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By Laurie Craven, RN
Yes, that’s right, we’re talking about you. You’re the
newly-appointed electronic health record (EHR) project manager for your
practice. Whether you wanted the position or got there by default, like
many others, your feelings on this may range from confidence to panic.
TMF Health Quality Institute’s quality improvement and
EHR consultants are prepared to give you as much or as little assistance as
you need to get you moving toward your goal of a fully implemented,
paperless office. The best part of what we do is to provide
guidance—instilling confidence that you can be the project manager of a
project that will positively impact the way you provide patient care in the
future. (And did I mention our assistance is free?)
When I, or any of the other consultants first meet
with you, we may ask you to choose from one of the following statements
concerning your new role:
·
I am confident.
·
I am confident, but cautious.
·
I am confident I need a lot of help.
·
I am confident I may need someone else to do this.
·
I am confident I may need to resign.
My response is (1) don’t, (2) don’t, (3) don’t, (4)
don’t and (5) don’t.
First of all, don’t be too confident unless you have
implemented an EHR before. There is so much to know, understand, plan and
implement, that an overconfident person may miss something important.
Second, don’t be too cautious that it paralyzes you and prevents you from
moving forward. Third, don’t worry—we are here to help you every step of
the way. Fourth, don’t sell yourself short. This is going to be a wonderful
experience to put on your resume. And lastly, don’t resign…you can do this.
When you eat a large, lavishly prepared Thanksgiving
meal you do not eat it all at once. It is one bite at a time taken slow
enough to enjoy and appreciate. That is exactly how we will be guiding you
to manage your project—one step at a time, appreciating each step and
recognizing its importance with respect to the larger goal.
With that said, I want to let you in on a secret. What
do you think is the most neglected piece of the EHR project management? Money?
Training? Vendor selection? Hardware? Timeline? Goals? Deadlines?
Contracting? Workflow analysis? Process redesign? Scanning? Accountability?
Tasks? Roles? Committees? Support? Data input? Go-live planning?
Above all else, PEOPLE have the biggest impact on
your EHR success or failure.
Never forget that there is a human element. The most
commonly neglected element is how change impacts the people who work in
your office. Some are excited and ready to roll with this. Others may be
fearful that they may not have a job. Some don’t have the skill set needed
and are afraid of what that will mean for them. A few may not even fully
understand what an EHR is. There may be some who wonder how their job will
change. Most will not want their job to change at all. At least one or two
will worry about whether they will have to do more work. All will wonder if
this is going to make the work easier. No matter what they think, they do
have an opinion, and it is your job to find out what that is.
Before you even begin the project, I would recommend
that you have a meeting letting everyone know at the same time that the
physician(s) have decided to implement an HER. Let them know the EHR will
enable them to provide even better patient care and preventive care.
Regular communication about the project is one key to relieving staff
stress and anxiety.
·
Remember, everyone has an opinion.
·
Consider any upcoming staffing changes to ensure
appropriate training opportunities.
·
Hire people if there are holes that you need to
fill.
·
Hold regular staff meetings.
·
Assign someone to take minutes or notes at your
meetings.
·
Get the business communication out of the way
first, and then concentrate on the EHR project.
·
Allow time for questions and comments.
·
Invite staff to become involved and engaged in the
transition.
·
Identify your “super-users” now (staff members who
are computer savvy).
·
Encourage staff members to come to you with any
questions or fears they do not wish to share in the group setting.
It is very important that people are allowed to talk
about and process their feelings as this ultimately affects their work and
commitment to the practice…not to mention your ability to successfully
manage the project.
If you would like to discuss the next steps of project
management, call your DOQ-IT consultant.
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