6 steps to optimizing your EHR

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Simply having and using an EHR is one thing, but optimizing the system for clinical and revenue cycle applications is another.

Impact Advisors, a health IT-focused consulting firm, offers the following six-step approach to optimizing the EHR.

1. Establish and measure key performance indicators to determine high priority problem areas. Once an organization has established its baseline performance, it can then set goals and targets to reach in the future. Additionally, organizations need to determine how to measure progress, as each key performance indicator will be measured differently.

2. Assess and evaluate the process. Impact Advisors suggests assembling a team to evaluate the people, process and technology in question. Using current state value stream mapping and root cause analysis can help the teams determine which root causes are responsible for the majority of the issues in that area.

3. Develop a solution to achieve optimal outcomes. Organizations should research and implement best practices. Then, they can modify the current state value stream mapping to future state value stream mapping to outline the plan and guide your pilot workflow tests.

4. Measure key performance indicators. Once the pilots have been implemented, organizations need to measure and monitor post-optimization key performance indicators to see where to make adjustments to help meet benchmarks. After making any necessary adjustments, organizations can implement the future state value stream across the system.

5. Maintain results. To ensure optimization success isn't short-lived, Impact Advisors suggests implementing continuous monitoring of process improvements. In the event a process improvement hits a snag, teams are ready to immediately intervene. Additionally, organizations should make a point to reinforce the behavior change to prevent employees from falling back into old habits.

6. Transition ownership and leadership. If a dedicated team or third party led the optimization project, ownership of the project should be transitioned back to the front line operational leadership.

More articles on EHRs:

Clinical documentation improvement guidelines from ACP
Waiting on the ROI: 3 lessons from health IT investments
25 health IT data points on EHRs, MU, mHealth and big data

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