and thus able to support.
Reasonable expectations. Without a doubt, migrating to a properly implemented EMR will improve your practices’ efficiency, productivity, compliance, and professionalism. Conversely, migrating to a poorly implemented EMR will reduce all of the above. Computerization, when done right, is always good for business. For example, banking has become so efficient that we’ll pay $2.00 for our own money at an ATM! Educate your staff, keep them informed, and select a "key person" to coordinate the project or defer to your solutions provider. The transition from a paper chart to an electronic chart does not occur overnight. Allow enough time up front for "basic" training and then follow-up training to "customize" and "tune" the system. Select a fully integrated suite of products that provide not only the EMR but also billing, scheduling, and document management. Early failures with EMR adoption can almost always be traced to violating this "key." Your data should reside in ONE database, and be accessed by ONE common user interface or GUI, and should be managed by ONE operating system, and maybe most importantly, be coordinated by ONE vendor. Not only will the system be more efficient and easier to maintain, but it will produce both the clinical and financial data needed to benefit from the emerging pay-for-performance and DOQ-IT initiatives.