Posted By Amanda Girard On August 24, 2021
EHR Implementation Success: 7 Tips
After you have chosen a new Electronic Health Records (EHR) solution, how do you smoothly transition to it? Follow these 7 tips for EHR implementation success.
Set realistic goals and expectations.
Is it realistic to think you will be paperless in 1 month? Do all of your programs need to go-live at once or is a phased approach better? What are the politics in your agency? Who is going to be the most resistant to change and maybe should not be a super user or the department to go-live first? Consider these things and set realistic objectives to achieve EHR implementation success.
Keep everyone informed and involved.
Make sure your staff understands the goals for your new EHR solution and implementation timeline. Consider involving staff in the selection and implementation process also because participation increases adoption and excitement.
Keep leadership involved in implementation.
Keep leadership involved after the decision making process of selecting your EHR. Leadership should be visible, engaged with the training, open and communicative. Leadership sets the tone for the entire project and can help ensure EHR implementation success.
Educate leaders on change management.
Educate your leadership on change management. Like the stages of grief, there is an emotional reaction that comes from switching solutions. This should be expected and supported. Understanding the change management curve and appropriate responses will help your leadership team and staff through this process effectively.
Be communicative with your EHR vendor.
Be communicative and willing to work with your vendor. Seek out acceptable solutions for all involved when issues happen to be sure of EHR implementation success.
Make EHR implementation fun!
For go-live, consider bringing in breakfast or lunch. You can decorate the lobby. You could also host an award ceremony at the end of the first month with awards such as: Super User in Training, Best Attitude, Most Helpful, Overcame Most Challenges, Department Most Likely to be Paperless, etc.
Evaluate EHR training.
Before you consider your staff fully trained, assess whether your staff members have practiced multiple training scenarios and whether clinicians have dedicated time outside of their patient hours to learn the new system. Take the time to make sure all users are well versed in the new system and utilize all training available from your vendor. This will ensure EHR implementation success moves forward to EHR usage success.
