Implementing an electronic health record (EHR) can be carried out in six steps. The use of a specific approach for the implementation an EHR system is essential to make sure that all aspects of the health organization are identified and included. The first step in this approach is the assessment of organizational readiness (Takian et al., 2012). This includes an evaluation of the goals, needs, and financial and technical readiness of the organization. With an accurate perspective of the level of preparedness, the organization can structure an EHR implementation plan which will be suited to the specific needs of the organization.
The second step is planning the approach based on the identified needs of the organization. In this step, the information that was collected at the time of the assessment phase can be used to outline what organizational aspects the EHR plan will be expected to address and integrate with. At this stage, it is critical to gain an electronic perspective of all aspects of the organization. The third step is the selection of a certified EHR system. At the time of the implementation, the information that is collected should be used to identify the EHR system that suits the established organizational structure (Takian et al., 2012). Different EHR systems have different characteristics and components. Hence, the identification of an appropriate EHR system is essential to ensure that it enhances the effectiveness of care and services to organizations (Gesulga et al., 2017).
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The fourth step in the approach is conducting training of the employees and implementing the EHR system. At this phase of the implementation, the organization will be expected to install the EHR system that has been identified as appropriate for the organization. Based on this installation, employees within the organization should undergo training. Training will be essential to educate employees on the significance of the EHR system in the organization and how they will be expected to use it (Gesulga et al., 2017). In the fifth step, the organization should then ensure that it achieves meaningful use of the identified EHR system.
In ensuring that the EHR system achieves meaningful use, the organization should ensure that several objectives should be attained by the system. Some of these objectives include the improvement of quality and safety of healthcare, the enhancement of care coordination, and ensuring that patient health information is kept private and secure (Nguyen et al., 2014). The last step is the implementation of continuous quality improvement of the system. Once the system has been implemented, and meaningful use has been achieved, the organization should focus on continuous evaluation and improvement of its applications. This may include the revisitation of the goals and needs of the organization for the continued refining of workflows and the improvement of patient outcomes.
The success of an EHR system's implementation system depends on its stakeholders and subject matter experts (SME). An SME is an individual who has extensive knowledge of a specific area or topic. Several stakeholders should be included in the implementation of the EHR system. This is because those that are included in identifying and implementing an EHR system are involved in the assessment of organizational needs, and making a decision on which EHR system is appropriate for the organization. SMEs are the main users and should be the individuals that will make decisions based on the knowledge they have of departmental capabilities and needs (Nguyen et al., 2014). This key group of stakeholders identified should provide different perspectives on how the system will be utilized and have a wide range of skills and knowledge. Hence, there should be a representative from every department when the EHR system is being selected and implemented (Schumaker et al., 2014). This means that employees from various departments, such as administration, billing, and clinical departments. These SMEs should then work with a group of other employees from the IT department. A team leader should then be identified to guide and coordinate the efforts of the different members of the organization chosen for the task.
EHR Implementation Project Plan.
Project Scope
This project will focus on the implementation of an EHR system within the institution. This will include the identification of the committee to be included in the EHR implementation committee. Based on the assessment of different organizational aspects, an appropriate EHR system will then be identified and implemented within the organization.
Outline of EHR Tasks
Within the project, the tasks to be completed will include;
Recruitment of Implementation Committee.
Outline the implementation of budgets and costs.
Migration of patient and practice data.
Creation of a user-training program (Takian et al., 2012).
Describe critical success factors and evaluation system.
Security assessment of the system.
Recruitment of EHR Implementation Committee
Once the tasks have been well-defined, several subject matters will be sourced from essential stakeholder groups. These stakeholder groups include;
Project Management
Application Analyst- will have responsibility for migrating data.
Application Developer- will have responsibility for customizing the system.
Physician representative- will represent doctors and provide advice on their training.
Nurse Advocate- will represent nurses and provide advice on training and testing of data.
Test Engineer- Will have responsibility for testing the system and evaluating the performance.
Establish Implementation costs and budget
The EHR implementation committee will have responsibility for defining the costs that will be involved in the project and the overall budget. The defined budget will contain the following components;
Hardware and network upgrades
Purchase of EHR software
Practice staff overtime
Productivity loss
Customization consultancy
Vendor training costs
Data backup and storage
Project Schedule
Based on the project scope, budgets, and milestones, the project will be expected to take about 125 days for full completion. This will be based on the following timeline.
| Milestone | Time |
| Recruitment of Implementation Committee- identification of appropriate subject matter experts from different departments. | 10 days |
| Outline the implementation budgets and costs- identification of the costs associated with different tasks. | 15 days. |
| Assessment of organization- assessment of different organizational aspects and the collection of essential information. | 21 days. |
| Selection and purchase of appropriate EHR system- the selection of the right system based on identified organizational aspects. This will be followed by | 20 days |
| Migrating organizational data- transfer existing information to the EHR system. Conversion of paper records to electronic records (Gesulga et al., 2017). | 30 days. |
| Create a user-training program | 14 days |
| Describe critical success factors and evaluation strategies | 10 days |
| Security assessment of the system | 5 days |
Role of the Vendor
The main role of the vendor during the implementation of an EHR system is the provision of support in the selected approach. This means constant collaboration and coordination with the EHR implementation committee to identify the system that suits the needs of the organization (Schumaker et al., 20140. This will involve the continued education of the existing software and services so that they have the best and resources for optimizing the use of the identified EHR system. The vendor will be selected based on their identified qualifications and experience, along with the presentation of a variety of EHR systems.
Conclusion
EHR systems are essential for increasing the quality of care that is given to patients. Hence, the implementation of an EHR system should involve a multi-disciplinary approach for the preparation of a new system, ensuring privacy and security compliance while training the care team. It is critical to identifying organizational capabilities and choosing an EHR system that suits these capabilities.
References
Gesulga, J. M., Berjame, A., Moquiala, K. S., & Galido, A. (2017). Barriers to electronic health record system implementation and information systems resources: a structured review. Procedia Computer Science , 124 , 544-551.
Nguyen, L., Bellucci, E., & Nguyen, L. T. (2014). Electronic health records implementation: an evaluation of information system impact and contingency factors. International journal of medical informatics , 83 (11), 779-796.
Schumaker, R. P., & Reganti, K. P. (2014). Implementation of electronic health record (EHR) system in the healthcare industry. International Journal of Privacy and Health Information Management (IJPHIM) , 2 (2), 57-71.
Takian, A., Sheikh, A., & Barber, N. (2012). We are bitter, but we are better off: case study of the implementation of an electronic health record system into a mental health hospital in England. BMC health services research , 12 (1), 484.
